Mac OS X Yosemite - How to Disable Automatic Logout when idle?

The option is found in the System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General > Advanced dialog.

The first option is a check box with text Log out after [NN - spin button] minutes of inactivity

The spin button enables one to set the number of minutes of inactivity.

Kudos to the user Alistair McMillan who posted the answer over in the AskDifferent stack exchange.

Read the full thread here.


You can prevent your Mac to automatically log out the current user after a set period of inactivity by this way -

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences
  2. Click Security & Privacy
  3. Click General
  4. Click the lock icon to unlock it
  5. Enter an administrator name and password
  6. Click Advanced
  7. Uncheck “Log out after... minutes of inactivity”
  8. Click Ok

You can also check OS X Yosemite: Set your Mac to log out when not in use