Mute Macbook pro when computer is shutting down

Question

I'm thinking of using the Mac's applescript to make a program that mutes the system when it is shutting down.

Though I'm new to applescript and I don't know how to use the IF-statement to determine if the system is shutting down. I've done some googling and I've found that the finder app is the app that is "controlling" the shutdown, but i don't know how to check if the state is "shut down". Can anybody assist me in this matter?

Answer 1

• AppleScript has no direct mechanism for detecting a shutdown/logout.
• It does have a mechanism for creating applications that can react to themselves being quit.
• Thus, you can:
  • use AppleScript to create a stay-open application (.app bundle) with a standard on quit handler, in which you perform the desired action (
  • make sure that the application is launched on login - in the simpler case as a Login Item (via System Preferences, see below), or, with more flexibility but complexity, as a launch agent (see https://stackoverflow.com/a/22872222/45375).

---

Instructions:

• Open Script Editor and open a new script window.
• Paste the following code:

# This standard handler is called when the application quits.
on quit
    # Mute the system volume.
    # !! See caveat below.
    set volume with output muted
    continue quit  # signal to the system that it's OK to quit
end quit

• Save the script as a stay-open application:

  • with File Format Application
  • check Stay open after run handler

• Open System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items, drag the newly saved *.app bundle into the list, and check the checkbox next to it, so as to make it launch hidden.

The final step is to hide the new application's Dock icon, as there's no reason for it to have one:

• From Terminal, run the following:

 defaults write /full/path/to/newApp.app/Contents/Info.plist LSUIElement 1

^{Note: You could use LSBackgroundOnly too, but the advantage of LSUIElement is that you can still display UI elements if you want to, such as for debugging.}

Important: Substitute the full path of your new app for /full/path/to/newApp.app; the command will only work if you specify the full path to the Info.plist file.

To test, start the new app interactively, and make sure that no Dock icon appears. (You can quit the app via Activity Monitor).

CAVEAT: If the intent is to suppress the system startup sound, set volume with output muted has two drawbacks:

• it will not work if headphones happened to be plugged at the time of shutdown
• you will have to unmute the volume on startup (however, you could do that in an on on run handler in the same app).

Consider the alternative approach below, which requires admin privileges to set up and invokes nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80 with root privileges, which bypasses the above drawbacks.

You could run do shell script "nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80" user name "someAdminUsername" password "matchingAdminPassword" with administrator privileges from the above AppleScript app, but you'd have to hard-code the password, which is not advisable for security reasons.

---

Alternative approach, using a system-wide logout hook via com.apple.loginwindow.

There's a deprecated mechanism for running a script on logout that, however, still works as of OSX 10.10; given that there's no direct non-deprecated equivalent, it may continue to be supported.

Note that you do need admin privileges:

sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LogoutHook <yourScript>

<yourScript> must be an executable, such as a shell script; note that the executable is run in the context of the root user.

In case you're thinking of muting the startup sound, invoke the following shell command from that script:

nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80  # to try this interactively, prepend `sudo `

This will mute sounds until after a reboot, effectively muting the startup sound, without keeping the sound muted.

^{Note that the nvram command requires root privileges, which are by definition in effect in a script run via the com.apple.loginwindow logout hook.; by contrast, to try the command interactively, use sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80 - otherwise, you'll get the following, unhelpful error message: nvram: Error setting variable - 'SystemAudioVolume': (iokit/common) general error}

Answer 2

Honestly, it is better to make a deterministic solution. What I mean is, is that you make a script that:

• Mutes your computer.
• Shuts it down.

Then you take your script and create an Automator service, that you can assign to some shortcut, to make it easier for you to use it. ctrl-opt-cmd-eject or something. :)

This is just how I would have solved it, if I have the need, it is short and sweet to make work, and should work reasonably well.

Answer 3

If you want to use the LogoutHook mentioned in @mklement0's answer.

You can use the normal Applescript command set volume with output muted.

You just need to add the osascript shebang to the top of the Applescript document

i.e

#!/usr/bin/osascript


set volume with output muted

And then save the file as applescript text file.

In the save dialogue use : file format: Text )

It will get the extension .applescript

Once it is saved, use Terminal.app to chmod the script as you would a normal shell script which in effect it is.

i.e

/bin/chmod +x foo.applescript

Then add it to the loginwindows LogoutHook.

sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LogoutHook foo.applescript

Answer 4

I Know this is an old post but for anyone still looking how to do this(like I was) I have a simple method. Before I started Scripting I created a new folder in my home folder called toolbar scripts.(this is optional) With the desktop showing Finder click on Go >Utilities >Script Editor. In the window that opens type in or copy and paste the code

set volume with output muted
tell application "finder"
shut down
end tell

Click on the last button above the script you added - it should be compile. If you cannot find that button then on the top click on Script >Compile Click on File >Save in the save as I called mine shutdown and chose the script folder (this is optional) Down the bottom of the dialog box at file format click on the arrow and change the format to application and click on save.

Open the folder you saved it in and drag the icon to the dock. Click on the icon you just put in the dock. now if all is right this should mute the volume and shutdown the computer. This will not shutdown the computer if you still have anything open.

Cheers Peter

Answer 5

first, you should create a sound-off script (with terminal)

sudo nano /Library/Scripts/sound-off.sh

after filling it with these lines:

#!/bin/bash
osascript -e ‘set volume output muted 1’

and make a sound-on script like that

sudo nano /Library/Scripts/sound-on.sh

and fill it with:

#!/bin/bash
osascript -e ‘set volume 4’

then access them as executing files

sudo chmod u+x /Library/Scripts/sound-off.sh
sudo chmod u+x /Library/Scripts/sound-on.sh

and the last part is set them when the mac device is turn off and on:

sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LogoutHook /Library/Scripts/sound-off.sh
sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook /Library/Scripts/sound-on.sh