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]

Posted on Sep 27, 2023 5:14 AM

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Posted on Oct 30, 2023 11:51 AM

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.

335 replies

Oct 9, 2023 10:45 AM in response to richardm04

Going to loose my mind!!!! It gets in the way constantly! there is plenty of code writing and other programs were I use cap locks to make it more efficient but I literally cannot see around the icon. Especially if you are searching for names in emails. They REALLY need to make this one optional! I rarely complain but I would guess that I have already lost 30 mins out of my day trying to get around the distraction of this fantastic new feature

Oct 9, 2023 10:57 AM in response to Lesley2029

Lesley2029 wrote:

but when you want to use CAPS LOCK the indicator is ver intrusive and in your way.

It’s hardly intrusive to me.

I’ve been using Sonoma for months and I didn’t notice it until someone posted here. Maybe this post.


If you need it to go away, complaining here won’t make that happen. Use the feedback page to express your desire for a switch to disable it. If you and about 10,000 other people send feedback, they might change it.

Oct 11, 2023 12:31 PM in response to yochees

I strongly suspected that a solution of this sort, a real solution, existed. Thank you you for finding it and posting the exact steps in terminal.

For readers who have not used Terminal before, only and always select-copy-paste code such as yochees provides into Terminal. Use the keyboard to enter your password, but do not try to type in commands.

Oct 11, 2023 1:40 PM in response to Barney-15E

The 10,000 complaints may get Apple to fix it, or make a switch available, but, when as many people are annoyed by this feature as now seems to be the case, a contributor with a keen sense of smell or something similar in programming terms, will usually offer up a solution such as that offered by yochees in the post that follows yours (at the time I write this).


In a sense, what he has offered us is the switch so many of us wanted.

Oct 11, 2023 10:17 PM in response to autnagrag

The 10,000 complaints may get Apple to fix it, or make a switch available, but, when as many people are annoyed by this feature as now seems to be the case, a contributor with a keen sense of smell or something similar in programming terms, will usually offer up a solution such as that offered by yochees in the post that follows yours (at the time I write this).

I would have had to care enough to search out a solution like that. It should have been obvious that it didn’t bother me in the least. I cannot comprehend why it bothers you that much.

Oct 12, 2023 6:15 PM in response to richardm04

This is seriously a very annoying feature. I can't imagine why someone would think making this a default setting was a good idea. I wasted a lot of time in an application I was using trying to figure out what the blue arrow was, only to later discover it's my Mac. Now I have to waste more time trying to figure out how to disable it.


In the picture below you can see how the blue arrow obstructs my view. In this instance I was aligning text to the column, and this annoying blue arrow was in my view and distracting me constantly.

Oct 14, 2023 2:32 AM in response to richardm04

This is just too much all this apple stuff turning into windows garb, if i wanted this nonsense i would get a windows machine, then i find i can't turn this nonsense off. This should be a feature in accessibility for people that need it.

I want this turned off now and not you "apple" forcing these changes. STOP doing this.


This total goes against what SJ used to say about stealing focus, it steals focus away from your attention to this dam bright icon on the screen. I have for how many years done fine without it, why and what idiot thought this would be a good idea. Over engineering something that does not need improvement.


People want to carry on and get work done, i don't come in your office and start moving stuff around and putting post it notes on everything, so stop messing with users like this. GIMICK

Oct 19, 2023 8:30 AM in response to dialabrain

dialabrain wrote:

And I like Sonoma fine even with the Caps Indicator. I also don't bother with screen savers, beautiful or otherwise. 😎

I think the caps lock indicator is great. And, as I have an MBA, when I'm not using it, it's closed (because cats). so, I don't bother with screensavers anymore. Though, if they added the Flying Toasters, I might be tempted.

Oct 22, 2023 11:29 AM in response to tuqqer

tuqqer wrote:

Well, they're all useful features to some.
A central key to good UI design is to not make disruptive new features the default on new Operating Systems upgrades.

It’s not disruptive to me. I didn’t even notice it. Having to swipe around to see the content I’m referencing is incredibly disrupting.

Apple always makes new features the default.

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Disable Caps Lock Indicator on macOS Sonoma

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