How to Lock Obsidian on a Mac
Obsidian opens straight into your vault. If your notes are private, that is a problem on a Mac someone else can touch.
Why people want to lock Obsidian
An Obsidian vault is often a personal journal, work notes and half-formed plans in one place. The app opens directly into the last vault you used, so anyone at an unlocked Mac can read everything with one click.
What doesn’t fully work
We found no built-in password or Touch ID lock for opening Obsidian on desktop, and Obsidian’s own forum has a long-running thread of users asking for local encryption. The usual workarounds are community encryption plugins and encrypted disk containers. They protect files at rest, and users in that thread report that Obsidian can still leave data behind in its own app folders, so a locked container is not the same as a locked app.
FileVault protects your Mac while it is off or logged out, not while you are signed in and someone else is looking at the screen.
What actually works
Shoo! ends Obsidian’s process when you lock it and starts it again only after Touch ID, Apple Watch or your private backup password succeeds. It does not draw a screen over an open vault, so nothing is visible while it is locked, and your Mac’s login password is never what unlocks it.
Shoo! only controls whether the Obsidian process runs. It never reads your notes, and your vault and plugins stay exactly as they are. Obsidian saves changes to disk as you type, but finish any edit in progress before you lock.
Try it free for 7 days — full functionality, no credit card, $17.99 once if you keep it.
Frequently asked
Can I lock Obsidian with Touch ID on a Mac?
Yes. With Shoo! Obsidian only opens after Touch ID succeeds, or after Apple Watch or a private backup password if your Mac has no Touch ID.
Does Obsidian have a built-in password lock?
We found none for opening the app on desktop. Community plugins can encrypt notes, and tools like encrypted disk images can protect files at rest, but none of these ask for Touch ID before the app opens.
Does Shoo! read my vault?
No. Shoo! only controls whether the Obsidian process is running. It never reads your notes, files or plugins.
Will my plugins and settings still be there after unlocking?
Yes. Obsidian keeps its own settings and vault, so unlocking with Shoo! just starts the app again.