Unlock your Mac
with a look.

Macs unlock with a password or Touch ID, not Face ID. Hey Mac adds face unlock to macOS: it uses your Mac's built-in camera to recognize your face, then unlocks the lock screen and your protected apps when you look at the screen.

Install Hey Mac and follow the guided setup: allow camera access, enroll your face, try a test unlock, and choose your security preferences. After that, just wake your Mac and look at the screen to unlock it. No password or keyboard needed. Follow the Hey Mac setup guide ›

Yes. Hey Mac can lock any app, such as Messages, Notes, or Mail. Anyone else sees a blurred window until you're verified by face, Touch ID, or password. For each app you can require unlock on every launch, after 5 to 15 minutes, or when you switch away.

Yes. Hey Mac is a free, open-source Mac app released under the MIT license. The full source code is on GitHub, so you can read it, build it yourself, or contribute.

Hey Mac runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) using macOS 14 Sonoma or later. It works on MacBooks with or without a notch. On Macs without one, the unlock animation floats at the top of the screen.

No. Face recognition runs entirely on your Mac using the Apple Neural Engine. Hey Mac never saves a photo of your face; it stores an encrypted face embedding locally, with its encryption key protected by macOS Keychain. Your face data stays on your Mac.

No. iPhone's Face ID uses a dedicated depth sensor, while Hey Mac uses your Mac's regular camera with a built-in liveness check that helps reject photos and screens. It's designed for convenience, so keep a strong Mac password.

No. Hey Mac is a faster way in, not a replacement. Your Mac password and Touch ID keep working everywhere, and locked apps can always be opened with them instead of your face.

Download the Hey Mac .dmg from GitHub and drag Hey Mac into your Applications folder, or install it with Homebrew: brew install --cask iharshitmaurya/tap/heymac.

Hey Mac isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS shows a warning the first time you open it. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only need to do this once.

Sign in with your Mac password or Touch ID first. Then check camera access and test recognition in Hey Mac’s Your Face settings. If recognition succeeds but the lock screen stays locked, review Accessibility access and the saved login password in Lock Screen settings. Troubleshoot Hey Mac face unlock ›

In Settings → About, use Check for Updates when available. You can also enable automatic update checks. Review the available update and follow its installation prompts.