Troubleshooting A Mac's Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

when my mac sleeps it

If your Mac is not waking up from sleep as expected, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. First, check your sleep settings and ensure they are configured according to your preferences. Next, try restarting your Mac or unplugging and replugging the monitor cables. If you're using a MacBook, you can also try closing and opening the lid. Additionally, certain apps, processes, and connected devices can prevent your Mac from sleeping, so it's worth reviewing these and making adjustments if necessary. If you're using an external monitor, the issue could be related to the type of cable you're using, as some Mac users have reported problems with specific types of cables, such as Thunderbolt.

Characteristics Values
Monitor wake-up issues DisplayPort monitor not waking up from sleep
Monitor type LG 27UK650-W, LG 38UC99, LG 27GP950-B, LG 27UK850 UHD
Connection type USB-C, HDMI, Thunderbolt, Mini DisplayPort
Mac model MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Studio
macOS version Monterey 12.3, macOS Intel, macOS 10.15.7
Fix Restart Mac, disconnect and reconnect DisplayPort, use HDMI connection, update macOS
Sleep settings "Turn display off on battery when inactive," "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off," "Wake for network access"

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Potential software, cable, or adapter issues

If you're experiencing issues with your Mac monitor not waking up from sleep, there could be potential software, cable, or adapter problems at play. Here are some paragraphs discussing these issues and potential solutions:

Software issues can impact the behaviour of your Mac monitor when it sleeps. It's important to ensure that your macOS software is up to date, as certain software issues can be resolved by installing the latest updates. Additionally, some applications that access your disk, such as Music or DVD Player, can prevent your Mac from sleeping. Background processes running in the activity monitor can also keep your Mac awake. To check for these, open a Finder window, go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor, and click the CPU button.

Another potential software-related issue could be the Spotlight indexing process. If Spotlight is indexing your hard disk, your Mac may not go to sleep. Additionally, safe mode can be used to determine if the issue is caused by software that loads during startup. By booting your Mac in safe mode, you can identify and troubleshoot any problematic software.

In terms of cable and adapter issues, some Mac users have reported problems with specific types of cables and adapters. For example, there have been reports of issues with Thunderbolt cables and USB-C to DP (DisplayPort) cables. In some cases, switching to an HDMI cable or using a different adapter, such as a Thunderbolt 3 to DP adapter, has resolved the issue. It's worth experimenting with different cable and adapter combinations to see if that improves your monitor's behaviour when waking from sleep.

Additionally, when connecting a display to a Mac laptop with Apple silicon, your Mac might ask for permission to connect the accessory. If you don't grant this permission, your display may not turn on. Software can also influence display detection, image quality, and the available resolutions and refresh rates on your monitor.

Finally, it's worth noting that some Mac models and specific monitors seem more prone to these issues. For example, the LG 27GP950-B monitor has been mentioned multiple times as a monitor that frequently wakes up from sleep. Similarly, Mac models like the MacBook Pro M1 and M2 have been associated with these sleep issues.

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Settings for sleep and wake

You can set sleep and wake settings for your Mac to prevent issues with your monitor. Firstly, you can set your Mac to go to sleep after a specified duration of inactivity. To do this, click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings from the dropdown. Now, select Battery from the sidebar and scroll down on the right pane and click on Options at the bottom. Here, you can make your desired changes.

You can also configure your Mac's sleep and wake settings to do other things. For example, you can enable Power Nap on your Mac to allow it to check for software updates while asleep, but this feature is limited to Intel-based Macs. You can also set your Mac to wake for network access. To do this, click the pop-up menu next to "Wake for network access" and choose an option.

If you have a hard disk on your Mac, you can check this to spin down your hard drive to save power. This will mean that if your Mac has been inactive, it could take a minute to get going again as the disk spins up. This option only applies to Macs with spinning hard drives, not solid-state drives (SSDs).

If you are having issues with your monitor not waking up, you can try resetting your Energy Saver preferences to default values, or try preventing your Mac from automatically sleeping. You can also try using an HDMI cable instead of a Thunderbolt cable, as this has been a solution for some users.

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Battery settings

If your Mac sleeps or wakes up unexpectedly, you can adjust your battery settings to prevent this. Firstly, you can check your battery settings by clicking on the Apple menu, then System Settings, and choosing Battery in the sidebar.

