Recommended$9
Official ready-to-install app
For people who simply want Mac Input Lock to work.
- Signed and notarized by the developer
- Universal Apple Silicon and Intel build
- Automatic in-app updates included
- Use on all Macs in your household
Open source · Apple notarized · No subscription
Lock your Mac keyboard and trackpad.
Your calls, videos, and music keep playing.
Temporarily block every keyboard, mouse, and trackpad on your Mac while your screen, sound, camera, and microphone continue working.
One-time purchase · Household use · macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon and Intel
Your call keeps going
Open source, with a convenient official build
Install it yourself, or support the project.
Open source under MIT. The official ready-to-install app costs $9 once, including automatic updates. You can also build it yourself for free.
For developersFree
Build from source
Every line remains public under the MIT license.
- Complete Swift source on GitHub
- Documented Xcode build process
- Inspect or modify the permission-sensitive code
- Community-supported installation
You are paying for the official build and continued maintenance—not for access to the source code.
Made forVideo calls with toddlersWatching videosKeyboard cleaningCurious petsMusic & photo slideshows
Looking for Guided Access?
A simple Guided Access alternative for Mac.
Keep a toddler from clicking away from a video, ending a family call, changing the volume, or typing into another app—all while the screen, sound, camera, and microphone keep working.
One job. Done well.
Three steps to accidental-input peace.
No accounts, modes, or complicated setup. You choose the keys that unlock your Mac.
Choose an unlock sequence
Use any case-sensitive key sequence with one or more visible characters. It is a convenience, not a password.
Press Start
A clear five-second countdown gives you time to prepare before all pointer and keyboard input is blocked.
Type to unlock
Enter the exact unlock sequence. Every keyboard, mouse, and trackpad becomes responsive again.
⌃⌥⌘D
Instant one-hand shortcut
Lock now. Unlock the same way.
Press Control–Option–Command–D anywhere to lock immediately without the countdown. All four keys fit under your left hand. Press the same shortcut while locked to restore input instantly; your unlock sequence still works too.
What gets locked
Accidental input stops.
Your Mac does not.
Every keyboard
Built-in and external keyboards become inert.
Mouse & trackpad
Clicks, scrolling, dragging, and gestures are blocked.
Everything keeps playing
Calls, video, music, camera, and microphone continue.
Transparent by design
Your keystrokes never leave your Mac.
Mac Input Lock has no analytics, accounts, background service, advertising, or telemetry. Your input stays on your Mac. Optional update checks and downloads use the network without sending your keystrokes or app-usage information.
Read the permission explanation →✓
Apple notarizedVerified before every release
✓
Minimal permissionAccessibility only, to suppress input
✓
Open sourceEvery line is public under MIT
✓
Automatic updatesOptional checks with no analytics
Practical guides
Find the right kind of input lock.
A family call, a quick keyboard wipe, or a cat on the desk: start with what you want to keep on screen.
Little hands
Guided Access for Mac
Videos, calls, audio stories, and photo slideshows, without accidental taps ending them.
Read the guide →A cleaner keyboardBlock input while cleaning
Understand what input locking helps with, and when Apple recommends shutting down.
Read the guide →An informed choiceCompare the alternatives
A sourced comparison of Mac Input Lock, KeyboardCleanTool, CleanLock, and Warden.
Compare apps →Questions, answered
Know what to expect.
How much does Mac Input Lock cost?
Open source under MIT. The official ready-to-install app costs $9 once, including automatic updates. You can also build it yourself for free. The official purchase covers all Macs in your household. No subscription, activation, or app account is required.
What permission does it need, and is my typing private?
Mac Input Lock needs Accessibility permission to intercept keyboard and pointer events system-wide. It recognizes your unlock sequence locally and does not record or transmit your typing. The app has no analytics or telemetry. Optional update checks and downloads use the network; the website separately uses Google Ads purchase measurement.
How do I lock and unlock?
Choose a case-sensitive unlock sequence of one or more visible characters, then press Start for a five-second countdown. Type the exact key sequence to unlock. You can also press Control–Option–Command–D (⌃⌥⌘D) to lock immediately and press the same shortcut again to unlock.
What if I cannot unlock, or the menu-bar icon is hidden?
If input is unlocked but the icon is hidden, reopen Mac Input Lock from Applications or Spotlight to show its controls. While input is locked, try your unlock sequence or Control–Option–Command–D. If neither works, hold the physical power or Touch ID button until your Mac turns off, then restart. Unsaved work may be lost. Ordinary Force Quit controls are not practical while input is blocked.
Will my call, video, camera, and microphone keep working?
Yes. Mac Input Lock blocks local input while your screen, calls, videos, music, camera, and microphone continue. It does not pause playback or mute your microphone. Your apps, network connection, and normal macOS sleep settings still determine whether those activities continue.
Which Macs are supported?
The official app requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and supports both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. It blocks built-in and connected keyboards, mice, and trackpads. Physical hardware controls outside the macOS event stream, including the power button, remain controlled by macOS.
How do automatic updates work?
You can enable optional automatic updates in the app's controls or choose Check Now to check manually. Existing customers can also reuse their bookmarked receipt download page to reinstall the current official build. You do not need to buy again for updates.
How is this different from Lock Screen or Guided Access?
Mac Input Lock leaves your current screen visible and blocks accidental input. macOS Lock Screen protects access to your desktop and hides it behind a login screen. iPhone and iPad Guided Access can restrict a device to one app; Mac Input Lock does not confine apps, filter content, or provide parental controls. An unlock sequence is a convenience, not a security password.
Know before you lock
If you can’t unlock.
If the menu-bar padlock is hidden, open Mac Input Lock again from Applications, Launchpad, or Spotlight. Its full control window will appear even while the app is already running. You can also turn on Show Mac Input Lock in the Dock there for a permanent second way to find it.
Test your unlock sequence before handing the Mac to a child. While locked, ordinary Force Quit controls are not practical because local input is intentionally blocked.
If the unlock sequence does not work, hold the physical power or Touch ID button until the Mac turns off, then restart. Unsaved work may be lost. The app will not automatically relock after restart.
Read the complete safety notes →
Keep little hands from ending the call.
Open source, private by design, and built to do exactly one thing.
Get the official app — $9 Or build it yourself for free →