How To Change Login Background Mac

You lot've probably customized the carte du jour bar, Dock, and other elements on your Mac. Only did you know macOS lets you change the login screen to adapt your needs as well?

Peradventure y'all want to require both a username and password when you log in, for additional security. Or maybe you forget your password often and would like to display a hint. Accept a favorite quote you like to showtime your day with? You tin add that to your login screen too.

We'll walk you through how to easily change the login screen on a Mac in all these ways.

Nigh of the login screen settings are located in your Organisation Preferences. These settings permit you lot make tweaks like enabling automatic login, displaying a list of users, showing control buttons, turning on VoiceOver, and more than. To get started, click on the Apple tree menu, so click System Preferences from the card bar and select Users & Groups.

Before making changes to the login screen, you may need to unlock the Users & Groups preferences. If so, click the lock icon in the lower-left corner of the window, enter your password when prompted, and click Unlock.

Now, click Login Options at the bottom of the left pane. On the right side of the resulting page, select from the options below that y'all want to use on the login screen.

Automatic login: This feature lets yous head directly to the desktop when you beginning your Mac, rather than having to enter your credentials commencement. Plow on automatic login and enter the user's account name and password to enable it. Information technology'south convenient if you're the only user of your Mac and ever keep the computer in a safe location. If you have FileVault turned on, automated login is disabled past default. For more on this feature, check out our helpful FileVault guide.
Display login window as: You tin can cull from List of users and Name and password. The former lets you pick your username and then enter your password, while the latter requires you to enter both. If you're concerned about security, choose Name and password, since it requires yous to know both the username and password.
Show the Sleep, Restart, and Shut Down buttons: Cheque this box to display these controls on the login screen.
Bear witness Input menu in login window: Enabling the Input menu lets the user pick the language to employ on the Mac before logging in. This is helpful if yous regularly switch between languages or keyboard formats.
Show countersign hints: You lot can enable the display of password hints when you click the question mark or enter the password incorrectly three times in a row. To add or change a password hint, click a user on the left and select Countersign. Next, hit the Modify Password push. Enter your old countersign, along with a new 1, and confirm. Then add together your password hint at the bottom and click Change Countersign.
Evidence fast user switching carte du jour equally: This choice lets you switch betwixt users rapidly from your Mac menu bar. You can choose to display total names, business relationship names, or an icon. When you're done making your selections, click the lock button once again to prevent further changes.

VoiceOver, Zoom, Viscous Keys, and additional accessibility options are also available on the login screen. Click the Accessibility Options push button and so check the relevant boxes for the items you want to display.

When yous plow on any of these accessibility features, your settings volition apply for every user on the login screen. Turning off a feature will disable it for all users on the screen equally well.

You lot can add together a custom message to the login screen. For example, you might want to see your favorite motivational quote to start your twenty-four hour period. Or you could add your contact data, so an honest person who finds your Mac can go in touch with you lot to return it.

To add a message to your login screen, open the Apple menu and click System Preferences from the menu bar, and then select Security & Privacy.

If necessary, click the lock button and enter your countersign to make this change. Then follow these simple steps:

Click the General tab.
Bank check the box for Show a message when the screen is locked box so click Ready Lock Message.
Enter the message you desire to display on the login screen in the popup dialog box, so click OK.

The next fourth dimension you lot lock your screen or get-go upwardly your Mac, you'll encounter your message at the bottom of the login screen.

Change Your Profile Picture

If y'all use the login screen with a listing of users, as described earlier, the user profile pictures display higher up the names. You lot can change your contour picture easily if y'all similar.

To change your picture, open up the Apple carte and click System Preferences, then choose Users & Groups. Now do the post-obit to change your picture:

Select your user profile on the left.
Move your cursor over the contour picture and click Edit when it appears.
In the popup window, select the location of the image you would like to use or pick Camera to snap one with your Mac'due south camera. In macOS Monterey and later, you lot too accept the option to utilise an Emoji or animated Memoji.
Optionally, use the zoom slider to conform the photograph.
Click Save.

Log In With Your Apple Watch

While technically non a login screen "customization," there is another way to log into your Mac besides the automatic login or proper name and password options we've mentioned. If you own an Apple Watch, yous can log in to your Mac with it too.

To enable the feature, open the Apple tree menu and click System Preferences, and then choose Security & Privacy. Now walk through these steps:

Select the General tab.
Check the box for Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac. (If your Apple tree Watch is running watchOS v or earlier, the box will have the characterization Use your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac instead.)
Enter your Mac user password if prompted.

In one case you enable this feature and land on your Mac login screen while wearing your Apple tree Lookout, you'll see a brief message on the screen that says Unlocking with Apple tree Spotter.

Give Your Mac Its Own Look and Feel

You lot can experiment with any or all of these options to notice what y'all like best on your Mac login screen. And since the features are then easy to change, you tin can suit them whenever yous like. In one case you've got your login screen configured to your gustation, y'all may want to explore some of your Mac'southward other personalization options.

7 Ways to Personalize Your Mac: Color Schemes, Icons, Sounds, and More

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Sandy Writtenhouse (433 Articles Published)

With her BS in Information Technology, Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry equally a Project Manager, Section Manager, and PMO Lead. She and so decided to follow her dream and now writes virtually technology full-fourth dimension.