M1 Mac mini not waking display after sleep

[shellzj]

I just wanted to add that I too am having the same wake monitor from sleep issue with an M1 Mac mini:

• 8gb/512gb
• 11.1 Big Sur
• Samsung S34E790C 3440x1440 at 60hz
• USB C to DisplayPort cable which works flawlessly with my 2016 MBP

The Mini wakes just fine, but the monitor doesn't detect the signal. Unplugging the cable from the back of the Mini and plugging it back in seems to correct the issue (unplugging from the monitor or restarting the monitor does NOT fix the issue).

I do not have Time Machine set up. I have a Logitech mouse and keyboard connected to bluetooth--but the issue is not waking the Mini (lights up and unlocks with my watch just fine), the issue is no signal coming from the USB C port.

The monitor does have a built in, powered USB hub, which I only use to charge devices (always plugged in bluetooth speaker, lightning cable, and another micro USB cable).

Update - I switched to a simple HDMI 2.0 cable and signal seems stable on wake up. Downside of course is being limited to 50hz.

 

[tdar]

I'm running the MacOS 11.2 beta, the latest version. It has seemed to solve this problem for me.

 

[iJon]

I'm running the MacOS 11.2 beta, the latest version. It has seemed to solve this problem for me.

Came in to say that I saw that on the 11.2 notes, really happy to hear it fixed it for you. What was your cable setup? I was having issues with DP>USBC but still hopeful this fix works regardless if someone uses HDMI>DVI. If not I'll be very bummed out.

 

[dredlew]

Has no one had any progress with Apple? I’m sure at least one person here had spoken to them. What’s odd is why this isn’t getting more press, like the Bluetooth issues and now screensaver issues with M1 macs.

My guess is that there are only a few dozen or at most a few hundred users that have issues, which seems like it could be hardware related. Considering that they are shipping hundreds of thousands, if not millions of these machines, a fraction of a percent with issues is not worth looking into. It's cheaper for them to just replace a faulty machine.

 

[dredlew]

I'm running the MacOS 11.2 beta, the latest version. It has seemed to solve this problem for me.

I sure hope that is the case, since a few have reported replacing the machine that solved the issue. Maybe it is indeed an underlying hardware problem but they may have possibly be able to patch for it in software. Fingers crossed...

 

[dredlew]

Adding my report here as well; using a M1 Mac Mini with a BenQ 2K SWC270C, initially connected via HDMI and didn't have any issues at first. Only in the recent weeks the issue has appeared and has gotten progressively worse. To the point where I also experienced random reboots after several tries of getting the display to come on. Also tried switching to TB USB-C connection but to no avail. The Mini itself wakes fine, as I can hear my Apple Watch unlocking it when I press a key. The display however doesn't detect a signal.

So far, what I have found consistently working for me is by first hooking up my bluetooth keyboard with a physical USB connection and then pressing any key. This wakes it successfully and the display comes right on. However, just with bluetooth alone or input from the Wacom tablet (which is also connected via USB), no dice.

 

[ClemsonDV]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before. I thought my issue was my cables but ever since i performed this step, I have no issues with Mac Mini waking up and recognizing my monitor. I’m set at 60 Hz at the moment but am going to run tests at 120 and 144 hz.


When you have two monitors but only one wakes up from sleep:



System Preferences / Mission Control / De-Select “Displays have separate Spaces” / Log Out / Log In

 

[meisterjaan]

Same problem here. What's interesting (and sad) is that during the first few days it seemed to work fine, then came a 5-10 sec delay with the display waking up but after some clicks with the mouse (not sure if it was the clicks or just time) it woke up. But now it seems the problem have progressed so that I have to disconnect and reconnect hdmi to make it work. If the 11.2 update doesn't fix it, I'm sending it back.

 

[kevmaster83]

I too have been experiencing a similar problem since getting my M1 Mini back in December, and 11.1 has not fixed it. My particular set involves on Monitor connected directly to the M1 via HDMI, and another connected to my CalDigit TB3 hub, again over HDMI. My issue is NOT that my monitors don't wake; they do, though often with a 10-15 second delay. My main problem is that, once in a while (every couple days), the system crashes shortly after logging in. This only occurs when I leave the Mini unattended for a while, at which point I presume it goes into Sleep mode.

The particular sequence of events is invariably:

1. Step away from Computer for > 15 mins
2. Come back, hit mouse and/or keyboard to wake
3. System takes 10-15 seconds to wake
4. Everything seems fine for a few seconds, then system freezes for about 10 seconds before the screen flashes green then pink, then reboots
5. After reboot, log in, and all windows open at the time of the crash are restored

As you can imagine, this is very annoying. Seems likely a software issue, but I haven't been able to exactly trace the underlying cause. Anyone have any tips?

