Login Window... Shortcut keys?

Hi Aaron

Use Mac Help to look up "Fast User Switching". That will do what you want.

Also you can set the Screensaver to require a password to continue. Look up "Screensaver" in Mac Help, and use System Preferences > Security > "Require Password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver". The Help page will tell you how to set "hot corners" for your screensaver.

Here are the instructions to enable Fast User Switching, this will give you an icon at the top right of your screen to drop back to the login prompt.

Hope it helps!

David

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When fast user switching is turned on, the name of the current user is displayed in the upper-right corner of the menu bar. You can click the name to select another user to switch to. If the other user's account doesn't require a password, the computer switches automatically to the new user's home folder. Otherwise, you see a dialog asking for the user's password.

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To turn on fast user switching:

Open System Preferences and click Accounts.
If some settings are dimmed, click the lock icon and type an administrator name and password.
Click Login Options.
Select "Enable fast user switching."

Aaron

Does anyone know if there is a shortcut key combo?

For what exactly?

There certainly isn't one for enabling Fast User Switching, or for going to the Login Window from when you're logged in (except Shift-Command-Q, but that will actually log you out, which is not what you want). You need to select a single item from the "Users" menu.

To set up the screensaver and enable "hot corners" also requires you to visit System Preferences > Desktop & Screensaver and choose "Hot Corners …" on the Screen Saver tab. Then you need to visit System Preferences > Security and check the box for "Require Password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver", as I said before. There is no keyboard shortcut for any of these setup operations, and sadly, once you've done that, you still need a (single) mouse click in one of the bottom corners to turn the screensaver on.

So, sorry, but you will need your mouse! Although I've no doubt something could be set up in Automator 🙂

Aaron,

To the best of my knowledge there is no hard coded keyboard shortcut to drop yourself back to the login window. I wish there was. :P

Sorry!

David

Well, not exactly a shortcut key:

Ctrl+F8 (fn CtrlF8 on a laptop keyboard.)
Use the left/right arrows to select the Fast user switch thing.
Use the up/down arrows to select "Login Window..."
Enter

There is a way. It's a bit complicated to set up, but it works:

EDIT: Ignore the struck out parts and follow the advice I give in a subsequent post, which works better.

1) Open TextEdit. Paste in the following two lines (that second one should all be on one line; the discussions might wrap it):
#!/bin/bash
/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend
2) Save the file as Plain Text in a convenient place.
3) Launch Terminal, and enter this:
chmod +x (hit spacebar, drag the previously made file to the Terminal window, press return)
4) Test the shell script by double-clicking on it. It might ask you which application is needed to open the File. If so, select Terminal. Double clicking the file should then bring up the login window.


5) Download XKeys.

6) Use XKeys to assign a F key to the shell script file. I use F13.

Presto! You now have a shortcut key to get you to the login window. The only drawback is that every time you press the F key, a new Terminal window will be launched, that you will see when you log back in. Perhaps somebody who is a better shell scripter than me can figure out how to fix that.

Maybe add "exit" command at the end of the script?

Never mind, I just figured out a better way to do it that works.

1) Launch Automator.

2) Find "Run shell script" and drag it to the workflow window.

3) Enter this in the box (all on one line):
/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend

4) File -> Save... and save the workflow as an application.

5) Use XKeys to assign the F13 key to that application.

Presto! It works without opening any pesky Terminal windows! Credit to Michael Conniff for the idea to use Automator for this.

Did everything you told..
When i try to run that newly created application.. nothing happens.. i see somthing is running for a sec.. and nothing happens 😟

When i run the same script line in terminal window it works like a charm.

Any ideas what am i missing?

I have a simple Applescript I use Quicksilver to call. the script is:

do shell script "/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend"

Which is like beating a dead horse since its the same script they use above. Try this:

http://www.peelman.us/files/LoginWindow.app.zip

Unzip it and you should have a .app you can open in Script Editor and modify if necessary, but executing it should drop you out to a login prompt.

Be aware, everybody who finds this tread via Google, you MUST have Fast User Switching on for this hack to work (and it is a hack, regardless of how you look at it). If its thinking for a second then failing it may be because you don't have FUS turned on.