Disable Caps Lock Indicator on macOS Sonoma
A feature has been added to macOS Sonoma - the onscreen caps lock indicator.
While i am sure this may be useful for some, for me it is not, is there any way to disable it?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
A feature has been added to macOS Sonoma - the onscreen caps lock indicator.
While i am sure this may be useful for some, for me it is not, is there any way to disable it?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
19JAAM65 wrote:
Can someone explain how to do this to a lay person who is not technologically adept. How does the unsavvy internet user do this?
To permanently disable the new Caps Lock icon/indicator that came with macOS Sonoma, do the following easy steps:
1. Go to your Applications folder (Finder: menu: Go: Applications). Sort alphabetically and go down to the Utilities folder. (alternatively, in the Finder, hit ⌘-Shift-U and the Utilities folder window should pop up.)
2. In the Utilities folder, you'll find an app called Terminal. Double click to open it.
3. In the resulting Terminal window, you'll see some text and a blinking box (instead of a cursor). None of that really matters, it's just to let you know you're in the right place.
4. Copy and paste this line of text in your Terminal window:
sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain
Then hit the Return key.
(don't type out that line of code, to avoid missing proper spacing, etc. Just copy and paste it into your Terminal window).
5. Now copy and paste this next line of text in your same Terminal Window:
sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Add 'redesigned_text_cursor:Enabled' bool false" /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/UIKit.plist
Then hit the Return key.
6. You'll now see the Terminal window say "Password:_" with a key icon in place of the cursor. Go ahead and slowly and carefully type out your Mac's user account password. Note: you won't see the Terminal window respond to your keystrokes as you type out your standard user account password. Just know that it's accepting the keys. Hit Return.
You'll see some a line or two more of resulting text in your Terminal Window, probably something like "redesigned_text_cursor: Enabled"
7. Quit Terminal. (Command-Q).
8. Restart your Mac, and the stupid Caps Lock Indicator should now be permanently gone.
IdrisSeabright wrote:
I'm not exactly sure why you're replying to me? I really like the feature.
I also prefer the feature as it is and will not be disabling it. I probably didn't pick the right "reply to" person, you seemed to be better informed than some others here, sorry about that, perhaps better directed to the OP in fact or others who share their concerns.
steve626 wrote:
IdrisSeabright wrote:
I'm not exactly sure why you're replying to me? I really like the feature.
I also prefer the feature as it is and will not be disabling it. I probably didn't pick the right "reply to" person, you seemed to be better informed than some others here, sorry about that, perhaps better directed to the OP in fact or others who share their concerns.
Got it! I kind of wish the forum had some sort of "reply to the thread" option as there are certainly times that I'd like to make a general reply. Sorry if I sounded curt.
Absolutely on point! It did not work for me. It is in the hand of Apple. I'm sure they'll talk about whether or not annoying their users is a priority.
Terminal solutions are uncomfortable to users...and for good reason! We don't know what we're typing. What if the posted code does something the we definitively would not choose to do if we knew what we were doing? I was an IT professional for twenty-five years and I don'tI wanna mess with code I don't understand because they've stuck a cute little button on the screen. The accessibility option is the definitive solution. That can't be that difficult to implement.
This one is worth giving users a choice.
Just to counterpoint this – you're thinking about this in very limited terms of your own usage scenario.
For years I couldn't understand why this feature was not added sooner and welcome it as someone who a) writes a lot, b) uses a mechanical keyboard without led indicators, c) does not wish to be nodding their head up and down all the time to confirm the caps-lock state moment to moment.
Adding the on-screen indicator is smart and way overdue, by any means. Adding an option to switch the feature on and off rather than removing it outright would certainly make sense though.
Caps lock Sonoma crashes Archicad 26. Without fail.
I'm training myself to hold down the shift key while typing for letters, lifting for numbers and special characters. (Industry standard for architectural drawings are upper case.)
I'll probably give up and go into Terminal, but there are a lot of users even less comfortable than me "going under the hood".
Only issue Ive found with this, is that a number of apps no longer show the blinking curser in text fields for example.
Other than that, it works in removing the caps lock symbol. I just now wish I could have it both ways - keep the blinky and lose the green symbol.
Thank you for associating the two events! I had reported the missing cursor as a bug, unaware that it was associated with my disabling the onscreen Caps Lock indicator. Verified that the cursor comes back if re-enabling the indicator. Still seems like a bug, but for a much narrower audience.
It's nice that you like this "feature", however, it's intended for those who accidentally turned on caps lock. But for those of us who know when caps lock is on, we don't need it, since 1) we intentionally turned it on, 2) there's a light on the caps lock key when it's on, and 3) the letters on the screen are typing in all caps. To make this something that cannot be disabled in preferences is remarkably shortsighted by Apple.
This solution worked for me, but I first had to give myself admin access to the FeatureFlags and Domain folders. Just FYI to anyone else who is trying to solve this problem. Thank you to Ken for the fix!
This “helper” icon is apparently meant for when someone accidentally turns on caps lock. And what about those who use caps lock intentionally? It could have been added in preferences for those who want it. Instead, the rest of us who intentionally use caps lock have to get through our work every day with that intrusive blue helper icon and no way to get rid of it. Having to run a terminal command may be helpful for some who want to risk it, but it is not a fix. It's a workaround that lets Apple off the hook for an ill-conceived idea that wasn't thought through. It should be made an option in preferences for those who want it, not forced on the rest of us who don’t.
brodskyICloud wrote:
I know this is unrelated, but do you think you could check out my problem?
ICloud freezes when syncing and gives err… - Apple Community
I'm sorry but that's not really my area of expertise. However, I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be able to help you.
No.
A fuller answer can be read in other posts in this thread. Apple can make it simple by including a toggle in System Settings. Until Apple makes it more simple, those who are uncomfortable with the methods that are in fact effective right now are urged to be patient.
Thanks for that @yochees. Very useful indeed. Just out of curiosity where did you find the info ? I am assuming from another blog/forum? I wish we could find these kinds of data officially from Apple directly...
Hi,
i have a MacBook Air M2, when i do this my Mac gets super laggy in games. Tested it twice after a full fresh install. The second i use this command and restart my games are very laggy and unplayable.
Any ideas?
This popup window is actually generated by my Logitech trackpad's driver. So I disabled it and now I finally have solved my issues. Thanks again for the Terminal commands to disable the blue icon as well.
Disable Caps Lock Indicator on macOS Sonoma