Require a Password on Waking from Sleep, but Not When Screensaver is Active

Have you ever wanted to have your Mac require a password on waking from system sleep, but not ask for a password when the screensaver is on or the screen was locked? Well, me neither, but someone out there might and it’s kind of a nifty customization tip that has some valid uses in some environments when a Mac at screensaver mode shouldn’t require a login, but waking from sleep should.

Here’s how to accomplish this rather unique login authentication requirement on a Mac:

Selectively Requiring Login Password on Mac Wake from Sleep, But Not Screensaver

Launch the Terminal from the /Applications/Utilities directories, and type the following defaults write command:

defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 0

Reversing this should just be a matter of changing the 0 to a 1 which then changes the behavior requiring login authentication back to default.

defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 1

I came across this nice trick on TUAW that I thought it was worth reposting here to our readers.