Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Studio Display with Mac mini. Please check if your display fans run constantly, even if both devices are in sleep mode - since macOS 15.4

macOScurious

macOScurious

macrumors member
Original poster
The goal of this thread is to bring attention to an unexpected behavior, also known as bug, introduced with macOS 15.4. This bug seems to be widespread, but unfortunately most of the users will NOT recognize it.

The bug got confirmed by other users and so far there is no solution, not even a clean install.
The only workaround is to shut down the Mac mini for the night or time you are not using it.
Users still on macOS 15.3.2 and earlier confirmed there is no such behavior.

After the macOS update 15.4 the Apple Studio Display fans in sleep (standby) will run constantly (with a very short exception at the beginning) and draw more than 11 watts instead of approximately 0,4 watts.

Important:
All this is about Apple Studio Display (ASD) connected to a Mac mini NOT to a MacBook.
Also this is NOT about any fan noise or strange clicking sound out of the ASD
ASD firmware is 17.0, to check this, press and hold the Option key, then choose Apple menu -> System Information -> Displays
Connection is trough the original Thunderbolt cable delivered with the ASD.
There are no other external devices connected to the ASD USB ports.
macOS 15.4 up to 15.5

My setup, an ASD and a Mac mini M4 was put into operation December 2024. Everything was running smoothly. Right from the start I was watching the ASD and Mac mini power draw and how the display fans behave during sleep mode. So what I figured out and from now on will name expected behavior is as follows:
If you put the Mac mini to sleep, the Display turns black and after a couple of seconds the ASD fans stop running. A couple of minutes, can be 5, can be 20, the Mac mini is doing some background tasks, what is fine. During that time the Mac mini is calling home the Display stays dark and the fans are running. As soon as the Mac mini is done with whatever he needed to do in the background, the Display fans stop running. There are probably 3-6 background tasks per hour, each one lasting some short minutes.

Right after the macOS update 15.4 I recognized a totally different behavior of the Display fans and power draw. What I now will name UNEXPECTED behavior:
After putting the Mac mini and Display to sleep the Display fans stop running until the first background task of the Mac mini will take place. So far expected.
But now, with macOS 15.4 the Display fans keep running constantly, no matter if the Mac mini has finished his periodically background tasks. In fact the ASD fans will now run all the time until you shut down the Mac mini or pull out the thunderbolt cable connected to the display.

The reason for not recognizing this bug is because the ASD fans usually are totally silent. There is a quick and easy way to check if your fans are running. Just use one layer, as thin as possible, of e.g. a Kleenex tissue (1 by 3 inch) and put it on top of the display where the airflow is. Use a coin or small pice of tape to hold it in place. Not necessarily, but if you have, you can also use a voltmeter to check the power draw.

So, if you are using an Apple Studio Display with a Mac mini, please do yourself and all other users a favor and check your display fans. Every feedback with information about your setup is very much appreciated. We need to get rid of this bug.

Thanks for reading and thinking about this issue.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Brian33, kattam, cateye and 2 others
I've got the same setup as you - M4 Mini and ASD - and I'm not noticing this behavior with the fans.

I've put a piece of of tissue paper on the top of the monitor weighted down with a nail clipper. I'll keep an eye out but the most remarkable thing about this setup is the complete lack of fan noise.

If I didn't know better and you told me the M4 mini and the ASD didn't have fans, I'd believe you.
 
steve217 said:
I've got the same setup as you - M4 Mini and ASD - and I'm not noticing this behavior with the fans.

I've put a piece of of tissue paper on the top of the monitor weighted down with a nail clipper. I'll keep an eye out but the most remarkable thing about this setup is the complete lack of fan noise.

If I didn't know better and you told me the M4 mini and the ASD didn't have fans, I'd believe you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply and information.

Just to clarify and to be sure your tissue is on the right place. The ASD airflow isn’t on the full length of the upper frame, even if the holes look like that.

Please make sure you place the loose end of the tissue approximately 15cm (just under 6 inch) from the left or right edge. That’s the spot air comes out.

Can you confirm the issue is at least “flying“ while Display is active?
What country are using the device? 110V or 220V (European) power supply devices?
 
  • Like
Reactions: qap
macOScurious said:
Thanks for your reply and information.

Just to clarify and to be sure your tissue is on the right place. The ASD airflow isn’t on the full length of the upper frame, even if the holes look like that.

Please make sure you place the loose end of the tissue approximately 15cm (just under 6 inch) from the left or right edge. That’s the spot air comes out.

Can you confirm the issue is at least “flying“ while Display is active?
What country are using the device? 110V or 220V (European) power supply devices?
Click to expand...
I moved the tissue with anchor to six inches from the edge of the display and yes, the tissue is showing that the fans are on even when the display is off and the Mac is asleep.

