Here's why the new MacBook Pros lost the startup chime

Best Sleeves for MacBook Pro (Late 2016)
Best Sleeves for MacBook Pro (Late 2016)

Apple nixed quite a bit of legacy technology at its October Mac event, and apparently that included legacy sound! See, when the brand new late 2016 MacBook Pros power on, they don't make that familiar startup chime we've come to know and love.

Whoa, now! Before you get up in arms over computer nostalgia, you should know there's a method to the madness.

Quiet, please!

MacBook Pro Touch Bar controls

Macbook Pro Touch ID (Image credit: iMore)

Apple's new MacBook Pros work a little differently than their older relatives — more specifically, they don't power on the same way.

You can start up the new MacBook Pro three different ways:

  1. Open the lid of your Mac, even if it's not connected to power.
  2. Connect it to a power adapter while its lid is open.
  3. Connect it to a power adapter while its lid is closed and it's connected to an external display.

As you can imagine, it'd be less-than-ideal to open up your MacBook Pro mid-meeting only to have it awkwardly blurt out the startup chime.

And here's another scenario: Say you bought a new MacBook Pro, but never come across that Apple Support Page outlining the ways to power it on. It's not hard to imagine someone being startled by the startup chime upon connecting it to a power adapter.

How to re-enable the startup chime

If you're thinking about snagging the new MacBook Pro, but just can't imagine parting with the familiar Mac startup chime, there's hope!

An article over on Pingie.com outlines the process for re-enabling the Mac startup chime. If you're not comfortable messing about in Terminal, however, you'll just have to rock a chime-free Mac.

How to Re-Enable The Startup Chime Removed on the 2016 MacBook Pros

Mikah Sargent

Mikah Sargent is Senior Editor at Mobile Nations. When he's not bothering his chihuahuas, Mikah spends entirely too much time and money on HomeKit products. You can follow him on Twitter at @mikahsargent if you're so inclined.