Use a screen saver on your Mac
You can use a screen saver to hide the desktop when you’re away from your Mac or if you need extra privacy.
Customize the screen saver on your Mac
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)Select a screen saver from one of the available categories:
macOS: These are slow-motion images.
Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth aerials: These slow-motion images show dramatic views.
Shuffle Aerials: These slow-motion images change at an interval you set.
Other: These are your photos and distinctive screen savers that allow you to show a message, see a “Word of the Day,” and more.
Set options for your screen saver.
Options vary based on the screen saver you choose. For example, you can:
Turn on a still aerial for your wallpaper, using the slow-motion aerial of your screen saver.
Choose how often to shuffle through aerials.
Choose a style to shuffle through your images.
Start or stop the screen saver on your Mac
The screen saver automatically starts whenever your Mac sits idle for the amount of time you choose. To change how long your Mac can be inactive before the screen saver starts, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) See Change Lock Screen settings.If you set up a hot corner for the screen saver, move the pointer over the corner to immediately start the screen saver. See Use hot corners on Mac.
You can also start the screen saver by choosing Apple menu
To stop the screen saver and show the desktop, press any key, move the mouse, or touch the trackpad.
If you want more security when you stop the screen saver, see Require a password after waking your Mac.