Hey MacTo lock a note on Mac, select it in Apple Notes and choose Lock Note from the More menu. You can use your Mac login password or set a custom Notes password, with Touch ID where supported. Locking individual notes and shielding the entire Notes app solve different privacy problems.
For a few personal entries, start with the built-in note lock. If you want to keep someone from browsing the app while using your unlocked Mac, consider account separation or an app shield as well.
Choose your Notes password
Open Notes → Settings and look for Locked notes. If more than one notes account is shown, choose the account you intend to configure. Select your login password or create a custom password, then enable Touch ID if it is available and you want to use it.
The login-password option avoids another password to remember. A custom password creates a separate credential to manage. If you choose one, keep it somewhere you can retrieve independently of the locked notes.
For iCloud notes, Apple sets additional requirements for using the login-password option, including two-factor authentication, iCloud Keychain, and compatible software on your other devices. Check the Apple Notes locking guide before changing an account used on several devices.
Lock a note, then close it
- Select a note you want to protect.
- Use the More button near the top of the window and choose Lock Note. Older Notes versions may show the action in a lock control.
- Complete the password setup or authentication prompt.
- Use the lock control to close locked notes when you are finished reading them.
Adding a lock does not mean the note’s contents disappear immediately while you are reading it. Unlocking can also leave other locked notes in the same account available during the session. Before handing your Mac to someone, check the closed state rather than relying on the padlock next to a note’s title.
If Lock Note is unavailable
Check the note’s account and contents first. Some note types cannot use the native lock, including Quick Notes, shared notes, tagged notes, and notes with certain attachments such as audio, video, PDFs, or documents. The current Apple guide lists the supported attachment types and account restrictions.
A missing option is not a reason to delete an attachment or stop sharing a note without considering who needs it. Keep the original intact while deciding whether a different storage method is more appropriate.
For a collection of private documents that needs its own container, see how to password-protect a folder on Mac. For sensitive photos, the Photos privacy guide explains the separate Hidden-album control.
When you want to protect the whole Notes app
| Method | Useful for | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Native Notes lock | Selected eligible notes. | Other notes and the surrounding app can remain visible. |
| App shield | Restricting the visible Notes app in your session. | Does not encrypt its files or protect copies on other devices. |
| Separate account | Sharing the Mac for another person’s work. | They must use the separate session. |
Hey Mac offers app shielding on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later. It can verify through a face check, Touch ID, or Mac password. Face recognition runs locally using the camera and is not Apple Face ID.
- Complete the Hey Mac setup for App Lock.
- Enable protection in App Lock settings and add Notes.
- Choose how Notes should relock and review window-only versus full-display coverage.
- Try the workflow with an ordinary test note, including returning after the relock condition and using your fallback method.
The native note lock can remain useful alongside an app shield. They have different scopes. Keep the general app-locking guide handy if you are deciding between these approaches.
Check synced notes and exported copies
Shielding Notes on this Mac does not place the same shield on an iPhone, iPad, browser session, or second Mac. Review where the notes are stored and who can open each device.
An exported document, copied passage, screenshot, or notification is also a separate place where content may appear. Think about the information you are protecting, rather than only the app where you first wrote it.
Questions about locking Notes
What if I forget my custom Notes password?
A new password does not decrypt notes locked with the forgotten one. If a configured authentication method still opens a note, preserve access and review Apple’s recovery guidance before changing anything. Apple cannot recover an unavailable custom password for you.
Can someone who knows my Mac password read a locked note?
If that note uses the Mac login password, that credential can unlock it. Review the password method for the account rather than assuming Touch ID is the only way in.
Does Hey Mac lock each note?
Hey Mac shields the selected application view. Apple Notes manages its own per-note locks. Choose the native lock for a particular note and app shielding when restricting the whole app fits your use case.
About this guide
Harshit Maurya develops Hey Mac. Reviewed November 9, 2026 against Apple’s Notes documentation and Hey Mac’s documented settings. Menu labels vary by Notes version; no fresh-device or password-recovery test is claimed.