When I go away on vacation, generally two weeks, I power down (shut down) my Mac. Is this the right thing to do? Am I risking any damage by doing it?
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Powering down
- Thread starter mrsmith1
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Yes. Powering down an iMac will cause it to break instantly. As soon as you do you'll see a poof of blue smoke and that'll be it. That's why when they're produced they are plugged into a battery and powered up the second assembly is complete, and they come delivered to your house already up and running. That power button on the back is really just a decoy. That's also why they come with two power supplies, so you can plug in your new Mac at your home or office without having to power it down.
Kidding aside, why would powering down a computer be harmful?
Kidding aside, why would powering down a computer be harmful?
This is a fake post. How do I know? The OP lives in Nottingham England according to his profile. Brits don’t take vacations, they take holidays. 
That's typically the only time I power mine down, assuming I'm going to be gone more than five days. Otherwise, I leave it be.
I think you would have to have visible moisture before that became a threat. And then, even a sleeping Mac would be at risk because the M1 machines sit at room temperature.
Visible moisture is a real thing in my attic room here in Baltimore and my experiences in the UK (no air conditioning is common there).
If room temperature is 41F/9C would a running M1 Mac be at that temperature?
"When I go away on vacation, generally two weeks, I power down (shut down) my Mac. Is this the right thing to do? Am I risking any damage by doing it?"
I power down my Macs every night, and have been doing so for 34 years.
When you go on vacation, you should do MORE THAN just "power down".
It would probably be a good idea to pull the power plug out of the wall, as well.
I power down my Macs every night, and have been doing so for 34 years.
When you go on vacation, you should do MORE THAN just "power down".
It would probably be a good idea to pull the power plug out of the wall, as well.
I concur.
Leaving your computer on all the time wastes electricity, increases the chances of a harmful power surge, and increases its vulnerability to attacks if connected to an external network.
There is a difference between powering down a computer and just pulling the cord from the wall. While it may be harmless in most cases... it's not always harmless. It depends on what is running at the time when it happens.
If your computer can't handle being shut down, it isn't a very well made computer.
Me too. Although I don't pull the power court out of the wall, and I do have a reasonably good quality surge protector that my equipment is plugged in to (Tripp Lite).
Shutting down your Mac?! You guys are living on the edge, I am afraid even when it goes to sleep!
No, never power down a computer. Who am I kidding, never power down an electrical device. It's downright dangerous to do so. If you have any electrical device at home, you should plug them all and turn them on. Even hair dryers, toasters, etc. All of them. It's also good on the economy, because electricity companies bill you higher each month, which results in you paying more taxes to the government, so that they can give you better services in return.
Pro tip : You should also disable screensavers and Sleep Mode, and use power hungry apps 24/7 such as Folding@Home, just to, you know, make sure it's always able to run on full load.
I was being inclusive to our America friends ?This is a fake post. How do I know? The OP lives in Nottingham England according to his profile. Brits don’t take vacations, they take holidays.
Thanks for all your replies. Especially the silly ones.
It is absurd to say that when you go on vacation, you should pull the power plug from the wall. It's not enough. When you go on vacation, you should repackage the Mac in its original packaging and seal it with an airtight shrink wrap. I have been doing this for 68 years and guarantee that it works.
You've been lucky! I know several folks that had issues doing that. After they also sent it back to Apple for safe keeping while they were gone the problems went away.
This is a solid plan. I only take this extra step when I have time to drop it off at Apple corporate myself. If you're going to trust your Mac to UPS or FedEx then you might as well leave it on your desk and plugged into the wall when you go on vacation.
When my family and I leave the house for a long time, we take out everything from the fridge and give them away, then shutdown the main Circuit breaker of the whole house.
This is a good practice to prevent house fire.
This is a good practice to prevent house fire.