How to Fix the God Awful Monterey Splash Screen Where You Pick a User to Log In With?

[Huntn]

I upgraded from Catalina and had no issues with the install. Of note I ran disk repair and a Onyx maintenance routine before installing Monterey and had no issues.

Now that I have Monterey,I have one issue.
I hate the pinkish mountain like background when you first start your computer and before you select a user to sign in with. When I had Catalina, I was good with looking at Catalina Island, but this this has got to go... if there is a way? I've looked at several articles on how to change you desktop screen, and you login screen (for a particular user), but I don't see a way to swap out the first screen you get. Is there a way?
Thanks!

 

[bsamcash]

I haven’t used it since the big cats, but doesn’t Onyx usually have an option to change the log in screen?

 

[Huntn]

HI haven’t used it since the big cats, but doesn’t Onyx usually have an option to change the log in screen?

There is the Monterey log in screen where you pick a user, this has the ugly pink mountain. Then when you select a user a new screen pops up with a place to enter your password. This second screen can be changed. In Catalina, that first screen was the image of Catalina Island. I never tried to change that one because I could live with that image. I’ll take a look at Onyx and see what it shows.

 

[KayEm6419]

I would very much like to change that screen as well. Thanks, KM

 

[gilby101]

but doesn’t Onyx usually have an option to change the log in screen?

No it doesn't - because it can't (macOS 11 and 12).

I hate the pinkish mountain like background when you first start your computer and before you select a user to sign in with.

I hate it too. Ugly, garish, etc. And the pink leaves a nasty green after image when you look away from the screen. I would prefer all black.

In Big Sur and Monterey, it is part of the sealed system volume. So it can't be changed without a lot of tricky work which compromises some security features and needs to be redone after every update.

 

[8CoreWhore]

https://www.***************/how-to-change-the-login-screen-background-mac-macbook/

I have not tried this yet...

Also... I read, that if you only have 1 user, and you create another, your desktop wallpaper becomes the wallpaper for the lock screen, too. Settings> Users&Groups.... hit the + button add user name it and give it a password.

 

[KayEm6419]

I did find this which may be helpful:

Post in thread 'Login wallpaper issue'
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/login-wallpaper-issue.2321789/post-30632349

Best, KM

 

[gank41]

It's my understanding that the reason the initial login screen stays with the bright Monterey wallpaper is that you first need to unlock the system volume with your password. After that, your Lock Screen would be whatever you choose. Just like you need to unlock the system volume with your typed password before Touch ID will work. This is due to the 'Macintosh HD' drive being split into two APFS Volume Groups, and one of those being locked down. I believe that locked down volume is where the preference files would be that determine the initial Lock Screen image, and since it's locked down, it can't be changed. I read about this a while ago when I found Onyx was no longer able to make this change.

 

[8CoreWhore]

Ok.... get Onyx from Titanium Software.... go to Parameters... Login... it's in there. Make sure you DL the right version for your OS and Intel / Apple Silicon type.

Correction... this does not work on reboot for my users situation... see Gank41 comment below. This is nuts! BTW this is what mine looks like... I guess it's different than some others... I'm on MBP M1 Max 16"

 

[gank41]

Ok.... get Onyx from Titanium Software.... go to Parameters... Login... it's in there. Make sure you DL the right version for your OS and Intel / Apple Silicon type.

Correct, if you are not using the version of Onyx made for that specific version of macOS (or OS X), it won't open at all.

From the Onyx user guide--
Note:
This option is currently limited. The replacement image is only displayed when entering the password of the current user. If there are multiple users, you will need to repeat the operation from the session of each user.
It works as long as there is only one user account (no guest users, root user, or other users).


Meaning, the system volume needs to be unlocked by the user's account first, just in the same way that you need to enter your password manually so that Touch ID will work. Or, in the same way that you need to manually enter your iPhone or iPad PIN after a reboot, and THEN Face ID or Touch ID will work.

So, yes, you can change the Lock Screen wallpaper, but that change will only be reflected after you initially log into macOS and then either log out or lock the screen. So, if you're just booting up macOS, you're going to see the default Monterey wallpaper regardless of whatever setting you change.

 

[MBAir2010]

you must get permission from Tim Cook personally to change anything wallpaper
or anything appearance-wise in these new Macooks!

 

[Huntn]

It's my understanding that the reason the initial login screen stays with the bright Monterey wallpaper is that you first need to unlock the system volume with your password. After that, your Lock Screen would be whatever you choose. Just like you need to unlock the system volume with your typed password before Touch ID will work. This is due to the 'Macintosh HD' drive being split into two APFS Volume Groups, and one of those being locked down. I believe that locked down volume is where the preference files would be that determine the initial Lock Screen image, and since it's locked down, it can't be changed. I read about this a while ago when I found Onyx was no longer able to make this change.

In all their artistic vision, Apple should have a way to pick something other than "Ugly in Pink" on the before sign-in screen, after you log in that sticks for the next login. This is the worst.

 

[8CoreWhore]

For 99% of people, they are stuck with a background they may not like or get tired of. How hard would it have been for them to have a way to change this?

 

[fenix1445]

Yeah, this totally sucks! I hate this M1 Pro desktop. Who created this??? a 5 year old messing with Gimp?

 

[sgtaylor5]

In all their artistic vision, Apple should have a way to pick something other than "Ugly in Pink" on the before sign-in screen, after you log in that sticks for the next login. This is the worst.

Whether the macOS engineers really could give us that option would be a question for the likes of Howard Oakley.

 

[nmt1900]

While this one is really one of the ugliest yet, there is really no way to facilitate the easy change if Filevault is enabled - because the screen user is facing after startup is NOT the login screen, although it's made to look like it...