Lockish Help

Getting started#

What Lockish does#

Lockish locks the apps you choose: each window of a locked app is covered until you unlock it with Touch ID or your Mac's login password. The rest of your Mac stays in use, so you can hand over the screen or step away without closing anything.

Installing and first launch#

Lockish needs macOS 14.0 or later, and a Mac account with a login password.

1. Download Lockish from appish.app/lockish.
2. Open the downloaded zip file.
3. Drag Lockish into your Applications folder.
4. Open Lockish from Applications.

The Welcome to Lockish window opens. It asks for one permission, which lets Lockish follow the windows of locked apps. The steps are under Permissions.

When the permission is on, the window shows Setup Complete and closes by itself. Lockish is now running in your menu bar, and your free trial of 7 days has started.

Keep Lockish in the Applications folder. From another folder macOS can run a temporary copy, which can't install updates.

Where Lockish lives#

Lockish lives in the menu bar, as a shield with a lock on it. It has no Dock icon. Click the icon to open Lockish's panel.

If you can't see the icon (the menu bar is full, the notch hides it, or a menu bar manager has tucked it away), open Lockish again:

1. Press Command-Space.
2. Type Lockish.
3. Press Return.

Lockish's window opens, with the same content as the panel.

Launch at Login#

With Launch at Login on, Lockish opens by itself when you log in, so your apps are protected after a restart. It's off until you turn it on.

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Turn on Launch at Login.

Without it, after a restart your apps aren't protected until you open Lockish.

If macOS has turned Lockish's login item off, the switch stays off and a note under it says so. Click Open Login Items and allow Lockish there.

Quitting Lockish#

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Quit.

While Lockish is protecting apps, Quit asks for Touch ID or your password first, so only you can switch protection off. It doesn't ask when nothing is protected.

Logging out, restarting, shutting down and installing an update don't ask.

When Lockish quits, its covers go with it. When you open Lockish again, every protected app is locked again.

Permissions#

Device Control and Data Access (called Accessibility before macOS 27)#

This permission lets Lockish follow locked apps' windows, so a new or moved window is covered as it appears. System Settings calls it Device Control and Data Access on macOS 27, and Accessibility on earlier versions.

To turn it on:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Permissions, click Open System Settings.
4. In Privacy & Security, open Device Control and Data Access (Accessibility before macOS 27).
5. Turn on Lockish.

If Lockish isn't in the list, click + and choose it from Applications. Lockish notices the change by itself: you don't need to reopen it.

The Welcome to Lockish window has its own Open System Settings button, with the steps beside it. The first time you click it, macOS shows its own request and adds Lockish to the list. Re-check and Re-check Permissions have Lockish look again. If the permission is on and the window still says it's required, click Quit & Reopen.

If a locked app's cover is in the way of System Settings, click Hide on its card.

Without this permission Lockish still protects your apps, with a limit. The panel says Limited and shows Protection Limited. Locked apps are covered, but a new or moved window can show until you next switch apps.

To check it, open Check Lockish (see Check Lockish). Its line reads "Device Control and Data Access: allowed" when all is well.

Automation, for Finder#

Lockish uses Automation only while Finder is protected. It lets Lockish close Finder's windows when Finder locks, so your folders aren't left on screen.

macOS asks for it when you protect Finder. Choose Allow.

To turn it on later:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Open Privacy & Security.
3. Open Automation.
4. Under Lockish, turn on Finder.

In Lockish, Finder's row says "Automation is off, so Finder's windows stay open, covered." while it's off. Click Allow… there to open the same place.

Without it Finder still locks. Its windows are covered, but they stay open behind their covers.

To check it, open Check Lockish. Its line reads "Automation for Finder: allowed", or "Automation for Finder: not needed" while Finder isn't protected.

Protecting apps#

A protected app is locked whenever you haven't unlocked it. You choose which apps to protect, and each keeps its own timer.

