Apple Explains How to Keep Your Mac From Turning on When Opening Lid

[star-affinity]

Great. Now disable wake up on mouse movement on all macs...

Agree. Should be options for turning these things on and off in System Settings. Maybe in the next MacOS release or the one after that…

 

[gabrielra]

Now, can we clean the keyboard peacefully or the mac turns on when we pressing some keys ?

 

[RaphaZ]

It was odd for me, now I find it cool to have things started as soon as I open the lid.

 

[iPay]

[...]
Jobs should have never made Cook CEO. Jobs should have made Scott Forstall CEO.
[...]

Scott, is that you?

 

[cnnyy20p]

I was wondering where the heck was the setting for this several days ago. 😡

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

What's the use case for opening the laptop and not wanting it on?

Just off the top….needing a reflective mirror bigga than a pro max…ummm or wanting to clean the screen but keeping it powered off.

Apple so awesome, delete gross google apps ppl. Go Sox. The best.

 

[dudu307]

If only there was an option to keep the lid open but use 2 external displays on the Macbook Air M3 (for cooling purposes).

I do that with just one external display using SwitchResX, and it works great.

 

[wanha]

is there a way to run this terminal command as a shortcut so I can forget about remembering any of this?

 

[iMac&Cheese]

(How do I delete a comment?)

 

[wanha]

Steve Jobs released the Macintosh in 1984 with a GUI so users wouldn't ever have use a command prompt. But here we are 41 years later in 2025, and under Tim Cook's so-called "leadership," users have to use a command prompt.

Jobs should have never made Cook CEO. Jobs should have made Scott Forstall CEO.

Forstall was responsible for leading the development of Mac OS X (and iOS). If Clueless Cook hadn't fired Forstall, Forstall would've still been at Apple. The absurd situation of users having to use a command prompt in 2025 for basic functionality would've never happened if Forstall was still in charge of Mac OS.

dude with a profile picture of Scott Forstall writes a post saying Scott Forstall should have been CEO... sounds objective

 

[iMac&Cheese]

If only there was an option to keep the lid open but use 2 external displays on the Macbook Air M3 (for cooling purposes).

Have you tried Lights Out or BetterDisplay to turn off your built-in screen? Not sure if these will work in the same way as clamshell

GitHub - AlonX2/LightsOut: Simple MacOS menubar app to disable any of your monitors with one button click.

Simple MacOS menubar app to disable any of your monitors with one button click. - AlonX2/LightsOut

github.com

 

[JamesMay82]

Seriously, this is also the option I want. And I'd like both available in System Preferences (yes, Preferences, not Settings; we need to revert that mess).

Ha glad I'm not alone! drives me mad. especially when I try to clean the screen and keys when I shut it down and it turns back on!

 

[Spike1999]

Flippin’ ’eck, what is this, Linux?

No Unix based

 

[Spike1999]

Steve Jobs released the Macintosh in 1984 with a GUI so users wouldn't ever have use a command prompt. But here we are 41 years later in 2025, and under Tim Cook's so-called "leadership," users have to use a command prompt.

Jobs should have never made Cook CEO. Jobs should have made Scott Forstall CEO.

Forstall was responsible for leading the development of Mac OS X (and iOS). If Clueless Cook hadn't fired Forstall, Forstall would've still been at Apple. The absurd situation of users having to use a command prompt in 2025 for basic functionality would've never happened if Forstall was still in charge of Mac OS.

No one has to use the terminal/command prompt, it's the same principle for Windows and Linux Mint & Ubuntu

 

[throAU]

Here's what I don't get.

When I first power on the Macbook or it has been sleeping for a period of time, I have to TYPE IN A PASSWORD to get it unlocked. Why not have a SETTING that you can use your fingerprint ID to open it up instead?

Sheesh, even my lowly Gateway laptop has fingerprint ID which immediately unlocks the laptop when powering up.

security

 

[iBluetooth]

Now if only there were a fix for MacBooks turning external displays on while they’re asleep (even with Power Nap disabled) and connected via thunderbolt…

I am using LG 5K Display and LG UltraFine 32UN880-B 4K Display. They turn them selfs on when I wake up the laptop.

 

[Sophytaylor6@]

It's not something that other users will celebrate. It can be a general setting because why would any user prefer to keep their Mac on when opening the lid?

 

[iBluetooth]

Why is there not a simple setting under display setting?!!!

These settings are rarely needed by normal users. You can always say that everything should be in the settings, but then it's a mess and I wouldn't want my father calling every time, he randomly clicked something and then the device doesn't turn on. If one want's a device that behaves exactly like one want's too, then it should probably be a Linux custom built machine.

 

[JoJoe2k]

OMG! Can this year get any better? I have been waiting for this like crazy! Definitely going to have a smile on my face for the rest of the day, seeing how Apple is finally back to innovating! ❤️

Maybe I even won't have to go to anger-management class anymore, now that accidentally opening the lid right when I want to stash my laptop into my backpack will be a non-issue ❤️❤️❤️ What a day 🚀🚀🚀

 

[Skoobunny]

What's the use case for opening the laptop and not wanting it on?

Cleaning

 

[Sptzz]

Steve Jobs released the Macintosh in 1984 with a GUI so users wouldn't ever have use a command prompt. But here we are 41 years later in 2025, and under Tim Cook's so-called "leadership," users have to use a command prompt.

Jobs should have never made Cook CEO. Jobs should have made Scott Forstall CEO.

Forstall was responsible for leading the development of Mac OS X (and iOS). If Clueless Cook hadn't fired Forstall, Forstall would've still been at Apple. The absurd situation of users having to use a command prompt in 2025 for basic functionality would've never happened if Forstall was still in charge of Mac OS.

The fact that some people dislike your comment is a testament to where we are today.

 

[Sptzz]

These settings are rarely needed by normal users. You can always say that everything should be in the settings, but then it's a mess and I wouldn't want my father calling every time, he randomly clicked something and then the device doesn't turn on. If one want's a device that behaves exactly like one want's too, then it should probably be a Linux custom built machine.

This has never been the normal behaviour of laptops or even macbooks. So yes, it should be an option. The fact that for years you've had to download a 3rd party app to even be able to clean the keyboard just goes to show how the collective IQ at Apple has been in severe decline over the past few years. Nothing will beat the "dream team" of 2007 Apple. It's just chugging along doing the bare minimum these days and even at that it's performing badly.

 

[Spocky]

When you enable this, as soon as you press any key, your MacBook will start up. Not sure why people are thinking this is a way to clean your keyboard? It's exactly the same as before?

 

[Godspeed8230]

What's the use case for opening the laptop and not wanting it on?

Admiring its design.

 

[CygnusTC]

If I just want to clean the screen or keyboard, for example.

Or if I'm reading a physical copy of a journal paper, I want to prop it up to read, but just happen to not have anything better on hand to do so.

Or if I'm in a library at a large table with someone at the seat opposite mine, and I just want some sort of visual barrier in between us so I can better concentrate on my reading.

I've come across all these use cases multiple times as a grad student. I'm sure there's plenty of others as well.

Just turn it off then!