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How to keep power button taps from sleeping your Mac

If you prefer the old functionality of the power button to display shutdown options, instead of the new "tap to sleep", there is an easy solution.

 

By default, if you hold the button down, you do bring up the shutdown options dialog after a second. But too many times out of habit you may not hold it long enough, accidentally tap it, and an unintended sleep is the result. A simple (reversible) adjustment performed in Terminal sets the system to ignore brief power button taps. The user simply holds it for a moment to bring up the shutdown dialog.

 

If you want to change the power button - you can go to the Terminal application (launch from Applications/Utilities directory) and there you can paste the following command at the end cursor:

 

defaults write com.apple.loginwindow PowerButtonSleepsSystem -bool no

 

Press the enter key, and the Terminal app will perform the customization. Close Terminal and after restarting your mac, you just have to push the power button one sec. to get to the shut down menu. Short taps will be ignored.

 

Lastly, if you want to undo the change for any reason, repeat the procedure but instead use the following text command in Terminal:

 

defaults write com.apple.loginwindow PowerButtonSleepsSystem -bool yes

 

You'll note it is the same command, but with a change from "no" to "yes" (the default setting).

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