Add an app#

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Add App.
3. If Lockish asks Add Protected App, click Browse Apps.
4. Choose the app in your Applications folder.
5. Click Open.

The app joins Protected Apps. If it's open, it locks.

Add Protected App appears while Finder isn't protected yet. It also offers Add Finder: see Finder.

The Protected Apps list#

The top of the panel says how Lockish is doing:

• Protected: Lockish is running, with full protection.
• Limited: Lockish is running without its permission. See Permissions.
• Not Protected: Lockish isn't protecting your apps. A banner under it says why.

Under Protected Apps, each app's row shows its name, its timer while auto-lock is on, and a badge:

• Locked: the app is covered until you unlock it.
• Unlocked: you've unlocked it. Click the badge to lock it now.
• Inactive: Lockish isn't protecting apps at the moment.

Click a row to open its options. Until you add an app, the list reads "No protected apps".

Remove an app#

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click the app's row.
3. Click Remove.
4. Confirm with Touch ID or your password.

Lockish asks first, so only you can take an app's protection away. The app's covers go.

Good to know

• Lockish can't protect itself. It says "Lockish can't lock itself."
• An app that's already in the list isn't added twice.
• If you choose something Lockish can't read as an app, it says Invalid Application. Choose the app itself, in Applications.
• If you delete a protected app from your Mac, it stays in the list. Lockish protects it again when it's installed.
• Lockish protects apps in your account. Other accounts on the Mac, and their apps, aren't affected.

Locked apps#

The cover and the lock card#

Lockish puts a dark cover over each window of a locked app, on every display, whether or not the app is in front. The covers follow the windows as they open, move, change size, go full screen, or change display or Space. The app keeps running behind its covers.

The lock card sits on the cover. It shows the app's name, "is protected by Lockish", and two buttons: Unlock with Touch ID and Hide. On a Mac that can't use Touch ID right now, the first button reads Unlock with Password. A small window gets a smaller card, with Unlock and Hide.

While a lock card is up it takes the keyboard, so typing doesn't reach the locked app.

Hide a locked app#

Click Hide on the lock card. Lockish hides the locked app and takes you back to the app you were using.

Good to know

• A locked app's covered windows stay in front of other windows until you hide or unlock it.
• When a locked app opens, or comes back from being hidden, macOS shows its windows for a split second before Lockish covers them.
• A locked app keeps running: it can still play sound, finish downloads and show notifications.
• More limits are listed under What macOS allows.

Unlocking#

Unlock an app#

1. Open the locked app, or click one of its covers.
2. Click Unlock with Touch ID on the lock card.
3. Touch the Touch ID sensor.

To type your password instead, click Use Password when macOS asks. If your Apple Watch is set up to approve requests on this Mac, macOS offers that too.

macOS does the asking, and says "Lockish is trying to unlock" with the app's name. Lockish learns only whether it worked.

Only that app unlocks. Other locked apps stay locked.

Instant Biometric Prompt#

With Instant Biometric Prompt on, Lockish asks for Touch ID as soon as a locked app is opened, without a click on the card. It's off until you turn it on.

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Turn on Instant Biometric Prompt.

If you cancel the request, the lock card stays. Click its button to be asked again.

How long an app stays unlocked#

An unlocked app stays unlocked until one of these locks it again:

• its auto-lock timer;
• Lock Now or Lock All;
• the Mac going to sleep, or its display going to sleep;
• the screen locking, or the screen saver starting;
• another user switching in;
• the app quitting;
• Lockish quitting and opening again.

There's no daily limit.

Good to know

• Lockish needs a login password on your Mac account, because nothing else could unlock a locked app. Without one it locks nothing, and the panel shows Set a Login Password. Click it to open Users & Groups.
• On a Mac with no Touch ID sensor, with no fingerprint set up, or with its lid closed, Lockish asks for your login password.

