How to Lock Keychain Access on a Mac

In the latest update of Apple's Mac OS X operating system, also known as Leopard, Mac users can safely store their private information in the "Keychain Access" utility application. A user's passwords, private notes and other online information are all kept in the Keychain program. However, if your computer is stolen, this information could be easily accessible. This article explains how to lock the Keychain application so that other users cannot access your private information.

Things You'll Need

• Mac running OS X 10.5 or later

Instructions

1. Log on to your computer with an account that has administrative privileges.

2. Navigate to the "Utilities" folder, which can be found in the "Applications" portion of the Mac hard drive.

3. Double-click on the "Keychain Access" icon to open the utility program.

4. Click the lock icon in the upper-left corner of the application window to restrict access to your stored information. Other applications and users will now be unable to use your stored passwords and secure information.

5. Click the lock icon again and enter your administrative password in order to unlock your stored information. Other applications and users can now access your stored passwords and secure information.