The Tool Desk
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Choose the setting for the change you want
| What you want to change | Where to go | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Account picture shown at login | System Settings > Users & Groups | The picture is also used for your Apple Account picture and Contacts My Card. Apple’s instructions for changing your login picture. |
| Account list, login fields, or a brief message | System Settings > Lock Screen | Built-in login-window options include the account display style and a short message. Apple’s Lock Screen settings guide. |
| Desktop picture or color | System Settings > Wallpaper | This changes the desktop wallpaper; it is not a documented control for changing the entire login-window background. Apple’s Wallpaper settings guide. |
| Longer acknowledgement banner | Administrator-managed file in /Library/Security/ | Requires creating a PolicyBanner file and restarting. FileVault can affect when it appears. Apple’s policy-banner instructions. |
Change your Mac login picture
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Users & Groups.
- Click the picture beside your login name.
- Choose an available option, such as a Memoji, emoji, monogram, camera photo, Photos image, or suggested image. You can also drag an image from Finder onto the current picture.
- Adjust the crop or zoom, then click Save.
The chosen image also becomes the picture for your Apple Account and the My Card entry in Contacts. If you want to change another person’s picture, that person must log in and change it themselves, or log out so you can access their account.
Change the login-window layout or add a short message
Open System Settings > Lock Screen. Use Login window shows to choose between a list of users and name-and-password fields. To show a brief note when the Mac is locked, turn on Show message when locked and enter the text.
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The same settings area includes options for password hints and whether Sleep, Restart, and Shut Down buttons appear. Apple describes the message option as a way to add a short message to the login window when the Mac is locked. These controls change what the window displays; they do not replace the desktop wallpaper.
Set desktop wallpaper separately
To change the desktop image or color, open System Settings > Wallpaper and choose an available wallpaper or color. Apple’s Wallpaper guide also covers screen saver choices and the Lock Screen clock option. It does not establish a general setting for replacing the complete startup login-window background across current macOS versions and configurations.
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So if you mean the image behind the account controls at startup, use the account-picture and Lock Screen options described above, but do not assume changing desktop wallpaper will change that whole background. Apple’s documented controls treat wallpaper and login-window appearance separately.
Add a longer policy banner
For a longer notice that asks users to acknowledge a policy, Apple documents a separate administrator-level method. Create a plain-text or rich-text file named PolicyBanner, place it in /Library/Security/, and restart the Mac. Follow Apple’s policy-banner procedure for the file requirements and troubleshooting details.
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If FileVault is enabled, the banner may appear after the first user unlocks the startup disk rather than at the initial preboot unlock. Apple’s troubleshooting guidance includes checking file permissions and, when needed, updating the APFS Preboot volume with diskutil apfs updatePreboot /. This is not necessary for changing a picture or adding a short Lock Screen message.
Automatic login is an account-access choice
Automatic login is not a cosmetic way to alter the login screen: it bypasses the usual account-selection and password step for the selected account after a restart. Apple notes that it may be unavailable when FileVault is enabled, when an organization’s supervision profile prevents it, or with some account configurations. Consider who can physically access the Mac before enabling it. See Apple’s automatic-login guidance for availability and setup details.
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When network login is involved
Organizations may configure Login Window Mode for 802.1X network authentication. This requires compatible directory-service and network-profile configuration; it is an organizational network setup, not a general-purpose way to customize the login window’s appearance. Apple documents the requirements in its 802.1X Login Window Mode guide.
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- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
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