{"id":45680,"date":"2018-10-18T21:01:04","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T13:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=45680"},"modified":"2021-06-04T22:42:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T14:42:00","slug":"how-to-auto-unlock-macos-with-apple-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-to-auto-unlock-macos-with-apple-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Auto-Unlock macOS with Apple Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you unlock your Mac, keying in your password and hitting enter takes about 3 seconds. However, Apple thinks it\u2019s not fast enough. On the other hand, Macbook Pro launched in 2016<\/a> that comes with a touch bar allows you to log in via fingerprint that reduces the login time to about 1 second. Still, Apple thinks this isn\u2019t fast enough.<\/p>\n

So Apple came up with the quickest way that allows you to log into your Mac without doing anything \u2013 simply through your Apple Watch. If you\u2019re wearing an Apple Watch and go near your Mac (a few feet to 1 meter), it unlocks automatically.<\/p>\n

Want to try this feature? Then read on to know all about setting up this seamless auto-unlocking Mac feature of Apple Watch.<\/p>\n

Pre-requisites<\/h2>\n

Bluetooth 4.0<\/h3>\n

If you bought your Mac after 2013, it should already support Bluetooth 4.0.<\/p>\n

macOS Sierra and above<\/h3>\n

macOS Sierra was released in June 2017 and the latest iOS at the time of writing this article is already macOS Mojave. So you should be safe.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch running watchOS 3<\/h3>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if you are using older models like the Series 1, 2 or 3, as long as they are running watchOS 3 and above, it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n

How to turn on Auto-Unlock<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve checked all the pre-requisites of the auto-unlocking feature through Apple Watch, follow the below-mentioned steps to activate it.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy.<\/li>\n
    \"privacy<\/figure>\n
  2. Check the box with your Apple Watch\u2019s name under \u201cAllow Apple Watch to unlock your Mac\u201d, tick the box. You will be prompted to enter your Mac\u2019s admin password for this feature to be enabled.<\/li>\n
    \"allow<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

    That\u2019s it. Now you should be able to auto-unlock your Mac whenever you have your Apple Watch on your wrist.<\/p>\n

    When Auto-Unlock will not work<\/h2>\n

    There are certain situations when, even if the auto-unlock feature is activated, it will not work for you. These are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Bluetooth on your Mac is turned off.<\/li>\n
    • Apple Watch is off your wrist.<\/li>\n
    • Apple Watch is on your wrist but turned off or is locked (requires passcode).<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Guide to unlock macOS by just wearing Apple Watch on your wrist; no password required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3396],"tags":[3469],"topic":[],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Auto-Unlock macOS with Apple Watch - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Guide to unlock macOS by just wearing Apple Watch on your wrist; no password required.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/how-to-auto-unlock-macos-with-apple-watch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Auto-Unlock macOS with Apple Watch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Guide to unlock macOS by just wearing Apple Watch on your wrist; 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