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Mac mini won't sleep on command or sometimes will sleep randomly

L

LarrySunshine

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 17, 2021
20
2
I am getting super frustrated with this. Activity monitor says these tasks (attached img) won't let my Mac sleep. Yet, sometimes it will fall asleep after finishing watching a movie. I tried removing usb hubs and external sound card - nothing. It just seems so stupid, why can't it sleep on command. Also, when it falls asleep by miracle, it wakes up randomly. Can someone please help me with this?

Tasks that prevent from sleeping:
Screenshot 2022-08-24 at 17.53.20.png
 
Have you tried double-clicking those processes and clicking "Quit" - and then try putting the Mini to sleep?
 
usagora said:
Have you tried double-clicking those processes and clicking "Quit" - and then try putting the Mini to sleep?
Click to expand...
I tried with Bluetoothd, it quits and then it's right back there.

1. I am not going to kill all the processess like that, there has to be other way.
2. Pretty sure WindowServer is a crucial process.
 
LarrySunshine said:
I tried with Bluetoothd, it quits and then it's right back there.

1. I am not going to kill all the processess like that, there has to be other way.
2. Pretty sure WindowServer is a crucial process.
Click to expand...

The reason I was asking is to see if those processes are truly what's keeping the Mac from sleeping or if there's something else going on. I wasn't suggesting that this should be what you do every time you want to put your Mac to sleep, lol!

FWIW, on my Mac Mini running macOS 12.5.1, I have no WindowServer process running. In fact, I have none of those 3 processes running, so I'm assuming they're either part of an older version of macOS (which version are you running, btw?) or part of third party software that you've installed.
 
usagora said:
The reason I was asking is to see if those processes are truly what's keeping the Mac from sleeping or if there's something else going on. I wasn't suggesting that this should be what you do every time you want to put your Mac to sleep, lol!

FWIW, on my Mac Mini running macOS 12.5.1, I have no WindowServer process running. In fact, I have none of those 3 processes running, so I'm assuming they're either part of an older version of macOS (which version are you running, btw?) or part of third party software that you've installed.
Click to expand...
I use the latest OS version.

"WindowServer is a collection of services tasked with window management. It is also defined as a compositing engine responsible for reflecting application behavior on the Mac's screen"
 
And you stated that in your original post. duh. Never noticed that column in Activity Monitor before.

Does pmset -g assertions give you any additional suggestions?

Assertion status system-wide:
BackgroundTask 0
ApplePushServiceTask 0
UserIsActive 1
PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep 0
PreventSystemSleep 0
ExternalMedia 1
PreventUserIdleSystemSleep 1
NetworkClientActive 1
Listed by owning process:
...
 
HDFan said:
And you stated that in your original post. duh. Never noticed that column in Activity Monitor before.

Does pmset -g assertions give you any additional suggestions?

Assertion status system-wide:
BackgroundTask 0
ApplePushServiceTask 0
UserIsActive 1
PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep 0
PreventSystemSleep 0
ExternalMedia 1
PreventUserIdleSystemSleep 1
NetworkClientActive 1
Listed by owning process:
...
Click to expand...
IDK what any of this means, but this is what I get if I type pmset -g in terminal:

System-wide power settings:


Currently in use:

disksleep 10
powernap 1
womp 0
networkoversleep 0
sleep 30 (sleep prevented by powerd, sharingd)
Sleep On Power Button 1
ttyskeepawake 1
tcpkeepalive 1
autorestart 0
standby 0
displaysleep 15
 
OP:

The difference in power consumed by the Mini when "running, but idle", vis-a-vis when "sleeping", is so minimal as to be not worth bothering with.

I suggest that you create a hot corner on the display (using Energy Saver) to put the DISPLAY (not the Mini) to sleep, instead.

Or... just reach forward and switch off the display if you're not going to be using it a while.

Just let the Mini sit there, awake but "idling".
Again, the additional power consumption in this state will be... negligible.
 
Last edited:
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Fishrrman said:
OP:

The difference in power consumed by the Mini when "running, but idle", vis-a-vis when "sleeping", is so minimal as to be not worth bothering with.

I suggest that you create a hot corner on the display (using Energy Saver) to put the DISPLAY (not the Mini) to sleep, instead.

Or... just reach forward and switch off the display if you're not going to be using it a while.

Just let the Mini sit there, awake but "idling".
Again, the additional power consumption in this state will be... negligible.
Click to expand...
I don't like it. I should be able to put my computer to sleep whenever I need to. Maybe somebody knows some terminal commands I should try or something?
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:

The difference in power consumed by the Mini when "running, but idle", vis-a-vis when "sleeping", is so minimal as to be not worth bothering with.

I suggest that you create a hot corner on the display (using Energy Saver) to put the DISPLAY (not the Mini) to sleep, instead.

Or... just reach forward and switch off the display if you're not going to be using it a while.

Just let the Mini sit there, awake but "idling".
Again, the additional power consumption in this state will be... negligible.
Click to expand...

Or just use the keyboard shortcut control + shift + eject (or I believe the Touch ID key if you don't have an eject key). Agreed on the rest too - haven't put a desktop to sleep in many years - just the display (and have it set to require password when I turn the display back on, so it's still secure).
 
LarrySunshine said:
I don't like it. I should be able to put my computer to sleep whenever I need to. Maybe somebody knows some terminal commands I should try or something?
Click to expand...

What model Mac mini do you have? If it's an Intel Mac, it's possible that resetting the SMC (System Management Controller) will help you.

Check this page for instructions (it's very simple to do):

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

The SMC is responsible for managing power on your Mac. Resetting it can resolve certain uncommon issues related to power or thermal management.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Soba said:
What model Mac mini do you have? If it's an Intel Mac, it's possible that resetting the SMC (System Management Controller) will help you.

Check this page for instructions (it's very simple to do):

Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

The SMC is responsible for managing power on your Mac. Resetting it can resolve certain uncommon issues related to power or thermal management.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
M1
 
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