How do I temporarily enable login screen and access shutdown dialog on MacBook Air?

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Level 1

8 points

How do I temporarily enable login screen and access shutdown dialog on MacBook Air?

Used to be that I could cancel the automatic login and make the login screen come up during power up by holding down the left shift key at a certain time as the progress bar filled. This worked on an old MacBook Pro running OS 10.11 on an intel processor. I’d like to be able to do the same thing on my new MacBook Air running OS 14.5 on an M3 chip but have not been able to find out how. I tried startup options but that particular option does not seem to be there.

Also used to be able to bring up a Shutdown / Restart / Sleep dialog by pressing Control-Eject but since there are no optical disc drives installed anymore, no Eject key. Is there a new key combination to bring up that dialog or is it also gone forever? Pulling a menu works but key combinations are easier.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Apr 23, 2025 4:16 PM

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Answer 1

TheLittles

Level 10

202,995 points

Apr 23, 2025 5:24 PM in response to Hoosier Dave

"Used to be that I could cancel the automatic login and make the login screen come up during power up by holding down the left shift key at a certain time as the progress bar filled."

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Getting a Login Screen at Start Up:

On your Intel Mac, what you are describing would have gotten you into Safe Mode --and nothing but.

Go here: Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
Scroll to: Start up your Mac with Apple silicon in safe mode
As it Reads: "The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar."

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Answer 2

Hoosier Dave Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 24, 2025 12:25 PM in response to Hoosier Dave

Guess I can't edit my original reply but I'd like to add a better description of what I'm talking about so here it is:

Make sure Automatic Login has been enabled and the computer is powered off. Press the power button to start up but do not hold or press any other keys. As the startup sequence proceeds and the progress bar fills, at some point when the progress bar is about half filled ( anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 ), the gray shading in the Apple will change to a slightly lighter shade. This is a subtle change in shading and is not accompanied by any bells, whistles, flashing lights or sirens so you really have to watch for it. At that point, press and hold the left shift key until the login screen appears.

I don't know what other hardware or OS versions this works on but I have used it countless times on my MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) running OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.6. It also works on my iMac (Flat Screen) running OS 10.4.11 but the shift key can be pressed and held any time after the progress bar appears.

Hard to know if anybody is even running this antique hardware and OS stuff but maybe somebody is and has knowledge of this feature and maybe knows how to access it on the Apple Silicon machines.

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Answer 3

Hoosier Dave Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 24, 2025 10:23 AM in response to TheLittles

Thanks for your prompt response. I know what safe mode is and how to invoke it and what I'm asking about is not safe mode. It works exactly as I describe on my intel MacBook Pro and also works on my old Flat Panel iMac with a G4 PPC running OS 10.4.11 although the screen display during startup is not identical to the laptop. Any thoughts on my Shutdown dialog question?

I wish I could tell you where I heard about this way to bring up a login screen during startup if automatic login has been selected but it was quite a while ago ( note my reference to a G4 PPC Flat Panel iMac ).

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How do I temporarily enable login screen and access shutdown dialog on MacBook Air?

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