macOS has many features that control when your Mac reduces the power it uses and how it behaves when it does so. There’s a relatively hidden setting that automatically logs you out of the current macOS account after a chosen number of minutes of inactivity. This does not shut down your Mac, but closes all open programs and makes the Mac inaccessible without a password unless you have enabled the Guest account.
The parameter is located at > System Settings > Privacy & Security. Scroll down and click on the Advance button. This is where you will find “Automatically log out after inactivity”. If this option is enabled, there is also a field where you can enter the desired duration. If it was a mystery why your Mac was disconnecting after inactivity, as it was for a igamesnews drive, just turn this switch off.
This buried setting could be the cause of mysterious macOS disconnections.
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If you were planning to use this feature, make sure the idle time is of an appropriate length so as not to waste your time during work sessions.
You can get the required protection by requiring a password when your computer is idle without closing active applications or logging out, of course. For this option, go to > System settings > Lock screen. Choose the desired duration and options to start the screen saver or turn off the display. Setting “Require password after screen saver starts or screen turns off” to Immediately ensures that after one of these events, someone will need a password. password to unlock your Mac.
If you have a Touch ID sensor on a Mac laptop, have a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID connected to an M series Mac, or have an Apple Watch, you can also make this easier. In > System settings > Touch ID and password (or simply Password without Touch ID). As it corresponds to the hardware you have:
- Enable “Use Touch ID to unlock your Mac” for a laptop or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.
- Activate under Apple Watch the name of your watch to allow it to unlock your Mac.
For security reasons, macOS keeps a timer running as a factor for users to decide whether you can use Touch ID or an Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. You may be asked to enter the account password at any time, even if these options are chosen.
Make your life easier by letting your fingerprint or Apple Watch unlock your Mac.
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This Mac 911 article responds to a question submitted by igamesnews reader Lawrence.
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