Big Sur - The default interactive shell is now zsh.

It’s actually easier than that:

1. Open System Preferences
2. Click Users & Groups
3. Click the padlock 🔓 to unlock
4. Right-Click your admin name
5. Click Advanced Options…
6. Click the dropdown menu under Login shell: to change the default for the Terminal.

Hi I had that too on my iMac Terminal app and I did what there said run `chsh -s /bin/zsh`. That’s what you have to do then close terminal and open it to apply the changes don’t worry it’s safe

You need to run "chsh -s /bin/zsh” in terminal.

Z2061 wrote:

I wasn't aware that it was actively used, but I recently recd. a message on my desktop indicating this in relation to my Sonos speaker system. So I assume the Sonos system needs the shell changed. It that right?

No, it didn't. Even though you changed your default shell, it is still using the same shell it did before.

It runs some shell script, and when it does that message appears because you haven't changed yours.

You can either disable the message or upgrade your default shell so you don't receive the message.

You could do it the way the message instructs via the Terminal, but the easier way if you're not comfortable in the Terminal is to use Smilin-Brian's instructions from a few posts back. Changing the default shell won't hurt anything.

Good point @MrHoffman and it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask Sonos support, but the way I read the OP's message was that it was Sonos prompting for the shell update. I could be misreading it and you're a Level 9 Jedi so I defer to you. :)

MrHoffman wrote:

If some Sonos app is causing this message to be displayed, I’d not want to change the shell without checking first with Sonos support, as it’s possible that Sonos is actually dependent on bash.

That's not what the "default shell" means.

Shell scripts direct which shell to use at the top of the script. It doesn't matter what the user's default shell happens to be.

terryb wrote:

Good point @MrHoffman and it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask Sonos support, but the way I read the OP's message was that it was Sonos prompting for the shell update. I could be misreading it and you're a Level 9 Jedi so I defer to you. :)

That isn't a reason to not do it, but you can leave it as bash and hide the warning.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/371997/suppressing-the-default-interactive-shell-is-now-zsh-message-in-macos-catalina

Barney-15E wrote:

MrHoffman wrote:

If some Sonos app is causing this message to be displayed, I’d not want to change the shell without checking first with Sonos support, as it’s possible that Sonos is actually dependent on bash.

That's not what the "default shell" means.

Shell scripts direct which shell to use at the top of the script. It doesn't matter what the user's default shell happens to be.

You’re assuming the shebang is present. I’m not. It’s not mandatory.

If the app is showing the default shell prompt now, either there’s an update available for install, or the developer… could have handled this situation better.

The script is probably fine too, probably with the appropriate shebang, but it really shouldn’t even be displaying this shell output chatter. Hence checking with Sonos.

Unrelated to this bash to zsh migration, there’s another shebang-related wrinkle seemingly pending here too in some upcoming version, with /bin/sh switching from bash running as sh to the Catalina-included dash shell, though AFAIK that switch-over hasn’t happened yet.

(Full disclosure: their “recycle mode” scheme soured me on Sonos.)

Z2061 wrote:

Oh my gosh! This is what I see on my Mac...

"my user name - Sonos - Sonos - 78x44

Last login: Mon Dec 20 11:06:19 on console

The default interactive shell is now zsh.

To update your account to use zsh, please run `chsh -s /bin/zsh`.

For more details, please visit https://support.apple.com/kb/HT208050.

/Applications/Sonos.app/Contents/MacOS/Sonos ; exit;"

This shows that Sonos has done a terrible job with their app/script. It is very easy for the developer to make sure that the Terminal window is not shown (or is at least automatically closed) after the app/script runs. I did it years ago for a script I created which was run from the Finder.

Just because Apple changed the default shell and shows the notification does not mean a user has to do anything at all especially if the user is not familiar with the command line. Just ignore it.

If you are familiar with the command line, then you should already understand this notification especially after the helpful posts of the other contributors here.

Z2061 wrote:

Strange thing is that I have a new Mac (2021) running on Big Sur and I see that my Login Shell is /bin/bash yet I read that all new Macs should be running /bin/zsh.

You will still have the Bash shell as the default if you migrated or restored from a backup of an older Mac. Only a clean install of macOS without migrating or restoring from an older pre-Catalina backup will have the default shell as "zsh". Since you don't use the Terminal or command line, you can just safely ignore the message and leave things as they are.

My Mac just shut down unexpectedly

If your Mac shut down unexpectedly, then you have some other problems. Run the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. To look for possible software issues run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper. If you give EtreCheck "Full Disk Access", then the summary of the recent logs will also be included which may contain useful information.

and all the messages from Terminal are now gone.

Just confirm for me please if I need to change the Login shell or not. Thanks.

No, you do not. However, you may have already changed the defaut shell to "zsh" which would make the Terminal notification message disappear.

HWTech wrote:

You will still have the Bash shell as the default if you migrated or restored from a backup of an older Mac. Only a clean install of macOS without migrating or restoring from an older pre-Catalina backup will have the default shell as "zsh". Since you don't use the Terminal or command line, you can just safely ignore the message and leave things as they are.

FWIW, it’s a little more nuanced: existing users and upgraded and migrated users with accounts created from the bash era will get bash. Newly created users will get zsh.

MrHoffman wrote:

FWIW, it’s a little more nuanced: existing users and upgraded and migrated users with accounts created from the bash era will get bash. Newly created users will get zsh.

Thanks for correcting my oversight!