Make the Mac ask before a plugged-in accessory connects
An Apple silicon laptop decides on its own whether to trust what you plug into it. Check which rule yours is following.
Works on: macOS Tahoe 26 and later · checked on macOS Golden Gate 27
Published: · Source: Snoflaa
On a Mac laptop with Apple silicon, a USB or Thunderbolt device — or an SD card — has to be approved before it can exchange data with the machine. How that approval happens is up to you.
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Accessories. The Allow accessories to connect menu has four settings:
- Always ask — every accessory, every single time it connects.
- Ask for new accessories — you approve each one the first time it connects. This is the default.
- Automatically allow when unlocked — no questions while the Mac is unlocked.
- Always allow — whatever is plugged in connects.
Ask for new accessories is the sensible middle. Your own dock, drive and card reader connect without a word, while something plugged in during the two minutes you spent at the coffee machine gets a prompt that nobody is there to accept.
If yours is set to Always allow, that is the one worth changing today.
On macOS Sequoia and earlier, the Allow accessories to connect menu sits directly in Privacy & Security, without the Accessories step.
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