Use a screen saver on your Mac
You can use a screensaver to hide the desktop when you’re away from your Mac or if you need extra privacy.
Customise the screensaver on your Mac
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, then click Screen Saver.
Click the “Show screensaver after” pop-up menu, then choose how long you want your Mac to wait before starting the screensaver when it’s idle.
A warning symbol indicates if your display is set to turn off (as specified in Energy Saver preferences or Battery preferences) before the screensaver starts.
On the left, click a screensaver, then set options for it on the right.
The options available vary depending on the screensaver you select.
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. To see how the screensaver looks in full screen, move the pointer over the preview area, then click Preview. To stop the screensaver and return to the preference pane, move the pointer.
Shuffle slide order: Select the tick box to show pictures in a random order instead of their order in the source.
Screensaver Options: Click to set options for colour, speed, and more.
Set options for when to show the screen saver.
Use random screen saver: Select the tick box to let macOS choose which screen saver to use.
Show with clock: Select the tick box to show the time in the screen saver.
Hot corners: Click to set a hot corner shortcut for quickly starting the screensaver whenever you need it.
Start or stop the screensaver on your Mac
The screensaver automatically starts whenever your Mac sits idle for the amount of time you specified in Screensaver preferences. If you set up a hot corner for the screensaver, move the pointer over the corner to immediately start the screensaver.
To stop the screensaver and show 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.