You can finally power on a Mac remotely
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macOS 26.5 introduces a long-awaited feature allowing Macs to automatically power on whenever power is restored, regardless of how they were shut down — similar to ATX PC behavior that has existed since 1995. Supported on Mac mini (2024+), Mac Studio (2025+), and iMac (2024+), the setting is found in System Settings > Energy. The author demonstrates using Zigbee smart outlets to remotely toggle power, enabling true remote power-on for lab/CI environments and live event setups. Two caveats are noted: FileVault requires an SSH login step before full remote access, and Screen Sharing sessions should be logged out properly to avoid leaving a live desktop exposed. A confirmed bug exists where shutting down from the login screen (without logging in) prevents the auto-boot feature from working on next power restore.
