Apple introduced its first M1 chip, which is specifically designed for MacBooks. The M1 chip combines all the technologies needed in a Mac to maximize its features. It comes in a 5-nanometer process technology with 16 billion transistors.
Instead of using multiple chips, now new models of MacBook computers have the M1 chip for excellent performance, more efficiency, and added technologies. It also comes with the Unified Memory Architecture, so your computer system is more responsive, and processing is faster.
However, several users of the M1-powered MacBooks have complaints of a bug they found on their computers. Their screensavers activate randomly, even when they do not initiate it. Whether they are using their MacBook or not, the screensaver immediately shows up.
According to some reports, users affected by the bug have two things in common. They are using multiple accounts on their MacBooks. They have enabled their Fast User Switching, a feature allowing them to switch from one account to another quickly without logging in. It is also important to note that M1 MacBook Air users are the most affected ones.
Fixing the Big Sur Screensaver Lockout Bug in M1 Macs including MacBook Air
It is indeed annoying to see your screensaver pops up in the middle of your work. In most cases, users cannot do anything about it, no matter what they do. Clicking on the keyboard does not work. M1 Macs such as MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers are powered by the latest macOS Big Sur operating system.
Below you can see some solutions that you can try to troubleshoot and might eventually fix the Fast User Switching bug with screensaver lockout on Apple M1 MacBooks.
Solution #1 – Close the Lid of your MacBook
When a screensaver activates in front of you, physically close the lid of your MacBook Air laptop and wait for at least 5 seconds. Now, try to open it again and see if it fixes the bug. Most users reported that this workaround works most of the time. If it’s not doing it for you, proceed to the next solution.
Solution #2 – Disable the Fast User Switching Feature on macOS Big Sur
Since users affected have the Fast User Switching feature enabled on macOS Big Sur, you can try disabling it. However, you will no longer enjoy the advantage of quickly switching from one Mac user account to another. Here’s how to do it.
- Launch System Preferences.
- Go to Users & Groups.
- Select Login Options.
- Click the Lock Icon.
- Type your password.
- Look for the Show Fast User Switching menu.
- Uncheck the box.
Solution #3 – Install macOS Big Sur’s Latest Beta 11.2 Update
Before you install the latest beta update, make sure you backup the files on your Mac first. That way, if there are problems in the process, you still have the backup to fallback to.
- Launch the https://developer.apple.com/ on your browser.
- Navigate to the Discover tab.
- Go to the macOS tab.
- Click the Download button.
- If prompted, log in to your developer account.
- Click Install Profile.
- To access the file, go to your Downloads folder.
- Open the macOS Big Sur Developer Beta Access Utility.
- Now, double-click the macOSDeveloperBetaAccessUtility.pkg.
Did the article help you? Do you have other methods or workarounds to resolve this screensaver lockout problem in the latest Mac computers? Let us know in the comments below.