3 Methods to Lock Screen on Ubuntu

Locking the screen is a simple but essential step in protecting the system when stepping away. It is very useful when working in a shared space or just want to prevent accidental keystrokes. This tutorial provides 3 methods how to lock screen on Ubuntu.

Method 1 - xdg-screensaver command

The xdg-screensaver utility is a cross-desktop tool to control screensavers. To lock the screen, open a terminal and type:

xdg-screensaver lock

This works across many desktop environments and is a reliable, scriptable option.

Method 2 - dbus-send command

If you're using GNOME (default on Ubuntu), you can use D-Bus to signal the screen to lock:

dbus-send --type=method_call --dest=org.gnome.ScreenSaver /org/gnome/ScreenSaver org.gnome.ScreenSaver.Lock

This is a lower-level command but works well in scripts.

Method 3 - Super + L shortcut

You can also lock the screen using a keyboard shortcut by pressing Super + L. The Super is usually the Windows key on most keyboards.