And I'm in the US (110v).
 
  • Like
Reactions: qap and macOScurious
steve217 said:
I moved the tissue with anchor to six inches from the edge of the display and yes, the tissue is showing that the fans are on even when the display is off and the Mac is asleep.

And I'm in the US (110v).
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to check again at the right spot, I honestly appreciate this.

Actually, even if this sounds strange, that’s good news. If your fans stay on all the time, not only for a couple of minutes while Mac doing background task, this would confirm the unexpected behavior.

So, these new (and older) M Macs are build to stay on 24/7 year round, probably except for a long weekend or vacation time. To give you and others the math, if the Mac is used 8 hours a day and 14 hours in sleep we all waist and pay energy like this:
11,3 Watts (unexpected behavior) compared to 0,3 Watts (expected behavior) is 11 Watts x 14 hours x 365 days = 56 kWh (kilowatt-hours) x all users with this bug.

Also this is totally unnecessarily wear and tear for the Studio Display fans.
Numbers above will double if the setup is used in a privat home where you are not busy with your Mac all day.

We would need to get more attention to this thread from more users to proof and confirm this unexpected behavior. This is not a missing emoji or minor glitch, this is serious. But, compared to a glitch or even a missing emoji, this is not so obvious.

Right now Apple Support does not confirm this as an official unexpected behavior because there are not so many people opening a case (ticket). IMHO the only reason for this is because it's not recognized by users. Also Apple support is getting mixed up with other and older strange behavior that has nothing to do with this new (since macOS 15.4) bug. It seems to be very important to separate this issue from already known other things about the ASD you will find online.

Thanks for your interest and please consider opening a case and / or talk to other users.
 
  • Like
Reactions: qap
I just purchased a setup of ASD and Mac Studio M1 Max the base version, running the lastest updates on both of them and have the same problem, vents on ASD are on all the time, only if I shut down the mac does the monitor go into deep sleep. I have also tried to unplug the cable out of the monitor and the vents were still on so I guess the mac sends a signal to the monitor to stay awake until further notice 🙂
 
  • Like
Reactions: macOScurious
Jmeccc said:
I just purchased a setup of ASD and Mac Studio M1 Max the base version, running the lastest updates on both of them and have the same problem, vents on ASD are on all the time, only if I shut down the mac does the monitor go into deep sleep. I have also tried to unplug the cable out of the monitor and the vents were still on so I guess the mac sends a signal to the monitor to stay awake until further notice 🙂
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply and testing.

Just for the records and clarifying, you are using the latest updates - that right now would be macOS 15.6 and ASD firmware 17,0. Right ???

The ASD fans should stop immediately if you unplug the thunderbolt cable. If not, that would be even worse and you should contact the seller right now and or at least open a ticket with apple.

Do you have other devices pluged into the ASD ? This also could force the fans running.

You just purchased … means ? In the last two days or so ? If you just did all the data transfer and updates, it would be normal that die mini is doing lots of background tasks and this could be the reason for the mini fans running. Wait a week until the system has settled and check again. ASD fans run during background task of the mini.

I still don’t know how we can get more attention to this bug.
 
macOScurious said:
Thanks for your reply and testing.

Just for the records and clarifying, you are using the latest updates - that right now would be macOS 15.6 and ASD firmware 17,0. Right ???

The ASD fans should stop immediately if you unplug the thunderbolt cable. If not, that would be even worse and you should contact the seller right now and or at least open a ticket with apple.

Do you have other devices pluged into the ASD ? This also could force the fans running.

You just purchased … means ? In the last two days or so ? If you just did all the data transfer and updates, it would be normal that die mini is doing lots of background tasks and this could be the reason for the mini fans running. Wait a week until the system has settled and check again. ASD fans run during background task of the mini.

I still don’t know how we can get more attention to this bug.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Yes macOS 15.6 and ASD 17.0. I purchased the items second hand and have been using them for like 3 weeks now, so no returns possible, all the sync was done in 1-2 days. I also have a macbook pro m1 pro (with latest macOS) and it behaved the same, after sleep, fans go off for a little bit and then start again at very low speed.
I do not have anything else plugged into the display.

I have a colleague with a Mac Studio M2 Max (with an older macOS) and ASD and it works perfectly, no fans running in sleep and it also seems to me that ASD is not as warm as mine, but that may be only my perception i didn't test them side by side.

At the moment i just shut down the mac studio after work with open windows at startup ticked to get around this unnecessary wear and tear of ASD.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macOScurious
Jmeccc said:
Hi,

Yes macOS 15.6 and ASD 17.0. I purchased the items second hand and have been using them for like 3 weeks now, so no returns possible, all the sync was done in 1-2 days. I also have a macbook pro m1 pro (with latest macOS) and it behaved the same, after sleep, fans go off for a little bit and then start again at very low speed.
I do not have anything else plugged into the display.

