Disable Auto boot on M1 Pro Mac

[Basic75]

I understand that you want things your way and can state reasons, but I think the refrigerator is a perfect analogy. The computer should automatically boot because otherwise you won’t be able to use the computer and since you opened the lid you’ve clearly demonstrated intent to use the machine—just like the refrigerator.

Intent to use the machine, or as many here said: clean it, or before travelling I like to check whether it's on. That's impossible now since Apple, in its infinite wisdom, also removed the on/sleep/off indicator light.

This subject is being discussed because it feels like change for changes sake, and it is yet another example of an automatisation that is more annoying than helpful because it always does its thing, ignoring context.

At least you can turn off auto correct. The fridge is not a good analogy. A better one would be a car that starts the engine when you fasten the seatbelt. Or a TV that switches on the moment you take the remote.

 

[warpdrive]

I didn't even know there was an option to disable it before. It was annoying to me and I wanted a way to turn off auto boot too. I feel for you OP.....there should be a choice even if it's through terminal commands. I also wish my phone had it too. I hate that it boots as soon as you plug it in. I turn my phone off at night and forward my calls to my secondary line but I do want to charge it.

 

[jdb8167]

I didn't even know there was an option to disable it before. It was annoying to me and I wanted a way to turn off auto boot too. I feel for you OP.....there should be a choice even if it's through terminal commands. I also wish my phone had it too. I hate that it boots as soon as you plug it in. I turn my phone off at night and forward my calls to my secondary line but I do want to charge it.

Like the topic of this thread you are fighting against normal use. That isn’t likely to end up in your favor.

Just plug it in and turn on do not disturb and airplane mode. Much easier. There is no real reason to turn off your phone.

 

[warpdrive]

Like the topic of this thread you are fighting against normal use. That isn’t likely to end up in your favor.

Just plug it in and turn on do not disturb and airplane mode. Much easier. There is no real reason to turn off your phone.

All I did was ask a question. Do not disturb is exactly the opposite of what I want. I want every single handset in my household to ring so I use No-Answer call forwarding which is activated when I turn off my phone.

 

[jdb8167]

All I did was ask a question. Do not disturb is exactly the opposite of what I want. I want every single handset in my household to ring so I use No-Answer call forwarding which is activated when I turn off my phone.

Is it not activated when in airplane mode?

 

[warpdrive]

Is it not activated when in airplane mode?

you are correct in that airplane mode would work. It's just a habit I got to shut the phone at night because whenever I grab the phone, sometimes I forget to take it off airplane mode. So I wouldn't really expect Apple to put in an option for my particular rare use case. I used to do this with my previous BlackBerry and Samsung phone and they both charged without turning on.

But Apple really should allow disabling auto-off for the lid. I found it annoying as well for all the reasons stated before.

Sorry for going off-topic OP.

 

[jdb8167]

But Apple really should allow disabling auto-off for the lid. I found it annoying as well for all the reasons stated before.

Sure. I don’t disagree. The reason I’m posting on this thread is that I had a day one M1 MBA and noticed that the old solution to disabling auto-boot no longer worked and I was hoping for a solution. But I also have to admit that for the majority of users the current behavior is fine and those of us who are annoyed by it will have to find an alternate solution.

Edit: Here is the original discussion thread.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...m-auto-starting-when-opening-the-lid.2275088/

 

[JoeyK]

So there's no solution? Is it safe to clean the screen/keyboard while it's turned on?

 

[Mike Boreham]

So there's no solution? Is it safe to clean the screen/keyboard while it's turned on?

You can always shut the Mac down with the lid open, then clean it. Just don't close the lid and open it again.

Howard Oakley had an article about this recently. No solution.

 

[jdb8167]

You can always shut the Mac down with the lid open, then clean it. Just don't close the lid and open it again.

Howard Oakley had an article about this recently. No solution.

Good article. I can also confirm you don’t want to mess with the NVRAM value auto-boot. Luckily I didn’t have to restore with DFU mode but it did make my M1 MacBook Air temporarily unbootable when I changed it.

 

[Technerd108]

You can always shut the Mac down with the lid open, then clean it. Just don't close the lid and open it again.

Howard Oakley had an article about this recently. No solution.

Actually that doesn't work if you clean the keyboard! It will power back on. The main point is that the any key auto boot feature can turn your Mac on while it is closed and in a bag which is a big problem and it has happened to me.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Actually that doesn't work if you clean the keyboard! It will power back on. The main point is that the any key auto boot feature can turn your Mac on while it is closed and in a bag which is a big problem and it has happened to me.

Yes that is true. I guess I hadn't noticed because I tend to brush, blow or vac the keyboards of my two M1 MBAs. A startup only happens if you actually click a key, which hasn't happened for me. I occasionally use a moistened screen cleaner to clean the screen, which I wouldn't want to do with the screen on.

 

[volzalum]

I also wish there was a solution for this. I too would like to be able to open the laptop and not have it power on automatically.

 

[Big Jobs]

if u put your laptop in the freezer overnight this problem will be resolved ❄️

 

[Hughes.91]

The reason that I was requiring the auto function off is because I travel to work by helicopter and the helicopter company want you to switch of your laptop then close the lid and open again to make sure it does not boot up.
I have tried the terminal SUDO NVRAM AUTOBOOT=%00 but does not work on M1

I am in the same situation as Chay35. I travel to work in a helicopter and the company requires the laptop to be powered down and not to power on when the lid is closed/opened again. This is a massive inconvenience to myself as I need the laptop for work purposes. I have tried the sudo nvram autoboot and this does not work for myself. I have had many heated arguments with the helicopter company about this but they do not listen. ?

