Colin Snow
If your Mac won't wake up from sleep mode, there are several things you can try. First, check your sleep settings, sharing settings, and system activity. If your Mac is waking unexpectedly, you may need to adjust your sleep settings or turn off 'Wake for Network Access'. If your Mac won't wake up at all, try tapping the trackpad, pressing a key on the keyboard, clicking the mouse, or opening the laptop lid. If these methods don't work, try a hard reboot by holding the power button for 10 seconds, or use Safe Mode to determine whether the issue is caused by software. You can also try resetting the SMC (System Management Controller), which can resolve certain power-related issues.
How to wake up a sleeping Apple computer
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Check sleep settings | Confirm that your sleep settings are set as you want them to be |
| Check for malware | Malware may be interfering with your Mac's normal operations |
| Check for viruses | Viruses may be interfering with your Mac's normal operations |
| Check for unexpected use | Other users may be waking your Mac remotely to use its shared resources |
| Check for unexpected activity | Processes running in the background can prevent your Mac from sleeping |
| Reset the SMC | Resetting the system management controller (SMC) can resolve certain issues related to power |
| Use Safe Mode | Safe mode can help you determine whether an issue is caused by software that loads as your Mac starts up |
| Wake on LAN | This feature allows a network administrator to turn on a computer remotely, even when it is turned off, by sending a "magic packet" |
| Wake for Network Access | This can be enabled in System Preferences -> Energy Saver |
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What You'll Learn
Check for malware and viruses
Malware refers to malicious software, such as apps that pretend to be legitimate but carry out hostile tasks like stealing your data. Viruses often present as small programs designed to infect other files and programs on your computer by injecting their code. While malware on Macs is relatively uncommon, the number of threats to macOS is on the rise, which makes it important to know how to check for malware.
Firstly, it is important to be vigilant and keep an eye on the news and other Mac-centric sources to stay informed about new potential threats. It is also crucial to never use P2P, torrent, or other means to obtain illegally posted, pirated, or cracked commercial software, as this is where criminals often pack malware into installers of illegal copies of expensive software.
To check for malware on your Mac, you can use built-in tools or third-party applications. Apple includes antivirus software in macOS that monitors, blocks, and removes malware. This consists of XProtect, Gatekeeper, and Notarization. XProtect has an extensive database of virus signatures to scan for malware, but it only checks when an app is downloaded for the first time, if it is updated, or if the developer signature or app notarization changes. Gatekeeper uses Code Signing certificates to verify that an app comes from a legitimate source. The App Store is the most secure setting to protect your system from malware, as Apple knows all developers, and each app is reviewed before acceptance.
If you want additional protection or more advanced scanning capabilities, you can consider third-party anti-malware apps. Some options include Intego's VirusBarrier, Malwarebytes, Avira Free Security for Mac, and Bitdefender Virus Scanner for Mac. These apps offer various features, such as reliable scanning, firewall protection, and system performance enhancements.
Additionally, there are some general best practices to follow to protect your Mac from malware:
- Avoid opening email attachments from unknown senders.
- Be cautious when downloading software from unknown sources.
- Only download apps from trusted sources, such as the App Store.
- Use strong passwords for each account.
- Regularly back up important files.
- Use an antivirus with real-time protection.
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Reset the SMC
Resetting the SMC (System Management Controller) on a Mac can help resolve a variety of hardware-related issues. The SMC controls various hardware functions like cooling fans, status lights, system performance, and power supply. It manages temperature, power management, and battery performance.
If you have a Mac with an M1, M2, or later Apple silicon chip, the functions that the SMC used to perform are now handled by the chip itself, so this article does not apply to you.
If you are experiencing any of the following issues, resetting the SMC may help:
- Your Mac won't turn on or it turns off without warning.
- The battery is not charging or doesn't hold a charge for as long as it used to.
- The fans are louder than normal or running at high speed.
- Your Mac is overheating.
- The keyboard backlight is malfunctioning.
- The display flickers or doesn’t go on correctly.
- The trackpad is not functioning normally.
- It experiences other power-related issues.
- Shut down your Mac.
- Connect your power adapter to your Mac and to a power source.
- With the Mac still powered off, press and hold the Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
- Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
- Press the power button to turn on the computer.
Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.
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Check sleep settings
Checking and adjusting your sleep settings can help you manage your Mac's energy settings and prevent your computer from going to sleep at inconvenient times.
