What It Does
ScreenLock listens for a configurable global hotkey and instantly launches the macOS screen saver. If your Mac is set to require a password after the screen saver starts, this effectively locks your machine in one keypress.
The shortcut can be cleared as well as changed. With none bound, nothing is intercepted, and the screen saver is still one click away from Lock Screen Now in the menu bar.
The default shortcut is Hyper+X (controloptionshiftcommandX) — designed to work with HyperCaps. Press caps lockX to lock your screen.
Using with HyperCaps
ScreenLock pairs naturally with HyperCaps. With both running:
| You Press | Result |
|---|---|
| caps lockX | Locks your screen |
| shiftcaps lock | Toggles Caps Lock on/off |
| caps lock + any key | Sends a Hyper Key shortcut |
The default Hyper+X shortcut works out of the box with HyperCaps. No configuration needed.
Settings
Click the display icon in the menu bar and choose Settings… to configure:
Shortcut
Click Change… to record a new keyboard shortcut. The shortcut must include command, control or option, unless it is a function key: F1 to F20 can be used on their own. All settings persist across restarts.
General
- Accessibility permission — status display and grant button
- Show icon in menu bar — hides the menu-bar icon while ScreenLock keeps running (still reachable via its keyboard shortcut). Your choice persists across launches, including login auto-start. Shown only on macOS 14–15; on macOS 26 (Tahoe) and later, use System Settings → Menu Bar, which provides this natively.
- Menu bar icon pill — optional grey background for stronger contrast on busy or wallpaper-tinted menu bars (off by default)
- Launch at Login — start automatically when you log in
If you’ve hidden the menu-bar icon and want it back, just re-open ScreenLock from your Applications folder — it reappears immediately.
Auto-updates are handled by Sparkle. Use the “Check for Updates…” menu item to check on demand; Sparkle’s prompt offers an “Automatically download and install updates in the future” checkbox the first time an update is available. ScreenLock checks for new versions automatically once a day in the background.
Locking Your Mac
For ScreenLock to actually lock your Mac (not just show the screen saver), enable:
System Settings → Lock Screen → Require password after screen saver begins → Immediately
With this set, starting the screen saver via ScreenLock will require your password to return.
Permissions
- Accessibility — required to listen for the global keyboard shortcut. macOS will prompt on first launch.
Permission status can be checked in Settings.
Installation
Two formats on every release — both signed and notarised, pick whichever suits:
- Installer (
.pkg) — recommended for first-time installs. Double-click to run; macOS Installer places the app in/Applicationswithout quarantine or App Translocation. - Download (
.zip) — unzip and dragScreenLock.appto your Applications folder.
Or install it with Homebrew: brew install --cask perpetualbeta/jorvik/screenlock
On first launch, grant Accessibility permission when prompted.
Building from Source
ScreenLock uses Swift Package Manager. No Xcode project is required.
- Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/PerpetualBeta/ScreenLock.git - Run
gmake build - Launch with
open .build/ScreenLock.app
Requirements
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).