How to unlock your Mac with an Apple Watch

Modern MacBooks and even the latest desktop Macs have a Touch ID sensor on their keyboards, which is very handy for logging into your Mac or entering your password during system-level operations such as installing software. ‘apps. It works fine, but what about older Macs? Your Apple Watch might be the next best thing.

Even on a Mac with Touch ID, your Apple Watch could be more convenient: it connects you without touching nothing! It’s like having Face ID on your Mac. Here’s how you can unlock your Mac just by wearing your Apple Watch and use it to quickly approve macOS system requests.

What you will need

Luckily, almost every Mac and Apple Watch these days will support this feature. You need macOS Sierra or later and watchOS 3 or later. This means almost all Macs introduced after 2014 and all Apple Watches, as long as you’ve updated the OS since 2016.

Although almost all Mac and Apple Watch owners meet the hardware and operating system requirements, you will also need to check some system settings.

Check your device settings

Certain settings must be enabled in order to use Unlock with Apple Watch. Check the following three items:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your Mac (System Preferences > Network and System Preferences > Bluetooth).
• Your Mac and Apple Watch are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID, and your Apple ID uses two-factor authentication (system Preferences > Apple ID > Password and Security).
• Your Apple Watch uses a passcode (Watch app on your iPhone > Access code).

If all of these settings are correct, you should be able to enable Unlock with Apple Watch. You may need to restart your Mac if you made changes.

Enable Unlock with Apple Watch in System Preferences

Once you’ve done all your settings, you can turn on Unlock with Apple Watch by opening System Preferences, clicking Security & Privacy, and checking the box labeled “Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac.”

Once you’ve done that, you can unlock your Mac just by being nearby with your Apple Watch turned on (your watch should already be unlocked). It works when your display times out and turns off or goes to screen saver, or whenever your Mac goes to sleep. If you restart your Mac or log out, you’ll need to enter your password the first time you log in.

You can also use your Apple Watch to approve any macOS request that asks for your administrator password. For example, when unlocking a locked note, approving an app install, or unlocking Settings in System Preferences. You’ll receive an approval prompt with your Apple Watch, which will grab your attention with a little haptic feedback. Simply double-click the side button on your watch to approve the request. If you prefer to enter your administrator password, click on the Use password… button.

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