When Apple revamped its MacBook Pro lineup in 2016, it made some radical changes to the lineup. It also changed how you boot your MacBook. The Mac will start to boot by simply opening the lid. You don’t need to hit the power button.
Similarly, all 2016 and newer MacBooks automatically boot up whenever they are plugged to the wall charger.
While this sounds great on paper, it can cause a lot of issues in actual-life usage. My MacBook Pro has been known to drain its battery when it switched on by itself. My MacBook Pro started restarting itself many times after it was turned off. This happened because the charger had been plugged in, and the lid had been open.
I am not alone in facing such issues though. Apple support forums are full of threads by frustrated MacBook owners regarding this feature.
If you don’t like the behavior of your MacBook Pro or MacBook Pro, and do not want it to start up when the lid is open, please follow this guide. This feature should be disabled before opening the MacBook Pro or MacBook Pro to do any repairs in your home.
Compatible MacBooks
The following steps work with the following MacBooks.
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or newer)
- 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or newer)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
Disable MacBook Pro and MacBook Air from Booting Automatically When Lid is Opened
Step 1: Open the Terminal app from the Applications folder.
Step 2: Type in the following command:
sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00
Continue to enter the password for your Mac. Your password will not appear on your screen.
With the MacBook Pro or MacBook Pro, you will need to open its lid manually. You will need to hold down the Touch ID button and wait for it to open. Sometimes, your Mac might not be booting. To make your Mac boot, press the Touch ID/Power button repeatedly for several seconds.
Re-enable Auto Boot Feature on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air
Your Mac will behave like this until you reset it’s NVRAM, or enter the Terminal command below.
sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03
This will return your MacBook to its original state and will cause it to start starting up when you open the lid. If this fails, you can reset your MacBook’s NVRAM.
I had disabled the autoboot feature on my 16-inch MacBook Pro when I first got the machine. However, I decided to enable the autoboot feature again a few months later. I discovered that the Touch ID/Power button had to be pressed too much, and sometimes multiple times, for my machine to start. This made it frustrating.
