How to Disable the MacBook’s Auto-Startup When the Lid Is Open

If you are an Apple user, you possibly have seen that your Mac turns on by itself when you open the lid. This characteristic is meant to be convenient and time-saving for your device but can become a problem to some users who love manual control. The need to clean the screen, deal with startup issues, or simply not have the machine turn on automatically when the lid is up– this is what you will get acquainted with a few minutes from now.

Table of Contents

• Why Turn Off Auto Power-On?
• Boot off Auto Power-On on Apple Silicon MacBooks
• Boot Off Auto Power-On on Intel MacBooks
• Bring Back Default Settings
• Final Thoughts

1. Why Turn Off Auto Power-On?

The MacBook Auto-Power-On feature makes your laptop more convenient by turning it on immediately if you unfold the lid or connect it to power. This is a great feature. However, there are several situations where you’d like to have it deactivated:

• Cleaning the Display: It is still possible to remove the lid from the laptop without actually fixing the MacBook.
• Troubleshooting: Trade-off with the auto-power-on feature can also be used to figure out if a problem is being caused by hardware or by the software that the computer is running.
• Battery Conservation: By not starting up automatically you can manage battery power more effectively.
• Personal Preference: Some of the users might have a manual control requirement.

2. Disable Auto Power-On on Apple Silicon MacBooks

If you do happen to have a MacBook that performs on an Apple Silicon chip (M1, M2, etc.) and has been upgraded to macOS Sequoia 15 or the latest version, follow these steps to turn the auto power-on setting off:

Steps:

• Log in to your MacBook using an admin account.
• Open the Terminal app:

• Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

1. Enter one of the following commands based on your preference:

• Disable startup when opening the lid or connecting to power:
  bash sudo nvram BootPreference=%00
• Disable startup only when opening the lid:
  bash sudo nvram BootPreference=%01
• Disable startup only when connecting to power:
  bash sudo nvram BootPreference=%02

1. On the screen, press Return first when a dialog is shown and type in your admin password.
2. Put your MacBook to sleep, and then wake it up by moving the screen.

3. Deactivate Auto Power-On on Intel MacBooks

On the Intel-based MacBooks, it is the same but differs slightly. Here is how you can do auto-power-on disabling:

Steps:

1. Sign in to your MacBook as an administrator.
2. Launch the Terminal app in this way:

• Head to Applications > Utilities > Terminal in order to bypass the first step.

1. Type the line that follows:

   sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00

1. Press Return and enter your admin password when prompted.
2. Shutdown the MacBook and check the changes by opening the lid.

4. Revert to Default Settings

If you want to re-enable auto power-on, follow these steps:

For Apple Silicon MacBooks:

1. Open the Terminal app.
2. Enter the following command:

   sudo nvram -d BootPreference

1. Please, press Return, and enter your admin password when prompted.

For Intel MacBooks:

1. Open the Terminal app.
2. Enter the following command:

   sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03

1. Press Return and enter your admin password when prompted.

5. Final Thoughts

One of the many benefits of the auto-power-on characteristic is that it is easy to activate for most users, but not for all. Good news, you can barely turn it off using Terminal commands on Apple Silicon and even Intel-based Macbooks. Be it a problem solving session, device cleaning or just being control freaks, this guide has got you.

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