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macOS Catalina 10.15
macOS Mojave 10.14
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Use a screen saver on your Mac

You can use a screen saver to hide the desktop when you’re away from your Mac or if you need extra privacy.

The Screen Saver pane of System Preferences.
  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, then click Screen Saver.

    Open the Screen Saver pane for me

  2. Click a screen saver on the left, then set options for how it will look on the right.

    The options available vary depending on the screen saver you selected.

    • Source: Click the pop-up menu, then choose the pictures to show in the screen saver. You can use pictures that come with macOS or choose pictures from your Photo Library or another folder.

      The preview area shows how the screen saver will look; give it a moment to preview your selection.

    • Shuffle slide order: Select the checkbox to show pictures in a random order instead of their order in the source.

    • Screen Saver options: Click to set options for color, speed, and more.

  3. Set options for when to show the screen saver.

    • Start after: Click the pop-up menu, then select the amount of time you want your Mac to wait before starting the screen saver.

    • Show with clock: Select the checkbox to show the time in the screen saver.

    • Use random screen saver: Select the checkbox to let macOS choose which screen saver to use.

    • Hot corners: Click to set a shortcut for quickly starting the screen saver whenever you need it.

To stop the screen saver and return to the desktop, press any key, move the mouse, or touch the trackpad.

If you want more security when you stop the screen saver, see Require a password after waking your Mac.

See alsoGet to know the Mac desktopCustomize the desktop picture on your MacManage windows on MacMake it easier to see what’s on the screen of your Mac
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