[Reggie Fowler]

I use Apple's Mail program to send and receive emails for my .Mac email account.
I recently set up a new .mac email address for my girlfriend. So now we both get email using Mail. (she is not an Alias - i actually paid the $10 bucks to get her own email account).

How do i password protect my mail?
As of right now, she or i can launch the Mail program and easily click on each others email account (actually, it all goes into the same inbox logo).

But i would like to set up a password (standard request), so that anyone who sits at the computer cannot read my emails.

How do i do this?

[Cold Warrior]

why not give her her own account on your mac? You log out, she logs in, and all the email is kept separate. Things could get ugly if you break up or start having big problems.

[Andy8]

Passwords at login:

Apple Menu > System Preferences > Accounts > Login Options > "disable automatic login".

You may also want to add a password to your screen saver.

Apple Menu > System Preferences > Security > "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver"

[Reggie Fowler]

I've often thought about doing separate logins as you suggested. But we share the same iPhoto library and we share the iTunes music (i know there are work arounds to make these work for multiple Users). Actually, we share everything on the computer except for email.

So i really don't need to log in and out of of separate Users to accomplish my goal of simply password protecting my email.
But for some reason i cannot find the option to password protect my email.

So can someone help me out.
Thanks.

[Andy8]

You could use your could both use your .Mac email account via the web interface and stop using the Mail.app.

This would keep your mail more secure and away from prying eyes.

Also it would be wise to create a guest user account for anyone other than you or your girlfriend to use while using your computer, this would give you both peace of mind.

There is no "simple" way of password protecting just your email if you are using Mail.app.

[Big Mac]

It's great that you have such a trusting relationship with your girlfriend, but there is little reason not to use separate accounts in OS X for each user on a shared computer. Here is a Mac OS X Hints article on how to share a single iPhoto library between multiple accounts.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by Reggie Fowler 

But for some reason i cannot find the option to password protect my email.

So can someone help me out.
Thanks.

That's because there isn't an option to do that. OS X and most apps for OS X are designed to use separate accounts when multiple people need to use the same computer.

[Reggie Fowler]

I saw that iPhoto link. That's some complex stuff.
I don't want to mess around with moving folders and the such.
I'm surprised there isn't an option within iPhoto (like a check-box).
I'm sure many peopel share.

hmmm

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by Reggie Fowler 

I saw that iPhoto link. That's some complex stuff.

Drag iPhoto Library to /Users/Shared.
Launch iPhoto.
iPhoto will tell you it's lost the library, and give you the chance to "find" it.
Browse to the new location.
Done deal.

Same with iTunes, only with iTunes there is a setting in the preferences to tell it where the library is.

[Reggie Fowler]

I've tried dragging my iTunes library to the Shared folder, but each time i open iTunes....i only see a blank page (even thought i re-selected the new library in the advanced tab).

help.