Is there a way to know if MacBook is off without opening the lid which turns it on?

[subjonas]

This has happened a few times where my MacBook has been unused for a few days and I forgot whether or not I shut it off. I want to make sure it's off since I won't be using it for awhile longer, but if I lift the lid to see if it's off, it will turn back on, which means I have to wait for it to boot everything, and then I have to shut it down again. This process repeats if I forget again in a few days (I have lots of devices).

Is this by design and/or am I just missing an obvious fast way to peek to check if it's off?

 

[Madonepro]

Other than using a terminal command, to turn off boot when lid opens, No. It's a pure test of OCDness. It takes less than a minute, for macOS to load. Perhaps put a post it note on the top, or something similar, when you shutdown your Mac.

 

[popup]

Sometimes I've found that my macbook is not properly shut down (I like turning off my computers) by looking at the client's list of my router. There is some network activity if it is not OFF.

 

[subjonas]

Other than using a terminal command, to turn off boot when lid opens, No. It's a pure test of OCDness. It takes less than a minute, for macOS to load. Perhaps put a post it note on the top, or something similar, when you shutdown your Mac.

It’s not OCD in the slightest. Again, I have multiple laptops/desktops. I use them all for work and switch between them for different reasons rather irregularly, so it’s hard to mentally keep track of what I used when and whether I turned it off or just let it sleep with the lid closed. When I notice I haven’t used a laptop for awhile and might not use it soon, I want to make sure it’s off so that it doesn’t drain battery so that when I do pick it up the next time, it has as much juice as possible. That’s all functional and for convenience, not OCD. I couldn’t care less about babying the battery.

Of course this isn’t the end of the world (what in these threads is?), but anything that I could have done before with a 1 second glance that now takes 10 seconds of waiting then moving the cursor and clicking twice—the obvious question is why?

I did consider using post-its, but I prefer not adding another chore to my life if possible. I’ll look into the terminal command thing some more. I saw some conflicting comments about it working on AS Macs.

 

[subjonas]

Sometimes I've found that my macbook is not properly shut down (I like turning off my computers) by looking at the client's list of my router. There is some network activity if it is not OFF.

Thanks. I don’t usually have that list handy, but if it ever is I’ll keep it in mind as an option.

 

[Petite messe solennelle]

If you have another device that uses the same Apple ID and Find My is enabled for the device that is turned off, Find My will show the last time the device was located. If it doesn't show “Now,” it has been turned off. Provided, of course, that it would be accessible over the same Wi-Fi or the internet if turned on.

 

[subjonas]

If you have another device that uses the same Apple ID and Find My is enabled for the device that is turned off, Find My will show the last time the device was located. If it doesn't show “Now,” it has been turned off. Provided, of course, that it would be accessible over the same Wi-Fi or the internet if turned on.

Thanks, that may be the best option if I already have my phone in hand, which is often.

 

[ApAx]

I miss the days of the breathing/pulsing status light, when the lid is closed and Mac is asleep but still powered on/booted. My work Lenovo PC has this still and it's a nice feature when traveling to know.

 

[subjonas]

I’ve been on a trip so I haven’t thought about this much but it just occurred to me maybe I could just get a USB light like this one and plug it into the port and if it stays off that means the MacBook is off? But maybe ports are not powered when the MacBook is asleep too…

AOZITA Mini USB Type C LED RGB Light Brightness Adjustable 8 Color Changeable for Car, Laptop, Keyboard. Atmosphere Smart Type-C Night Lamp for Home Decoration (Quantity: 2)

💡 1.Please check your car before purchasing this product, this light is only compatible with usb Type-C ports. 2.Tesla model 3's rear Type-C ports still have weak electric current even the engine is off, so the light is still working. But it will turn off eventually when your car goes to dee...

www.amazon.com

 

[throAU]

This has happened a few times where my MacBook has been unused for a few days and I forgot whether or not I shut it off.

Does it matter? A few days on a modern MacBook should only be a few percent drain.

 

[ignatius345]

This has happened a few times where my MacBook has been unused for a few days and I forgot whether or not I shut it off. I want to make sure it's off since I won't be using it for awhile longer, but if I lift the lid to see if it's off, it will turn back on.

It is in a quantum state in which it is simultaneously on and off:

In Schrödinger's original formulation, a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box. If an internal radiation monitor such as a Geiger counterdetects radioactivity (a single atom decaying), the flask is shattered, releasing the poison, which kills the cat. If no decaying atom triggers the monitor, the cat remains alive. The Copenhagen interpretation implies that the cat is therefore simultaneouslyalive and dead. Yet, when one looks in the box, one sees the cat either alive or dead, not both alive and dead. This poses the question of when exactly quantum superposition ends and reality resolves into one possibility or the other. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrödinger's_cat

 

[SRQrws]

It’s not OCD in the slightest. Again, I have multiple laptops/desktops. I use them all for work and switch between them for different reasons rather irregularly, so it’s hard to mentally keep track of what I used when and whether I turned it off or just let it sleep with the lid closed. When I notice I haven’t used a laptop for awhile and might not use it soon, I want to make sure it’s off so that it doesn’t drain battery so that when I do pick it up the next time, it has as much juice as possible. That’s all functional and for convenience, not OCD. I couldn’t care less about babying the battery.

Absolutely agree! I fail to see ANY benefit of having a laptop turn on when opening the lid other than, of course, when waking from sleep. I have the same thoughts as the OP and there are many times I'm moving a Mac around the house and accidentally lift the lid a bit only to have it start booting up when I have no intention of using it, perhaps for days.

I recently had occasion to set up a Microsoft Surface Laptop and it was the same thing. I wanted to stash the box and packaging in the closet and set up the laptop later. I went to remove the protective paper between the display and keyboard and, sure enough, the setup sequence started.

Yes, this can be turned off by terminal command but why can't there be a simple toggle setting for this?

 

[subjonas]

Does it matter? A few days on a modern MacBook should only be a few percent drain.

I can sometimes go weeks without using it.

 

[DeltaMac]

When I am not likely to use one of my laptops, I shut it off, then I use a signal that I know is what I use when the laptop should be off (because I shut it off), usually an elastic band, slid up the lid, so I have to remove that rubber band to open the lid. You could use whatever you have at hand. I also might use some "duck" tape, or something else that you would have to notice, at the time, that you have to remove something to open the lid. Nothing that should damage the lid, of course, but just something that makes you give attention to that "seal" on the lid.
Finally, the seal is to help you remember to think before you open the seal, that your laptop was shut off before you put the seal on the lid. And, now you know the state of your laptop power.

 

[subjonas]

When I am not likely to use one of my laptops, I shut it off, then I use a signal that I know is what I use when the laptop should be off (because I shut it off), usually an elastic band, slid up the lid, so I have to remove that rubber band to open the lid. You could use whatever you have at hand. I also might use some "duck" tape, or something else that you would have to notice, at the time, that you have to remove something to open the lid. Nothing that should damage the lid, of course, but just something that makes you give attention to that "seal" on the lid.
Finally, the seal is to help you remember to think before you open the seal, that your laptop was shut off before you put the seal on the lid. And, now you know the state of your laptop power.

An elastic band is a feasible workaround, and might be better than tape or a post-it because it won’t lose its stickiness and need to be replaced. But of course the downside is one still has to keep it handy and remember to use it each time. It may be the best option though if the others don’t pan out. Still need to look into the Terminal thing, and the USBC LED.