Locking again#

Auto-lock#

Auto-lock locks an unlocked app again after you've been away from it for a set time. The clock starts when you switch to another app, and stops when you come back. It doesn't run while the app is in front.

To set an app's time:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click the app's row.
3. Choose a time beside Auto-lock after.

The times are 10 sec, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min and 60 min. A new app starts at 5 min.

To stop an app locking by its timer:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click the app's row.
3. Turn off Auto-lock enabled.
4. Confirm with Touch ID or your password.

With auto-lock off, the app stays unlocked until something else locks it: see How long an app stays unlocked.

Lock Now and Lock All#

To lock one app:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click the app's row.
3. Click Lock Now.

Clicking the app's Unlocked badge does the same.

To lock every unlocked app, click Lock All at the bottom of the panel. Lockish locks them and hides them. Lock All is dimmed while nothing is unlocked.

When the Mac sleeps, locks or changes user#

Every unlocked app locks again when the Mac goes to sleep, its display goes to sleep, the screen locks, the screen saver starts, or another user switches in. Afterwards you unlock each app again as you need it.

Good to know

• When an app locks while you're away from it, Lockish hides it. It's covered when you open it again.
• A long timer can lock a few seconds late.
• An app in full screen can't be hidden by Lock All. It's locked, and its window stays on screen under its cover.
• An app you quit and open again is locked.

Finder#

Protect Finder#

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Add App.
3. Click Add Finder.
4. When macOS asks whether Lockish may control Finder, choose Allow.

What locking Finder does#

When Finder locks, Lockish covers Finder's windows and closes them, so your folders aren't left on screen. Open a Finder window again and it's covered, with its lock card: unlock it as you would any app.

Good to know

• The desktop and its icons stay visible. They're part of Finder too, and Lockish doesn't cover the desktop.
• Lockish closes Finder's windows only once you've allowed it to control Finder. Until then they stay open behind their covers, and Finder's row offers Allow…. See Automation, for Finder.
• A busy Finder can close its windows a moment after you unlock it.

Settings#

To open Settings, click the Lockish icon in the menu bar, then Settings. Back returns to the main page.

Lockish shows the names of its sections in capitals: General reads GENERAL in the app, and Protected Apps on the main page reads PROTECTED APPS.

Each protected app#

These are in each app's row on the main page. Click a row to open it.

• Auto-lock after: how long you can be away from the app before it locks again. 5 min for a new app.
• Auto-lock enabled: whether the app locks by its timer at all. On for a new app. Turning it off asks for Touch ID or your password.
• Lock Now: locks the app. It shows while the app is unlocked.
• Remove: takes the app off the list. It asks for Touch ID or your password.

The General section#

• Launch at Login: opens Lockish by itself when you log in. Off at first.
• Instant Biometric Prompt: asks for Touch ID as soon as a locked app is opened. Off at first.

The License section#

This shows your license. With a license it reads License Active, with the email address it's registered to and Deactivate on this Mac. During the trial it reads Free Trial Active with the days remaining. Otherwise it reads Trial Expired or License Required. Enter License Key and Buy License are there until a license is active. While Lockish confirms a stored key as it starts, it reads "Checking license…". See Your license.

The Permissions section#

This names Lockish's permission as your Mac names it, with a green mark when it's on and an orange one when it's off. Open System Settings opens the place to change it.

The Help section#

• Check Lockish: what's working, and how to fix what isn't.
• Export Diagnostics: saves a file for support.
• Email Support: starts an email to hello@appish.app.
• Copy Log Command: copies a Terminal command that saves Lockish's log.
• Help on the Website: opens this page.
• What macOS Allows: the limits listed under What macOS allows.
• Acknowledgements: the open-source notices.

The About section#

This shows the version of Lockish you have, which is also at the bottom of the main page. The current version is 1.5.1. Check for Updates looks for a newer one.

Shortcuts#

Lockish has no keyboard shortcuts, and none to set.

While a lock card is up it takes the keyboard, so keys don't reach the locked app.

