Summary
This article discusses default security controls on University-managed macOS devices, focusing on screen lock settings. Users may notice their devices locking after around 2 minutes of inactivity, but they can adjust settings to extend this time. By following provided steps in System Preferences, users can increase the inactivity timeout beyond 15 minutes, ensuring the screen locks only after 15 minutes of idle time.
Body
Objective
On University-managed macOS endpoints, baseline security controls are applied to each device. This baseline affects device settings that trigger the lock screen, which may be noticed by users when their computer locks after a brief period of inactivity, typically around 2 minutes by default. While the managed settings require a Mac's screen saver to activate after 15 minutes of inactivity and require a password upon its activation or when the display turns off after 5 seconds, users can still modify display power settings from their original settings and extend the length of inactivity.
Users
Any user of a University-managed one-to-one macOS device.
Steps
If a Mac is locking and requiring a password after less than 15 minutes of inactivity:
- Open System Settings.
- Navigate to the Lock Screen settings pane, or search for Turn off display when inactive.
- Modify both the Turn display off on battery when inactive and Turn display off on power adapter when inactive settings to a length of time longer than 15 minutes.
You may be asked to enter administrative credentials to make this change. Once these settings are modified, your screen will begin to lock when the screen saver becomes active after 15 minutes of inactivity.