It's not really a keyboard shortcut in the strictest sense (first you activate Launchbar with it's own shortcut - then key in sss or whatever you chose/taught lanchbar to use for the built in Start Screen Saver action.) Any other commercial 'launcher' product should work as well to activate the ScreenSaverEngine app that is hidden deep inside /System/Library/Frameworks/amework/.

I am a very happy user of LaunchBar which allows a quick keyboard only method to start the Screen Saver. I'd try making a simpler script just to open the engine at the hard coded path if you only wanted to engage the saver.

I agree with Jason's answer - the only built in way to lock the screen (which sleeps the display but does not engage the screensaver animation) is the shift control media eject shortcut.Ī free solution would be to use RedSweater's product FastScripts to map your choice of keyboard shortcut to call one of the AppleScripts that are floating around the net to toggle the screen saver engine rather than just let the display sleep. This spacefarer screensaver was ubiquitous at the turn of the Willenium, because nothing says warp speed ahead quite like a dial-up connection.

Cute palm screen saver mac