To lock your whole Mac, press Control-Command-Q. That's macOS's own shortcut, and it locks every unlocked app in Lockish too.

Your license#

The free trial#

The trial lasts 7 days from the first time you open Lockish, with every feature. The panel shows the days remaining.

When the trial ends without a license:

• the panel shows Trial Expired;
• Lockish stops protecting your apps, and their covers go;
• your list of protected apps and their timers are kept;
• Lockish's window opens when you start it, asking for a license key.

Enter a license key and protection comes back, without reopening Lockish.

Buy and activate#

A license costs $9.99. To buy one, click the trial banner at the top of the panel, or Buy License in Settings. Your key arrives by email.

To activate:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under License, click Enter License Key.
4. Paste the key from your purchase email.
5. Click Activate License.

The page shows "Licensed to" with your email address. Activating needs an internet connection.

If activating doesn't work, the page says why:

• "Couldn't reach the license server. Check your connection and try again.": you're offline, or the server is busy.
• "This license key is for a different product.": the key belongs to another Appish app.
• "This key is active on the maximum number of Macs.": see The activation limit.
• Any other message comes from the license server. Check the key against your purchase email.

A key that isn't accepted doesn't end a running trial.

Move to another Mac#

Free the seat on the old Mac first:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Deactivate on this Mac.
4. Click Deactivate.
5. Confirm with Touch ID or your password.

Then activate your key on the new Mac.

After deactivating, Lockish goes back to its free trial on the old Mac if days are left. If none are left, it stops protecting apps there.

Deactivating needs an internet connection. Without one Lockish says License Still Active, and your license stays on that Mac. Try again when you're online.

On a Mac that was activated before Lockish 1.5.1, Lockish can't free the seat itself. It asks Remove the License from This Mac? instead. Click Remove, then email hello@appish.app and we'll free the seat.

The activation limit#

A key can be active on a set number of Macs. When they're all used, activating says: "This key is active on the maximum number of Macs. Deactivate it on a Mac you no longer use, or email hello@appish.app and we'll free a seat."

Entering the same key again on a Mac that already has it uses no new seat.

Using Lockish offline#

Lockish confirms your license when it starts and once a day. Offline, it stays licensed for 7 days after the last confirmation.

After that the panel shows the trial state, but Lockish keeps your key and keeps protecting your apps. It asks the license server again every hour, and shows License Active once the server answers.

Your license couldn't be confirmed#

Under License Active you may read: "Your license couldn't be confirmed just now. Lockish will check again in an hour."

The daily check got an answer that wasn't a clear yes. Lockish stays licensed and asks again in an hour. There's nothing you need to do.

If the panel shows Trial Expired although you have a license:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Enter License Key. Your key is already filled in.
4. Click Activate License.

This confirms the same Mac again and uses no new seat.

After a cleaner app has wiped the settings#

A cleaner utility can delete Lockish's settings file. Lockish keeps your license key in your Keychain too, and a copy of your protected apps list, so both come back by themselves the next time Lockish starts. You don't need to enter your key again.

Instant Biometric Prompt goes back to off.

A lost key#

Your key is in your purchase confirmation email. If you can't find it, email hello@appish.app from the address you bought with. Restore Purchase, in the window that asks for a key, starts that email.

Updates#

Lockish checks for a new version each time it opens. If there is one, a window offers it.

To check yourself:

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under About, click Check for Updates.

Lockish doesn't check on a schedule in between. If it runs for weeks without a restart, check by hand.

An update keeps your protected apps, their timers, your settings, your license and Lockish's permissions. Lockish quits and opens again to finish it, without asking for Touch ID, and every protected app is locked again afterwards.

If something isn't working#

Check Lockish#

Check Lockish lists what's working and what isn't, each line with a button to fix it where there is one.

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Help, click Check Lockish.

It checks again by itself when something changes. Check Again does it by hand.