To access your Mac's sleep settings, go to the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen, then click on System Preferences. From there, you can click on Battery or Energy Saver, depending on your macOS version.
In the Battery settings, you can adjust the "Turn display off after" slider to choose how long you want your display to remain on before automatically turning off. You can set this anywhere from one minute to three hours, or you can select "Never" if you don't want the display to turn off automatically. Below this slider, you can set additional sleep-related settings, such as:
- Preventing automatic sleeping when the display is off: This allows you to close the lid of your MacBook without putting it to sleep.
- Waking for network access: Enabling this setting will allow your Mac to wake up when your Wi-Fi turns on or when an app needs internet access.
- Putting hard disks to sleep: This setting will put your hard disks to sleep when possible to save energy.
- Enabling Power Nap: This setting allows your Mac to occasionally wake from sleep to perform tasks such as checking for new emails.
If you want to schedule specific sleep and wake times for your Mac, you can do so by clicking on the Schedule option in the left sidebar of the Battery settings. Here, you can set the desired sleep and wake times for your Mac. You can also choose the frequency with which your Mac follows these schedules, from specific days to every day or just on weekends.
Additionally, you can use the Terminal app to execute commands that will schedule your Mac to turn on and off. For example, to set your Mac to shut down at 1 am every weekday, you can use the command "sudo pmset repeat shutdown MTWRF 01:00:00". Similarly, you can use the "caffeinate" command in Terminal to temporarily disable sleep mode and keep your Mac awake as long as the Terminal window remains open.
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Enable 'Wake for Network Access'
If you want to enable "Wake for Network Access" on your Mac, you can follow these steps:
First, go to the Apple menu in the top right corner of your screen and select "System Preferences". In the System Preferences pane, choose "Energy Saver" or "Battery". In the new dialogue box, you will see the “Wake for Network Access” option. Tick the box next to it to enable the feature, or untick it to disable it. You may also see this option displayed as “Wake for Ethernet Network Access”.
"Wake for Network Access", also known as “Wake on LAN” or “Wake on Demand”, allows your Mac to be brought out of sleep mode when someone else on the network requests access to a service on your computer, such as a shared printer or music playlist. It is a useful feature if you want to provide others with access to shared resources on your Mac while it is in sleep mode.
If you are experiencing issues with "Wake for Network Access", you can try disabling and re-enabling the feature, changing the network type, restarting your Mac, or preventing your Mac from sleeping. Additionally, ensure that your Mac is connected to a power adapter, as this feature may not work when your Mac is running on battery power alone.
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Use Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop can be used to wake up a sleeping Apple computer. To do this, the computer's networking hardware must support waking via network packet (Wake-on-LAN), and the computer must have "Wake For Ethernet Network Administrator Access" enabled in the Wake Options of Energy Saver preferences.
- Open the Remote Desktop application on your device.
- In the Remote Desktop window, select a computer list by clicking on the sidebar of the main window.
- Choose one or more computers from the list that are currently sleeping or offline.
- Once you have selected the desired computers, click on "Manage" and then select "Wake" from the drop-down menu.
- Finally, click on the "Wake" button again to confirm the action.
It is important to note that Apple Remote Desktop uses a "wake-on-LAN" packet to wake up sleeping client computers. This packet can only be delivered via a local broadcast address, so it will only work on a local area network. Additionally, the network hardware must still be powered on to receive and act on the packet.
If you are using a wireless network interface, such as AirPort, keep in mind that it completely powers down when the computer is asleep and therefore cannot receive or act on a wake-on-LAN packet. In such cases, you may need to use a "sentry" computer on the same subnet to wake up the sleeping computer.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use a feature called "Wake on LAN" to wake up your Mac from sleep mode remotely. You will need to check "Wake for Network Access" in System Preferences -> Energy Saver. Then, find the MAC address of your wireless card and put your Mac to sleep. Finally, log in to your router from another computer and use the WOL (Wake on LAN) option to wake up your Mac by entering the MAC address.
If your Apple computer is unresponsive, you can try a few quick fixes. First, check for malware and remove any threats. If that doesn't work, reset the SMC by holding the Power button for 10 seconds to shut it off, reconnecting the adapter, and then pressing the Power button to restart.
There are a few general ways to wake up a sleeping Apple computer. You can tap the trackpad, press any key on the keyboard, click the mouse, or open the laptop lid. If these methods don't work, try briefly pressing the power button to reboot your computer.
