How To Stop MacBook Pro From Starting When Opening Lid

There’s no shortage of features well-meaningly added to computers to make them more convenient. Unfortunately, many of these features can become irritating to users in unexpected ways. Many users are annoyed with their MacBook Pro automatically starting when the lid opens. How can this feature be turned off?

Disable Your MacBook Pro Starting When The Lid Is Opened

You can disable your MacBook Pro from starting when the lid is opened by configuring the settings for autoboot and lidwake in the Terminal.

Unfortunately, if your MacBook has received the most recent Firmware updates, configuring these settings is disabled. 

A woman is opening the lid on a MacBook Pro.

1. Disable Booting When Lid Is Opened Using Terminal Commands

If you want to disable your MacBook Pro starting when the lid is opened, one of the best ways to do so is using terminal commands.

To start, you’ll need to open the Terminal. You can find this application in /Applications/Utilities, or can also type Terminal after clicking on the Apple icon.

Once the terminal is open, you’ll need to type a simple command to disable your MacBook Pro from starting when the lid is opened.

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00

After you’ve accurately typed the command, press enter.

You’ll be prompted to enter your admin password because you used the sudo command, which is necessary to change this setting. Type in your admin password and press enter again.

Finally, exit the terminal and restart your computer. Close the lid of the MacBook.

If you were successful in changing the setting, your MacBook will only respond when you press the power button.

Neither opening the lid nor plugging in your power cable should elicit any response from the computer.

You can also check whether you were successful in updating the setting by using another terminal command.

Open the terminal and type nvram -p. All of the NVRAM settings will print on the terminal. AutoBoot should display as %00. 

The best aspect of this feature is that it doesn’t just work for MacBook Pro computers. You can also use this command to disable the feature on MacBook Air computers made after 2018.

2. Disable Waking From Sleep When Lid Is Opened Using Terminal Commands

Another unwanted behavior that MacBook Pro computers often display is waking from sleep when the lid is opened.

Just as with the booting issue, it’s easy to resolve your MacBook booting from sleep when the lid is opened with the help of a terminal command.

To start, you’ll need to open the terminal by clicking on the Apple icon and typing Terminal.

Alternatively, you can navigate to /Applications/Utilities to find the application. Once the Terminal is open, you’ll need to type a simple command. 

sudo pmset lidwake 0

Once this setting is configured, your MacBook will immediately stop waking from sleep when you open the lid.

If you want to reactivate the setting, it’s a similarly simple process. Open the Terminal and type the following command.

sudo pmset lidwake 1

As with the other configuration, this change will immediately take effect. Aside from manually checking your MacBook computer’s behavior, you can also use the pmset -g profiles command to see whether lidwake is set to the correct value. 

What if neither Method Worked

Unfortunately, many users report that Apple appears to have disabled these configuration settings in the latest firmware updates.

No workaround solution is reported to be available.

Depending on what you desire from your MacBook, you may be able to use other solutions to maximize performance and minimize the consequences of the automatic startup.

If you want Apple to re-enable these settings, the best thing you can do is contact Apple support directly.

They provide a direct support line that will allow you to state your concerns and explain how the most recent updates have negatively impacted your experience.

With enough input, Apple may allow these configurations again in the future. 

Configure Other Aspects of Your MacBook Pro’s Startup Behavior

If you want to make your MacBook as convenient as possible to use, there are some other settings you should consider changing.

Specifically, you should adjust the startup chime to your preferences. If you want to return your MacBook to default, you can use alternative Terminal commands or reset the NVRAM. 

Disable MacBook Pro Startup Chime When The Lid Is Opened

While the automatic startup is already annoying enough, Mac users often find another feature irritating: the startup chime that sounds off every time the computer is booted.

Disabling the startup chime is as simple as entering a Terminal command.

To start, you’ll need to open the Terminal by accessing /Applications/Utilities or by clicking the Apple icon and typing Terminal. Once the Terminal is opened, you’ll need to accurately type and enter a simple command.

sudo nvram BootAudio=%00

Once the command is entered, the computer will prompt you to authenticate with an admin password.

After admin permission is given, the startup chime will be disabled on any ensuing startups. If you want to re-enable the chime, all it takes is changing the number.

sudo nvram BootAudio=%01

Unfortunately, there’s no way to configure the MacBook Pro with a custom sound file for the startup chime. This feature of the MacBook doesn’t give users any customization options. 

Re-Enable Starting When Lid Is Opened Using Terminal Commands

While you might need to temporarily disable your MacBook Pro from starting when the lid is opened, it’s still an extremely useful feature to have. For this reason, knowing how to re-enable the setting is important.