What the lines mean:

• "Lockish is protecting your apps": all is well, with the number of protected apps.
• "No apps are protected yet": add one with Add App.
• "Protection is limited": Lockish's permission is off. Locked apps are covered, but a new or moved window can show until you next switch apps.
• "The free trial has ended", "Your license key wasn't accepted" or "Lockish needs a license key": Lockish isn't protecting your apps until a license key is active. Enter License Key opens the page for it.
• "Your Mac account has no login password": nothing could unlock a locked app, so Lockish isn't protecting your apps. Open Users & Groups opens the place to set one.
• "Protection hasn't started": quit Lockish and open it again. If the line stays, email support with your Diagnostics file.
• "Free trial", with the days left: Buy a License opens the store.
• "Checking your license": Lockish is asking the license server. Your apps stay protected meanwhile.
• "Device Control and Data Access", with "allowed", "off" or "not listed": the permission's state. "not listed" means a tool has reset it: click + in System Settings and add Lockish again.
• "Automation for Finder", with "not needed", "allowed", "off", "not asked yet", "not checked yet" or "couldn't check": whether Lockish may close Finder's windows. "not needed" means Finder isn't protected. Ask Now has macOS ask you, and Open Automation opens the setting.
• "Lockish can't follow the windows of", with an app's name: macOS doesn't report that app's new or moved windows to Lockish. They're covered each time you switch apps, so one can show until then.
• An app's name with "isn't on this Mac": a protected app has been deleted. Lockish keeps it in the list and protects it again when it's installed.
• "Launch at Login", with "on", "off" or "needs your approval": whether Lockish opens when you log in. Turn On switches it on, and Open Login Items opens the place to allow it.
• "Lockish isn't in Applications": quit Lockish, move it to the Applications folder and open it from there.
• "Some saved apps couldn't be read": part of the protected list was damaged. The rest is kept. Add the missing apps again.
• "Unlocking asks for your password": Touch ID can't be used on this Mac right now.

Export Diagnostics#

Export Diagnostics saves a text file that tells support how Lockish is set up on your Mac.

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Under Help, click Export Diagnostics.
4. Choose where to save "Lockish Diagnostics.txt". Lockish suggests the Desktop.

Finder then shows you the file.

The file holds your Mac's model, macOS version and displays, Check Lockish's lines, the permission's state, the state of your license, your settings, your protected apps with their timers, what Lockish's protection is doing, and the locks and unlocks since Lockish opened.

It doesn't hold your license key, an email address, window titles or your Mac's user name. Nothing is sent by itself: read the file first if you like, then attach it to an email.

With the menu bar icon hidden, open Lockish again from Applications to reach Settings. While setup is still needed, the Welcome to Lockish window has Export Diagnostics under Diagnostics. That section also shows which copy of Lockish is running and whether its permission is on, and Copy Diagnostics copies those few lines.

Email Support and Copy Log Command#

Email Support starts an email to hello@appish.app in your mail app. Say what happened and what you expected, and attach your Diagnostics file.

Copy Log Command copies a Terminal command that saves the last day of Lockish's log to your Desktop. Use it when support asks for the log:

1. Click Copy Log Command. It reads Copied for a moment.
2. Open Terminal.
3. Paste the command.
4. Press Return.

The command is:

/usr/bin/log show --last 1d --info --predicate 'subsystem == "Lockish"' > ~/Desktop/Lockish-log.txt

Attach "Lockish-log.txt" from your Desktop to your email.

Common problems#

The panel says Protection Limited#

Cause: Lockish's permission is off, so it can't follow locked apps' windows.

Fix: turn it on, as under Device Control and Data Access. Protection is full again without reopening Lockish.

Lockish isn't in the permission list#

Cause: a tool that resets permissions has taken Lockish out of System Settings' list, and macOS won't ask again by itself. The banner reads "In System Settings, click + and add Lockish again."