100% exactly the same Problem on M1 Macbook Pro. Did you find a solution?

 

[NotARobot000]

This problem has been happening in some form since I got my Mac Mini in 2018. There have occasionally been workarounds, but nothing has permanently fixed it.
My configuration:

Mac Mini 2018
Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7
HDMI-HDMI cable to a TCL TV model 49S515 . (great, huge 4K monitor)
Wired Apple USB keyboard and USB-wireless mouse (not Bluetooth)

In the current version of the problem, the system won't wake from sleep, usually after a few hours. I don't think my problem is anything to do with the monitor, because I have an Apple Watch, and if the system wakes from sleep, it buzzes my wrist when unlocking the Mac, whether the monitor is on and working or not. This never happens. I have also noted that when the Mac Mini is in this state, it will still answer a network ping. A Wake-on-LAN network message doesn't wake it.

 

[1240766]

I have the same behavior on my Macs M1. For me is a non issue as I configure my Mini to never sleep so it is always connected to my Citrix desktop at work.

 

[meisterjaan]

Hmm.. okay, I discovered that in my case the display not waking up problem was caused by another computer (pc) connected to another input of the same display. (I have used these computers in parallel, switching display's input source when I need to use the other computer). When the PC is turned off, the display wakes up - though it still takes 3-4 seconds. Worth noting is that my PC and Mac use different color formats - Mac recognizes the Dell monitor only as YCbCr but PC uses RGB. Maybe the different color formats might have been my problem.

Assuming most of the people with this problem are not using 2 computers, I'm thinking the problem probably has a lot to do with the display used and Mac not recognizing something about the display. Have anyone had this problem when using Apple's own (external) display?

 

[jmac91505]

I was experiencing issues the external monitor on my M1 air in clamshell mode not being detected after wake from sleep, typically after leaving it overnight. Over the past couple of days, I have had good luck so far by using pmset to disable standby mode when the adapter is plugged in. Could just be coincidental, but something worth trying if you are experiencing similar issues.

 

[ClassicBud]

My M1 (8gb/256) Mac mini doesn't seem to want to wake my displays after its been sleeping. I have tried with 2 different displays with 2 different HDMI cables with the same thing occurring on each one. I am currently only using one at a time. I also noticed some pink squares/graphics glitches on the Big Sur boot/log in screen (with the coloured background, not the black and white boot up)

I am going to leave it with the display set to never sleep for now to see if anything is different after leaving it for a while.

Any one else having similar issues? I don't have a USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort to try currently.

My M1 Mini is a disaster. This is the worst experience I have had with a Mac and I've had one since my 1990 Mac Classic. I've had to hard boot to get it to recognize the LG monitor and all of my bluetooth Mac peripherals are subject to disconnection at any time. I have to keep the bluetooth keyboard plugged in or it is invisible to the Mac. My GoPro Hero 9 is not supported and the list goes on. Any idea when there will be a fix? I'm on a first name basis with support staff and I'm way behind on my work.

 

[ClassicBud]

I think Apple has some hdmi issues with the new Mac mini and Big Sur. I have been unable to connect my older monitors via the hdmi connection at all. The computer properly identifies the monitor and resolution but won’t display video to it. I have had two calls with apple tech support to gather data on the issue.

I have a very simple setup here--one M1 Mini and one LG 27 inch UL850--But the only way that they can communicate is HDMI. The other cables are useless since the monitor is not recognized at all. Even the HDMI will fail to wake with the keyboard--even with the magic keyboard plugged into the Mac. This is more than a bluetooth issue. Anybody have any success or is this a replacement issue? Thanks

 

[marchi84]

Same issue with MacBook Pro M1 and INTERNAL display, if I keep the clamshell open for extended periods, eventually the monitor and touch bar won't wake, however, everything else is responsive, I can even hear notifications coming in.

Doesn't seem like this is hardware related.

 

[mannyvel]

The new Big Sur seems to have fixed the problem with the 2nd monitor not waking up after the Mac wakes up. In my case the 2nd monitor was connected via a CalDigit TB3->Display Port.

 

[bdsmith63]

100% exactly the same Problem on M1 Macbook Pro. Did you find a solution?

I have similar issues — running the M1 with LG 32UL950 USB-C to USB-C. Another forum user suggested changing the DisplayPort setting on the monitor from 1.4 to 1.2. I did this and NO issues, however, I lost having the HDR option within the M1 Display Settings. I was hoping 11.2 would fix this issue, a first attempt after running the update does not appear to solve the wake/sleep issues.

I need to determine if this is a hardware issue between the M1 and LG, or if it’s software related? — I’m not getting the maximum features from my monitor — and it wasn’t a cheap monitor!

