LockTight for Mac OS X Intel

Mavericks (Mac OS X 10.9) Update (23 October 2013): Recompiled for Mavericks (10.9, Build 13A603) and tested on my machine only.

http://www.gkoya.com/2013/10/23/locktight-one-more-final-update-for-mac-os-x-mavericks-10-9/

 

 

Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x) Update (31 August 2009):Recompiled for Snow Leopard (10.6, build 10A432) and tested on my machine only.

LockTight for Intel (v0.1.1) (zip archive, 106kbyte file, HTTP download)

Sorry, there’s really no support for this. It’s just a courtesy to other Mac users. Plus, I am not a programmer…;-)

When people “Switch” to the Mac, they often look for a one-keystroke or one-key-combo screen locker.

And they’re often disappointed to find that the operating system only provides a two-click solution: add the Keychain Access menu item to the menubar, and then use “Lock Screen”.

So in came Menno Pieters, who built LockTight from Raging Menace‘s SleepTight code.

…but it doesn’t work under Mac OS X for Intel-based hardware. Until now…because I got frustrated with myself for not having done it earlier…

Presenting the Intel-compatible re-compile of LockTight.

Menno’s source code has been recompiled with XCode on an Intel based Macintosh, and contains all the original source code and licensing information as required.

LockTight for Intel (tar, bzip. 88kbyte file, HTTP download)

Nevertheless, this is being provided without any support statement and without any expressed warranty or merchantability statement. It is virus- and malicious code- free.

NO WARRANTY

1. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

2. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

137 thoughts on “LockTight for Mac OS X Intel

  1. Nice work.

    Dragging the mouse cursor to a screen corner to lock the screen works well for me. This can be set by clicking the Hot Corners button under System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver.

  2. Excellent work, but it looks like it still relies on the ‘require password to wake from sleep or screensaver’.

    My problem is that I don’t want to use a password from screensaver; just from sleep and to have a lock hot-key. Do you know of any way to make that work?

    Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
    -waldo

  3. Waldo,

    I don’t think that the way Apple implemented the entire security hierarchy of Mac OS X would allow you to do that. I’d like that option as well, but until then, we’ve only got options like this.

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  6. Hi.

    I accidently deleted the startup item so that locktight would be avaialble autmatically. Now the only way I can use locktight is by going into system prefs, selecting locktight and then it works OK.

    Is there a way to fix this?

    Thanks!

    Steve

  7. Steve,

    I know the problem you’re having, and I think it’s best fixed by reinstalling the software.

    Right-click (control-click) on the Preference Pane in the System Preferences application, and choose “Remove…”.

    You can then reboot, and reinstall, and the programme should be back to the way you want it to be.

  8. Hi.

    I have two identical Mac Pro’s at work and I installed Locktight on both. On one works great no problems. On the other the video display started locking up at random intervals, but most often when screen saver is activated (either by Locktight or inactivity). When the display is not frozen, weird horizontal lines appear randomly. in my display.

    I realize that this could be from a number of causes, but it started immediately after installing Locktight. I’ve removed everything I can find related to Locktight and restarted the system, yet the problem persists. Before I rebuild this system or start swapping out video cards, I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar and if there are any other steps l could take to troubleshoot/fix.

    Thanks in advance for any help, and thanks for producing LockTight…I love being able to lock my screen with a keystroke combination.

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  12. Might as well set up a hot corner for screen saver. thats all this is doing. sorry, but not for me, still on the lookout for a better way

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  14. @Waldo,
    Your only option is to open Keychain Access, go to prefs and choose to display it in the menubar. Then you can click on the lock and choose lock screen. That’s your only option for now.

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  17. @Waldo,

    You could install Butler on your machine and configure a shortcut to switch users. Its what I do. I have a screensaver password free, and I hit Ctrl + Alt + L to switch users. This spins your screen to the login screen, essentially locking your workstation. Its just like the Win + L combo on windows.

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  19. I don’t like the screensaver-lock either. I use an AppleScript that uses the fast user switch to lock the computer. You stay logged in, but the login window appears.

  20. There seems to be an issue with this not working when also running Synergy. I use synergy to share my work computer’s mouse and keyboard with my macbook and when I leave my office I want to be able to lock my screen. This won’t work when synergy is running but once I stop the Synergy client, the shortcut works fine. Any ideas?

  21. Ditto to Rick. I also run Synergy and have found that if I have it open and running LockTight doesn’t work.

    Rick, on my machine I have the Keychain Status in my menu bar so I have two clicks to lock my screen. Bummer there is no shortcut for it like locktight but it works with synergy.

    To enable the keychain in menu bar open up Keychain Access then open preferences and check “show Status in Menu Bar” (you might have already known but in case you didn’t and other people need it)

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  25. @Dan, @Rick

    I’ve got no idea how to resolve the conflict with Synergy, sorry.

    You may wish to try some of the other screen-locking alternatives as suggested in the comments at:

    http://ow.ly/5lU

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  29. Will not download either on my Intel Mac Desktop or my Intel Mac laptop.
    All I get is a page of garbage codes, without a download.
    I am using Leopard on both machines.

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  35. Perhaps you could try right-clicking the link, and choosing the option equivalent to “save target as…”?