Fix: in System Settings, open Privacy & Security, then Device Control and Data Access. Click + and choose Lockish from Applications.

The panel says Not Protected#

Cause: one of three things, and the banner under it says which. The trial has ended and no license is active. Your Mac account has no login password. Or Lockish hasn't started protecting yet.

Fix: for Trial Expired, enter your license key. For Set a Login Password, click the banner and set a password in Users & Groups. Otherwise quit Lockish and open it again.

A locked app's window showed for a moment#

Cause: when a locked app opens or comes back from being hidden, macOS shows its windows for a split second before Lockish can cover them.

Fix: there isn't one. It's how macOS draws windows.

A window of a locked app isn't covered#

Cause: either Lockish's permission is off, or the app opens windows without telling macOS. Check Lockish says which: "Protection is limited", or "Lockish can't follow the windows of" with the app's name.

Fix: turn the permission on. For an app Lockish can't follow, its windows are covered when you next switch apps.

Finder's windows stay open when Finder locks#

Cause: Lockish isn't allowed to control Finder, so it covers Finder's windows without closing them.

Fix: click Allow… in Finder's row, then turn on Finder under Lockish. See Automation, for Finder.

Lockish asks for my password, not Touch ID#

Cause: Touch ID can't be used on this Mac right now. The Mac has no sensor, no fingerprint is set up, or its lid is closed.

Fix: set up a fingerprint in System Settings, or open the lid. Your password works meanwhile.

I can't find the Lockish icon#

Cause: the menu bar is full, the notch hides the icon, or a menu bar manager has hidden it.

Fix: open Lockish again from Applications or Spotlight. Its window opens with everything the panel has.

Lockish says Trial Expired but I have a license#

Cause: Lockish couldn't confirm your key for more than 7 days, or the license server didn't accept it.

Fix: open Settings, click Enter License Key, and click Activate License. Your key is already filled in, and this uses no new seat. If the key isn't accepted, email hello@appish.app.

My key is active on the maximum number of Macs#

Cause: every seat of your license is in use.

Fix: on a Mac you no longer use, open Settings and click Deactivate on this Mac. If you no longer have that Mac, email hello@appish.app and we'll free a seat.

Lockish doesn't open after a restart#

Cause: Launch at Login is off, or macOS has turned Lockish's login item off.

Fix: turn on Launch at Login in Settings. If a note says it's turned off in Login Items, click Open Login Items and allow Lockish there.

A lock card is in the way#

Cause: a locked app's covered windows stay in front of other windows.

Fix: click Hide on the card. The locked app is hidden, and you're back in the app you were using.

An app locked again sooner than I expected#

Cause: its auto-lock time ran out while you were in another app, or the Mac slept, its display slept, the screen locked or the screen saver started.

Fix: choose a longer time beside Auto-lock after in the app's row, or turn off Auto-lock enabled.

Quit asks for Touch ID#

Cause: Lockish is protecting apps, and quitting it takes their covers away.

Fix: this is by design, so only you can switch protection off. Confirm with Touch ID or your password.

What macOS allows#

Lockish covers each window of a locked app. A cover can't change how macOS itself works, so these stay true with Lockish or any app like it.