 

[Technerd108]

People are poking some fun at you because this is such a trivial, unimportant thing to be so passionate about. It's not a big deal. You can learn to live with it, it won't be hard.

The first person who's given a real reason to be displeased is the guy who rides to work in a helicopter, and even there one could argue the problem is the helicopter charter company's inflexible policies.

If you want to take a walk on the wild side, consider just using sleep. Close the lid to stop using the computer, open it when you need it again. It's the way Apple has designed laptop Macs to be used for at least 20 years. Turning computers all the way off is for chumps.

Also... what do you hope to accomplish in this thread any more? It's clear nobody posting here has the power to help you, or to change Apple's mind. Go use Apple's feedback form, let them know you're displeased. That's your best chance of getting what you want.

What is the point of a forum? To discuss things. This is a Mac forum. I am discussing a feature of a Mac that is actually counter productive. Kind of like discussing how in Windows 11 I now have to make several clicks to get to an all apps menu when before it took only one. Is my opinion or a post going to change anything? Probably not but that is not the point of a forum. It was at first about understanding if there was a way to change boot up behavior like Intel Macs. Once it was clear that I can't do it, it is more about getting more people who feel the same way as more people who don't like this feature and make feedback the more chance the feature can be changed.

Who are you to say what is trivial in how I use my computer? Pretty arrogant statement. I have had my Mac turn on after I have shut it down while in a bag. Also it has turned on after shutting down which is just annoying.

If you like sleep that is great but I am not a chump for shutting my Mac down. Many people who have problems with their Mac is a result of putting their Mac for sleep which over time corrupts memory and causes problems. Maybe I am old fashioned but that is my choice to use my Mac as I see fit.

I really don't understand why you would even comment if all you can say is to put me down for my very justified opinion.

 

[Technerd108]

if u put your laptop in the freezer overnight this problem will be resolved ❄️

Nice comment. Why don't you put your laptop in the oven.....

 

[Big Jobs]

Nice comment. Why don't you put your laptop in the oven.....

Nice comment, Why don't you put your laptop in ur a_s..... ?

 

[Technerd108]

Nice comment, Why don't you put your laptop in ur a_s..... ?

Wow, okay. I guess I should not have answered to such a ridiculous comment.

Thanks for the valuable input.

 

[Slartibart]

if u put your laptop in the freezer overnight this problem will be resolved ❄️

Nice comment. Why don't you put your laptop in the oven.....

Nice comment, Why don't you put your laptop in ur a_s..... 🥴

Well, sorry to point this out, but it’s the 21th century… you put it in a microwave.

Can everyone take a deep breath now and return to something like:

defaults com.macrumors.www be-nice -integer 1 && killall insult

thanks. 🤓

 

[Andropov]

I am in the same situation as Chay35. I travel to work in a helicopter and the company requires the laptop to be powered down and not to power on when the lid is closed/opened again. This is a massive inconvenience to myself as I need the laptop for work purposes. I have tried the sudo nvram autoboot and this does not work for myself. I have had many heated arguments with the helicopter company about this but they do not listen. ?

I feel sorry about this, it's a legitimate problem. Arguably a very specific use case, but hey, there's already two people in this thread with the exact same problem!

I did a bit of research regarding the auto-boot parameter on M1 Macs back when I last read this thread (I happen to had both an Intel and a M1 MacBook at hand to compare), but it seems like it's definitely broken on M1 Macs. It's still present, though, and changing it reportedly can brick the device, soo... your best bet would be filing a radar in Feedback Assistant.

This article is particularly informative. However, it suggests that the auto-boot parameter might be related with iOS/iPadOS heritage, instead of an alternative to the AutoBoot parameter of Intel Macs. I'm not sure that's exactly what happened: I did check the contents of both Intel and M1 MacBooks, and I believe they both had only the auto-boot parameter. Maybe it got renamed at some point? Anyhow, the contents of that NVRAM variable were for sure a boolean. It feels weird having a boolean NVRAM parameter that just bricks the device if set to false (why have it at all?) so maybe there's some unexpected behaviour going on here... hence why I'd try filing a radar.

 

[Technerd108]

Well, sorry to point this out, but it’s the 21th century… you put it in a microwave.

Can everyone take a deep breath now and return to something like:

defaults com.macrumors.www be-nice -integer 1 && killall insult

thanks. ?

You are right. I just hate when people answer flippantly for no reason and add nothing to the conversation. My fault in taking the bait. I stand corrected.

 

[jdyoungblood_]

Yes! I’m looking to turn this function off too! I just want to clean my keyboard without always turning it on!

 

[MuttonJeff]

I'm just giving this thread a nudge, because I too am astonished that Apple cannot simply add an option to *not* autoboot.

Gotta say I'm also amazed at the hassle that the OP got from people that don't want to switch auto boot off.

Surely its nothing to do with them?

Anyway, looking forward to a solution...

pip pip

MJ

 

[StudioMacs]

Hopefully no one is concerned about the macbook being turning on because they are spraying liquids onto the keyboard.

I spray a very mild cleaner onto a microfiber cloth to just slightly dampen it, and then wipe my keyboard down.

A few common sense things and personal hygiene also help to keep the keyboard clean and reduce the amount of cleaning needed.

I’m not trying to disparage anyone, but so far the main complaint seems to be not being able to clean the computer when it‘s off, and there is no reason you should be cleaning the computer differently when it’s off than when it’s on.