The key facts

  • On November 5, Apple published instructions for disabling the logo backlight on the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a ProLED XDR display
  • Disabling is done via a Terminal command and requires an administrator password; the setting applies to all accounts
  • The glowing logo has returned to the lineup for the first time since 2016; the new models were unveiled on October 28, with sales starting on November 6

The official way to turn off the glowing Apple logo

On November 5, Apple published on its support website instructions that make it possible to disable the logo backlight on the lid of the new MacBook Pro. The guide applies to models with a 14- and 16-inch ProLED XDR display, and changing the setting requires an administrator password.

How it works

According to the instructions published by the outlet Kun.uz citing Apple materials, you need to open Terminal via Spotlight or from the Utilities folder and enter the command sudo defaults write com.apple.CoreBrightness LEBacklightMode -int 0, then confirm with the administrator password — the characters you type are not shown on screen. The logo goes dark immediately, the setting applies to all user accounts, persists when macOS is booted in recovery mode, and is carried over along with your data to a new Mac. The backlight can be restored with a second command — sudo defaults delete com.apple.CoreBrightness LEBacklightMode; Apple also notes that after reinstalling macOS the backlight will turn on again.

Context: the return of the backlight

In its normal state, the logo stays lit while the MacBook is not in sleep mode; its brightness depends on the display settings and the brightness control — at the same screen brightness, in a dark room the logo glows brighter than in a light one. The emblem backlight had been absent from the lineup since 2016, when Apple redesigned the MacBook Pro: in older models the emblem was lit by the backlight of the liquid-crystal display, while OLED display pixels emit light themselves, so the new logo received a separate illuminator. The laptops with a ProLED XDR display on M5 Pro or M5 Max chips — the first Macs with a built-in touchscreen — were unveiled on October 28, and sales began on November 6.