How can I disable password request when exiting screensaver?

[Fishrrman]

Is there a way (using terminal) to set the value for whether or not a password is required when exiting from the screensaver?

After a software update somewhere back several months ago, I cannot exit the screensaver UNLESS I enter my password. Previously, it was not like that. Nothing I tinker with in system preferences seems to affect or correct this.

2018 Mini
Mojave 10.14.6

Oddly enough, when I boot to my Sequoia (external) boot drive, waking from sleep works as it should (no password required)...

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Currently (Sequoia) it's System Settings > Lock Screen > Require password after screen saver.

I haven't used Mojave in a month of Sundays, don't recall exactly where it was there. But there was a similar setting.

 

[Fishrrman]

Freakin' -

I tried that (in Mojave).
Seems to have no effect.
It STILL demads a password to exit from the screen saver.
Even if the screen saver has been running only a few moments.

This only happened AFTER I ran an update (I think it was to Sonoma at the time) on my EXTERNAL boot drive (the internal drive still has Mojave for 32 bit compatibility).

I'm going to GUESS that whatever happened was the result of a firmware update that (now) I can't over-ride.
This was the first time I had EVER seen a firmware update impact how a Mac behaves when running a previous version of the OS...

What's odd...
If I boot to my EXTERNAL boot drive (now has Sequoia), and activate the screen saver, and then "de-activate" it, it works as intended -- NO password is needed.

The problem happens ONLY when I go back to my (internal) Mojave drive...!

 

[Brian33]

I think you're right that the behavior is a result of a firmware update. Sequoia works properly with the new firmware, but Mojave doesn't.

If I'm remembering what I've read at eclecticlight.co correctly, there's no way to undo or downgrade a firmware update on an Intel Mac. (M-series Macs can have their firmware downgraded using DFU mode/Apple Configurator and an appropriate ipsw file.)

The situation must be pretty frustrating.

I'm not aware of any way via Terminal to affect the "require password after screensaver" setting, but it makes sense that there would be one; hopefully someone else will know...

 

[Grumpus]

After a software update somewhere back several months ago, I cannot exit the screensaver UNLESS I enter my password.

My 2019 MBA is currently running Mojave, and it has the same problem.

I can't say for sure that a firmware update is the cause of the screensaver problem, but I do know that a firmware update to the T2 chip resulted in my MBA's Mojave recovery partition becoming unbootable. This happened when I installed Big Sur to an external drive back in 2021.

I believe your 2018 Mini also has a T2 chip, so I'm curious if it now has the same problem. You'd have to remove your external boot drive and boot with Cmd+R to find out.

 

[alex4748]

On Catalina, this works for me:

Settings > Security and Privacy > Require Password [[dropdown menu value - e.g. 8 hours]] after sleep or screensaver begins

I have mine set to 8 hours, but you can also untick the box so that it doesn't require a password at all

 

[Grumpus]

On Catalina, this works for me:

Settings > Security and Privacy > Require Password [[dropdown menu value - e.g. 8 hours]] after sleep or screensaver begins

I have mine set to 8 hours, but you can also untick the box so that it doesn't require a password at all

That's whats not working for us on Mojave. It doesn't matter if the box is unticked or if the Require password pulldown is set to a high number, you're prompted for a password when you interrupt the screensaver no matter how little time has passed.

 

[chown33]

It might be worth creating a disposable account and seeing if things behave correctly when logged in to that.

I'd make it an admin account, because it might have group membership that affects where things can be stored.

If it doesn't work, just delete the account.

 

[Fishrrman]

RE chown's suggestion in reply 8:

I just tried this (I have 2 "extra" administrative accounts already created).

Same thing happens as described above with regular account -- password required to exit screensaver regardless of how it's set up.

 

[BigBlur]

Do you have FileVault turned on?

 

[Fishrrman]

Blur muddies things up with:
"Do you have FileVault turned on?"

No.
I've never used Filevault on the Mac, not once, ever.
No interest in it.