When you boot into macOS 14 Sonoma for the first time, you’ll notice that Apple has redesigned the login screen, the place where you enter your password to unlock your user account. It can be a bit of a surprise, especially since the login screen probably isn’t something you’ve given much thought to over the years. Here’s everything you need to know about he new login experience:
- Time to complete: 5 minutes
- Materials required: macOS Sonoma
- Cost: Free
Your account appears at the bottom
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Instead of appearing in the middle of the screen, accounts now appear at the bottom center. Why the move? So the login doesn’t interfere with the visual aesthetic of the image displayed.
How to see other accounts
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If this is your first time using Sonoma, the first account on the Mac will appear. To see other accounts, move the pointer to the account icon. This will make a list appear. Click on the account you want to use and enter its password.
How to adjust the Lock Screen settings
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The Lock Screen has settings you can adjust in System Settings. The settings you can tweak include the ability to not show the large clock (the time appears in the menu bar), show password hints, show messages when locked, and show the Sleep, Restart, and Shut Down buttons.
How to set auto login
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If you want the Mac to always log into the same account, you can set it to auto login. Go to System Settings > Users & Groups, and then look for the setting for “Automatically log in as.” Once you select a user from the pop-up menu, you’ll have to enter a password to allow the change, and then another window appears asking for the password of the account you want to auto log in.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.