  36. Great tool! Thank you so much for this! It’s about time that apple implements this basic feature directly into OS X!

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  38. FYI – I’m able to download this file via Firefox, but not Safari…. Even a right click, save as.

    Thanks!

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  43. This doesn’t work for me. I do the key combinations, then I can see a transparent lock icon, then it goes to my screensaver. If I move the cursor, it goes right back to my desktop. Any ideas?

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  48. Just enable Fast User Switching in System Preferences > Accounts > Login Options
    A User icon will show up in the menu bar. Just click it and select “Login Window…” that’s it, locked screen.

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  68. installed snow leopard version and hot key launches screensaver, comes up for a brief moment and then goes right back to desktop all by itself. still haven’t rebooted yet tho…

  69. I experienced a problem that others may be having with the new build for 10.6.

    When I’d initiate my keystroke, the screen would go dark, but as soon as I’d let go, it’d drop me back at the desktop.

    I traced it down to a new (I think) 10.6 feature..

    To fix:
    Go to System Preferences | Security and ensure ‘Require password [immediately] after sleep or screen saver begins’.

    I had previously set this to [5 seconds] so that I could quickly bail out of the screen saver when it started accidentally.

  70. you are correct there John D! i had the same setting applied. It’s like there’s a residual key entry and the 5 second override is doing exactly what it’s meant to by ending the screen saver. so it looks like i’m back in business. thanks!

  71. Both the prior release and the Snow Leopard compile work, but only with a couple of catches.

    System Preferences has to be launched in 32-bit mode.

    The hot-key only operates after you have launched the LockTight prefpane. At least, after I reboot, the hot-key no longer does anything until I relaunch the LockTight prefpane. Never had that issue prior to SnowLeopard.

    I wish I had the necessary programming chops to fix this.

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  73. Would you mind opening up the source code under GPL so others could support of modify as needed.

  74. Hi Rob

    It’s not my source. As you will have read, it belongs to Menno.

    All I’ve done is updated the XCode project for 10.4 and 10.5 Intel, and for 10.6.

    All the source and project files are in the download packages: so, drop Menno a line as a courtesy, and start re-mashing-up the project. Assume that it’s kinda “abandonware” and that as long as you’re not going to commercialise it, you could gently rebuild it.

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  76. As of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, there is one more way to accomplish this, without any extra or third party software.

    Use Automator to create and save a ‘Start Screen Saver’ service that accepts no input and is available to all applications. You can find the appropriate Automator action under ‘Utilities’. Then you can simply assign this new service a shortcut from the Keyboard Shortcuts preference pane.

    If you would prefer to lock the screen rather than use a screen saver, use Automator to run a shell script with the following command:

    /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend

    Then set the keyboard shortcut as before. Huzzah!

    See this (more general) tip:
    http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20090903085255430

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  78. It doesn’t work for me. I hit the hotkey, the padlock button comes up, screen goes black for a second and then it goes back to the desktop.

    Running Snow Leopard

  79. You need to go into the Security control panel item in System Preferences, and set the delay to “immediately”. I believe this fixes the bug ;-).

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  82. hi
    we wish to deploy this utility to all out macs on the network. is there a way to set the utility to automatically “enable” and configure a “hotkey” via a plist file for easy deployment? instead of each user that logs in to enable and set the hotkey manually?

    thanks.

  83. No idea about that deployment question. Sorry, I’m just the compiler, not the author. :-)

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  86. This is great. I understand you didn’t write it, but I appreciate your efforts to make it available on newer macs. Thank you!

  87. I’m sure you have tried this, but the standard uninstall procedure is: Open the panel in Sydney Preferences. Uncheck the “Enable LockTight” checkbox. Click “Show All”. then right-click on the LockTight icon and choose to “Remove…”

    Good luck!

  88. Very good man ! , i had problems with it in begin, but compiled it myself and that’s working just fine! Great !

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  97. Try Shift+Control+Eject

    (It will turn off your monitors to save power and will require a password, if one exists, to wake up)

    No tweaks or additional software are required.

  98. Beau, that is brilliant! I’ve been using LockTight, but I much rather use something integrated in the OS.

    If that shortcut existed before Lion it’s ridiculous that nobody seem to know about it.

  99. Works for me with Lion. I’ve been looking for so long for something that does exactly this and it does it perfectly. Thanks so much : )

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  101. Problem with LockTight + Synergy?

    Solution: on the server, click Configure Server, go to Advanced Server Settings tab, uncheck ‘Synchronize screen savers’, click OK, click Apply (or stop/start?), should be good to go!

  102. Works fine for me in Lion, only caveat is that you need to have your screensaver lock set to ‘Immediate’ or else you just get a flash of screensaver and then back to desktop..

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  105. A way we found to get around using this on Mountain Lion (where you have to open the pref pane before itll work):

    Make sure screensaver is set to require password immediately

    Go to Applications > Utilities > Automator

    Create new “Service”

    Set to “No input” at top

    Add “Start Screen Saver” from left

    Save as StartScreenSaver service

    Close Automator

    Apple > System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services

    Enable “StartScreenSaver” service (checkbox) if it isn’t already

    Click to the right of the service name to set a hotkey. I use CTRL-OPT-CMD-L

    If it works for you, Enjoy.

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