• Locked apps keep running. Behind its cover an app can still play sound, finish downloads and show notifications. To keep an app's notification previews private, turn them off in System Settings › Notifications.
• Pictures of windows. Mission Control, Stage Manager's strip, and window previews in apps allowed to record the screen can show a locked app's windows with their content.
• Picture in picture. A video a locked app plays in picture in picture keeps playing in its floating window.
• Window titles in the Dock. The Dock's menu for a locked app lists its windows by title.
• The menu bar. While a lock card is up, the locked app's menus stay in the menu bar and can open, but their commands for its windows and documents are unavailable.
• Menu bar apps. For an app in the menu bar, Lockish covers its windows but not the panel that opens from its icon.
• Windows an app doesn't announce. Lockish covers a locked app's windows as macOS reports them. A window an app opens without telling macOS, or raises above its cover later, is covered at the app's next change: when it comes forward, hides or shows, or the displays change. Check Lockish names any app whose windows it can't follow.
• A split second. When a locked app opens or comes back from being hidden, macOS shows its windows for a split second before Lockish covers them.
• Covers stay in front. A locked app's covered windows stay in front of other windows until you hide or unlock it; the card's Hide puts it away.
• A permission reset. A tool that resets permissions, such as tccutil, takes Lockish out of System Settings' list without telling it, and macOS won't ask again by itself. Lockish says protection is limited once an app refuses it. In System Settings, click + and add Lockish again: full protection is back at once, without reopening Lockish.
• Scripts and Shortcuts. Other apps, scripts and Shortcuts can still control a locked app.
• Quitting by force. Quitting Lockish while it protects apps asks for Touch ID or your password, but Force Quit, Activity Monitor and Terminal can end it, as can switching it off under Allow in the Background in System Settings, and its covers go with it. Nothing reopens it by itself: open Lockish again and locked apps are covered at once.
• Your Mac while you're logged in. Removing an app, turning auto-lock off and deactivating ask for Touch ID or your password, but someone using your Mac while you're logged in can still change Lockish's settings from Terminal. Lock your Mac (Control-Command-Q) when you step away.
• Other accounts. Lockish protects apps in your account. Other accounts on this Mac, and their apps, aren't affected.
• Finder's desktop. Locking Finder covers its windows, and closes them once you allow Lockish to control Finder. The desktop and its icons stay visible: they're part of Finder too. A busy Finder can close its windows a moment after you unlock it.

Removing Lockish#

Deactivate first#

Deactivating frees your license's seat, so you can use your key on another Mac. See Move to another Mac.

Quit and move Lockish to the Trash#

1. Click the Lockish icon in the menu bar.
2. Click Settings.
3. Turn off Launch at Login.
4. Click Back.
5. Click Quit.
6. Confirm with Touch ID or your password, if Lockish asks.
7. Drag Lockish from your Applications folder to the Trash.

When Lockish quits, its covers go and your apps open as they did before. Nothing else on your Mac needs turning back.

What stays on the Mac#

Moving Lockish to the Trash leaves a few small things behind. To remove a file or folder, choose Go to Folder in Finder's Go menu, paste its path, and move it to the Trash.

• ~/Library/Preferences/Lockish.plist: your settings.
• ~/Library/Application Support/Lockish: the copy of your protected apps list.
• ~/Library/Caches/Lockish, ~/Library/HTTPStorages/Lockish and ~/Library/WebKit/Lockish: small caches from the license and update checks.
• Your license key, in your Keychain. Open Keychain Access, search for "com.appish.lockish.license.v2" and delete the items it finds.
• Lockish's lines in System Settings: under Privacy & Security, in Device Control and Data Access and in Automation, and under General, in Login Items. Select Lockish there and click the minus button.

Privacy#

What leaves your Mac#

• The license check. Lockish sends your license key to the license server, run by Lemon Squeezy, when you activate, when Lockish starts, once a day, and when you deactivate. Activating also sends your Mac's name, so the seat can be told apart from your other Macs. The server gives the seat an id, which Lockish sends back when it confirms or frees that seat.
• The update check. Each time it opens, and when you click Check for Updates, Lockish fetches the list of versions from appish.app. A newer version is downloaded from there if you choose to install it.
• Email you send. Email Support opens an email in your mail app. Nothing goes until you send it.

What never leaves your Mac#

• Which apps you protect, and when you lock or unlock them.
• Your fingerprint and your password. macOS asks for them, and Lockish learns only whether it worked.
• What's in your apps' windows. Lockish doesn't read window titles or contents.
• The Diagnostics file. It's saved where you choose and goes nowhere unless you email it.

Lockish has no analytics and no tracking.