To start, you’ll need to navigate to the Terminal. You can find the Terminal application by navigating to /Applications/Utilities.

Alternatively, an easy method to access the Terminal is to click the Apple icon at the bottom of the screen and enter Terminal.

Once the Terminal is open, you will use a similar command to enable your MacBook Pro to start when the lid is opened.

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03

After you’ve typed the above command accurately, press enter. You’ll be prompted to authenticate the sudo command by entering your admin password. Type the password accurately, and press enter to authenticate as an admin.

If you configured your MacBook Pro to have lidwake disabled, you would also need to change this setting. Resetting the NVRAM won’t impact lidwake.

To activate lidwake, open the Terminal and enter the following command.

sudo pmset lidwake 1

Finally, exit the Terminal and restart your MacBook Pro. If you successfully re-configured these settings, it will respond when the lid is opened, or a power cable is plugged in.

Reset Your MacBook Pro NVRAM / PRAM Settings

If your MacBook Pro begins malfunctioning or you just want to return the settings to their defaults, you can use a simple process to reset the NVRAM or PRAM. 

To start, you’ll need to access the Terminal by navigating to /Applications/Utilities or clicking the Apple icon and entering Terminal.

Once the Terminal opens, enter and submit the following command.

nvram -c

After you run the command, your MacBook Pro will start to reset the NVRAM.

You can finish the process by clicking on the Apple icon and selecting Restart. Once your Mac has restarted, the NVRAM / PRAM settings should have returned to their defaults.

You can check whether the NVRAM settings have been restored to their defaults by entering nvram -p on the Terminal.

Ideally, you should print and screenshot the NVRAM settings before resetting them so that you can compare the values.

Why Should I Disable My MacBook Pro Starting When Lid Is Opened?

Since 2016, MacBook Pro computers have been automatically configured to turn on when the lid is opened.

While this is generally considered a small convenience feature, it can malfunction and cause issues in a lot of areas. In particular, it can cause your battery to drain extremely quickly.

You can conserve a significant amount of battery by disabling the automatic startup and waking options your MacBook Pro is configured with.

Unfortunately, many users have found that MacBooks will wake while closed without any external prompting. 

When you only have a few hours of battery life, the power that is lost from this frequent and unwanted waking can be a significant amount.

It can interfere with your intended use of the laptop and reduce its portability.

Taking a few simple measures to disable these features will ensure you get a lot more use out of your MacBook per charge.

In fact, if you’re able to reduce how much your MacBook needs to be charged, you can improve the overall longevity of the device.

Every battery has a limited amount of charge cycles it can complete before it dies.

If you can halve the number of times your MacBook Pro needs a charge, you can almost double the amount of time you have before you need a battery replacement.

Another great reason to disable your MacBook Pro from starting or waking up when the lid is opened is to prevent malfunctioning.

MacBooks with broken hinges often boot or wake at inappropriate times. By disabling the setting, you’ll be able to regain control of when your device is powered on or off.

Other Methods To Conserve Your MacBook Pro’s Battery

Completely Shut Down Your MacBook Pro

Depending on the method you use to shut down your MacBook Pro, you might not be completely shutting the computer down.

If you want to discourage the MacBook from waking as you carry it, you will need to completely shut it down rather than putting it in sleep mode.

To shut down your MacBook Pro, click on the Apple icon and then click Shut Down.

Alternatively, you can hold down your MacBook’s power button for several seconds until the screen goes dark.

This will ensure that your MacBook is less likely to turn on as you go about your day.

Check Your Energy Saver Preferences

Many users don’t realize that their Energy Saver preferences can cause their MacBook to behave in unexpected ways and even turn on after the device has been powered off.

If you want to make sure that your MacBook won’t power on, you need to disable a few Energy Saver settings.

To start, click on the Apple Icon and type in Energy Saver to access your preferences.

Once the menu opens, you should make sure that wake for network access and enable Power Nap are both disabled.

This will ensure that your MacBook doesn’t turn on unexpectedly as a result of your Energy Saver settings.

Turn Off Bluetooth in Your MacBook System Preferences

If you leave Bluetooth turned on while your MacBook is shut. Unfortunately, it can cause your computer to turn on at unwanted times.

If you want to eliminate the possibility of Bluetooth devices turning on your MacBook, you’ll need to disable the feature entirely.

To start, you should click the Apple icon and type in System Preferences. Once the System Preferences menu opens, you should click the button to Turn Bluetooth Off.

This will ensure that Bluetooth devices aren’t able to interfere with your MacBook until you turn the feature back on.