Getting into macOS

When you first turn on a Mac running macOS, an Apple logo greets you, soon joined by a skinny progress bar that lets you know how much longer you have to wait.

Logging In

What happens next depends on whether you’re the Mac’s sole proprietor or have to share it with other people in an office, school, or household.

  • If it’s your own Mac, and you’ve already been through the setup process described in Appendix A, no big deal. You arrive at the macOS desktop.

  • If it’s a shared Mac, you may encounter the login screen, shown in Figure 2-1. It’s like a portrait gallery, set against a blurry version of your usual desktop picture. Click your icon.

    If the Mac asks for your password, type it and then click Log In (or press Return). You arrive at the desktop. Or, if your Mac has a Touch Bar (The Complicated Story of the Function Keys) and you’ve registered your fingerprint, then touch that finger to the sensor at the right end of the bar.

    Chapter 13 offers much more on this business of accounts and logging in.

Note

In certain especially paranoid workplaces, you may not see the rogue’s gallery shown in Figure 2-1. You may just get two text boxes, where you’re supposed to type in your name and password. Without even the icons of known account holders, an evil hacker’s job is that much more difficult.

On Macs used by multiple people, this is one of the first things you see upon turning on the computer. Click your name. (If the list is long, you may have to swipe the trackpad to find your name—or just type its first few letters.)

Inset: At this point, you’re asked to type in your password. Type it, and then click Log ...

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