Here, you can turn on the "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off" setting. This will stop your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off. You can also choose when to turn the display off on battery and power adapter when inactive.

If you are using a Mac laptop, you can click on Battery in the sidebar, then click Options. From here, you can choose Never in the pop-up menu next to "Wake for network access". If you are using a Mac desktop, you can turn off "Wake for network access" in the Energy settings.

You can also use apps to prevent your Mac from sleeping. For example, Lungo is an app that prevents your Mac from sleeping for as long as you want. You can also use the Terminal to make temporary changes to the sleep settings by entering the command "caffeinate -d". If you want to keep your laptop awake for a certain amount of time, you can type "caffeinate -t X", where X is the number of seconds.

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Background processes

One common issue is when apps access the disk or hard drive while the Mac is sleeping. For example, the Music app accesses the disk to read songs, and the DVD Player app accesses the optical disc drive to play movies. These processes can interfere with the Mac's sleep mode and cause it to wake up or not sleep at all.

Additionally, Spotlight indexing can also keep a Mac from sleeping. When Spotlight is indexing the hard disk, the Mac won't go into sleep mode. This process can take several hours, depending on the number of files on the Mac. So, if a user has initiated a large Spotlight index and then tries to put the Mac to sleep, it may not respond as expected.

Another potential cause is malfunctioning USB and Thunderbolt devices. These devices can sometimes prevent a Mac from sleeping properly. In such cases, it is recommended to disconnect these devices and see if the Mac can enter sleep mode. If it does, the user can start reconnecting the devices one by one to identify the malfunctioning device.

Furthermore, certain settings can also impact the Mac's sleep behaviour. For instance, enabling "Wake for network access" allows the Mac to wake up briefly to allow users to access shared services. However, this can also cause the Mac to wake up unintentionally when it detects network activity. Therefore, disabling this setting may be necessary to prevent unexpected wake-ups.

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Other users accessing shared services

If you're having trouble waking your Mac monitor from sleep, there are a few potential workarounds. Firstly, check your battery settings, as there should be an option to disable waking up your computer for background processes. You can also try closing the lid of your Mac laptop for a few seconds and then reopening it. Another solution is to reset your Energy Saver preferences to default values and try to "Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping".

Now, regarding "Other users accessing shared services", here's some information on how to do that:

On a Mac, users can access shared services and files through various methods. One way is to utilise the ''Shared' folder located in 'Macintosh HD/Users'. This folder is accessible to all users of the Mac, allowing them to read files but only permitting the owner to edit or delete them. Individual users can also use their Public and Drop Box folders for sharing. To access another user's Public folder, go to 'Go > Go to Folder' in Finder, enter '/Users/[username]/Public', and press Return. Drop Box folders can be accessed similarly, but only the owner of a Drop Box can open it.

Additionally, users can share their internet connection, media content such as music and movies, and even a connected printer with others on their local network. Remote access is also possible through Secure Shell (SSH) or Apple Remote Desktop, allowing users to log in to a Mac from another location or giving them the ability to view and interact with the screen, files, and applications.

It's worth noting that 'Other Users' can also refer to system processes and applications that utilise storage space. To view the data usage of these 'Other Users', you can use utilities like OmniDiskSweeper or DaisyDisk.

Frequently asked questions

This could be due to a few reasons. Firstly, it could be caused by unexpected keyboard presses or mouse and trackpad clicks. If your Mac wakes up when you’re not present, something may be pressing the trackpad or mouse button, or keyboard keys. Secondly, apps that access a disk can keep your Mac from sleeping. For example, the Music app accesses your disk to read songs, and the DVD Player app accesses the optical disc drive to play movies. Finally, malfunctioning USB and Thunderbolt storage devices may keep your Mac from sleeping. Try disconnecting these devices and see if your Mac can go to sleep.

This issue could be caused by the type of cable you are using. Users have reported that HDMI cables work, but DisplayPort, USB-C, and Thunderbolt cables do not. Try using an HDMI cable to see if that solves the problem.

This issue could be due to the type of cable or monitor you are using. Try using a different cable or monitor to see if that solves the problem. Additionally, you can try restarting your Mac or unplugging and replugging the cable to see if that helps.

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