 

[ClassicBud]

Just downloaded the new Big Sur 11.2 and my issues are still here with the monitor and also with my magic keyboard. I unplugged it and it disappeared. So, I'm done for the day. But, tomorrow I will need to figure out what's still wrong. And, those LG monitors are not cheap--ha

 

[trevoz]

Apple replaced my M1 Mac mini - still the same issue with waking the monitor (USB-C to VGA) on five different monitors acquired over the last decade (one brand new). An HDMI connection solves the issue with my Philips 2K 272B.

As for my 2018 Mac minis - ssh'ing in from another machine seems to reliably wake the monitor (which makes me think it is the Mini not waking up and therefore the monitor not waking up). YMMV.

 

[ClassicBud]

Apple replaced my M1 Mac mini - still the same issue with waking the monitor (USB-C to VGA) on five different monitors acquired over the last decade (one brand new). An HDMI connection solves the issue with my Philips 2K 272B.

As for my 2018 Mac minis - ssh'ing in from another machine seems to reliably wake the monitor (which makes me think it is the Mini not waking up and therefore the monitor not waking up). YMMV.

Thanks. I will have to call Apple and go though the process again. It was hours of separate calls until we figured it was the OS. Now that I am where I started--the Magic keyboard only works if it is plugged into the Mini and the monitor will not wake sometimes and it only works with the HDMI--even though the monitor has a C connection and came with a cable... Arrrgggg

 

[bdsmith63]

I have mentioned my USB-C to USB-C connection on the M1 to my LG 32UL950 will only function properly with the monitor setting on DisplayPort 1.2 instead of 1.4. When I do attempt to use the 1.4 setting I would get sleep/wake issues — basically would never open M1 to login or desktop. I have noticed that if I repeatedly hit the enter key, etc., I start to hear beeping — if I unplug the connection and reconnect it displays showing that the M1 was responding but the display and M1 don’t seem to connect the signal (as today’s attempt showed it had logged me into the guest account when I was hitting on various keys).

I am picking up a USB-C to DisplayPort cable today and hope to see if this resolves the issues and I can take advantage of the HDR features that my monitor supports, obviously 11.2 didn’t solve the issue. I only had until 01/28 to return the monitor, but made a decision to hold out and hope that 11.2 would have solved the problem — I do love this monitor — just want to take advantage of all it can do and feel like I got my money’s worth!

 

[k-hawinkler]

I am now using 2 cables from M1 Mac mini to an LG monitor, namely TB and HDMI.
The system now wakes up from sleep, but monitor settings are still confused after waking up.
No big deal, on the LG monitor switching from HDMI to TB to HDMI gets it back on track.

 

[bdsmith63]

I am now using 2 cables from M1 Mac mini to an LG monitor, namely TB and HDMI.
The system now wakes up from sleep, but monitor settings are still confused after waking up.
No big deal, on the LG monitor switching from HDMI to TB to HDMI gets it back on track.

Well that’s an interesting concept? My LG monitor has a setting for Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, HDMI — of course I’ve had it set on Thunderbolt — so is that what you have yours set on, and with the HDMI connected also it just detects both signals between the monitor and the M1 which at least wakes from sleep?

 

[k-hawinkler]

Well that’s an interesting concept? My LG monitor has a setting for Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, HDMI — of course I’ve had it set on Thunderbolt — so is that what you have yours set on, and with the HDMI connected also it just detects both signals between the monitor and the M1 which at least wakes from sleep?

Yup, same here, 4 settings HDMI 1, HDMI 2, DP, and TB.
Of course I initially hooked up just Thunderbolt.
However, I have 2 OWC TB Docks connected to the 2 M1 Mac mini Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports.
That way I have a total of 6 TB3 ports available as each Dock has 4 TB ports.
So the TB cable from the LG monitor goes to an OWC TB port.
I noticed quite a delay for the LG monitor to power on when powering on the M1 Mac mini.
Sometimes the delay was too long, so the LG monitor was already off when the mini send its signal.
Also, it never woke up from sleep.

So, as the LG monitor/display came with a beautiful HDMI cable I decided to hook it up additionally.
Then I set the LG monitor to use the HDMI signal as the display input.
LG monitor now reacts much faster and also wakes up from sleep every time so far.
Of course one still needs the TB cable to connect/power the 2 USB-A ports in the back of the LG monitor.
I use one of the LG monitor USB ports to power an LED light.

Having both TB and HDMI cable connected makes it easy to select one or the other to drive the display.
But I am using now the HDMI signal to drive the display as I know that wakes it up.

I still have more testing to do to explore all the possibilities and behaviors of my current setup using both TB and an HDMI cable.

So far so good, the initial wake up refusal seems solved under Big Sur 11.1 and 11.2.
Fingers crossed!


PS: In hindsight the M1 Mac mini always woke up from sleep, it just didn’t wake up the LG display With only the Thunderbolt cable attached. As I have both types of cables I may as well put them to good use.