MacOS: Start screen saver with a shortcut

With a shortcut to start the screensaver, you can quickly lock your computer under MacOS. But first you need to set up the shortcut. Our instructions will help you with this.

MacOS: Create a service to start the screensaver

First you need to create a so-called "service" that starts the screensaver:

1. Open the "Automator" application and select "New document" in the next window.
2. Once the program has started, select "Service" as the type of document.
3. Search for the program element "Screen saver on" in the left half of the program and add it to your program with a double click. This should now appear in the right half of the window.
4. With this program module you have to change the item "Service receives selected text (s)" to "not specified".
5. You can then save the service with the key combination [CMD] + [S]. Give the service a name - for example "Start screen saver".

Set shortcut keys to start the screen saver

1. Open your Mac's System Preferences.
2. Select the "Keyboard" item and switch to the "Shortcuts" tab.
3. Click on "Service" in the left column. Now you can find your previously created service in the right column. This can usually be found at the bottom of the list.
4. Click on this and select the item "Shortcut". You can now define a key combination to start the screen saver.