I have a colleague with a Mac Studio M2 Max (with an older macOS) and ASD and it works perfectly, no fans running in sleep and it also seems to me that ASD is not as warm as mine, but that may be only my perception i didn't test them side by side.

At the moment i just shut down the mac studio after work with open windows at startup ticked to get around this unnecessary wear and tear of ASD.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the details, this IMO again confirms the bug.
What macOS is your colleague using, an older 15.x or even 14 ?

May I ask you kindly to take the time and give Apple a call to open a ticket. The second level lady I dealt with, told me, that’s the only way to get attention to the developers, but there have been NOT enough people bringing this up.

Would be great if you keep us updated. Thanks.
 
macOScurious said:
Thanks for the details, this IMO again confirms the bug.
What macOS is your colleague using, an older 15.x or even 14 ?

May I ask you kindly to take the time and give Apple a call to open a ticket. The second level lady I dealt with, told me, that’s the only way to get attention to the developers, but there have been NOT enough people bringing this up.

Would be great if you keep us updated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
So my colleague is running macOS 13.5 and no issues. Yes I will try to make a ticket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macOScurious
jack_black said:
Same problem here.

I used the tissue paper test (about 6" from edge on either side.)

My Studio Display fan runs constantly in sleep. Only time it shuts off is when I unplug the Thunderbolt port cable.

My specs:
Apple Mac mini M4 Pro 2024 - Tahoe 26.3
Apple Studio Display - Version 17.0 (Build 21A329)

FYI: Bug is also mentioned over here... https://giuliomagnifico.blog/post/2025-04-21-apple-cinema-display-power-drain/
Click to expand...
Thanks for bringing this back to top.

Yes, I have been in contact with Giulio and he is the only user that I know who was able to send some diagnostic files to apple. But, as far as I know, he has NOT heard back anything from Apple support. IMO it’s a shame we can’t get amy help / update / bugfix to resolve this bug. There is an other huge tread in a German Forum with lots of users confirming this behaviour.

Nach update auf macOS 15.4 Studio Display Lüfter im Dauerbetrieb | Hardware | Forum | MacTechNews.de

Immer aktuelle Apple-News, Tipps, Tricks und Testberichte rund um Mac, iPhone, iPad und Co.
www.mactechnews.de www.mactechnews.de

Only hope right now is, if there will be an ASD 2026, this could bring some change to the OS to fix it for our device.

Please open a support ticket, we need more users to bring this to Apples attention. Thanks.
 
I had to update my test machine to 26.x from 15.x and noticed this right away - the fans run unless I shut everything off completely or unplug the display cable.

Whoever thought putting an iPad inside a screen would go smoothly … it’s been years and this display has been the most randomly problematic screen I have ever owned 😆
 
IMG_7672.JPG


Update: NO resolution

Issue: Both of my Apple Studio Display fans run 24/7 when connected to my sleeping Mac mini M4 (on all night long.)

Important: The fans are not audible. To see airflow, I have a thin piece of tissue paper attached at the vent about 5” from the edge. See uploaded image.

Resolution: The only solution I’ve found to stop the fans running is to unplug the thunderbolt cord, or to shut down the computer.

I’ve tried:
  • disabling “Ask Siri” and “Apple Intelligence”
  • unplugging all external peripherals
  • unplugging my Logitech G305 mouse
  • turning off bluetooth
Comments: In my opinion, constant fan operation when asleep is not intended – there is a bug in Apple’s software. I don’t see this as a serious issue – nominal energy use of say $10 USD per year plus added wear on display fans, which should last around 60,000 hrs. At night or when I'm away, I am curious what the best solution is... should I be unplugging the thunderbolt cord repeatedly, shutting down, or just letting those fans run all night long. I have reported this to Apple from their feedback page but it appears others have tried that too.

Suggestion: Try the tissue paper trick before you decide if your fans are actually running.

My specs:
Apple Mac mini M4 Pro 2024 - Tahoe 26.3
Apple Studio Display - Version 17.0 (Build 21A329)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: colodane, macaddiict, Brian33 and 1 other person
Mrbobb said:
Have anybody notice if the symptom persists even after a computer reboot?
Click to expand...

There is a whole bunch of users in an other forum testing all kind of things, including using the newest OS and / or beta OS.

In the early days of the different behaviour, some users even did a factory reset and tested without restoring their data. Also a new user or booting into safe mode. There is no change. If you find someone still using macOS 15.3.2 (and earlier) with a Mac mini and an ASD (2022) ask him to test and he will tell you there is no bug.

I shut down my Mac mini M4 for the night, so it is having a cold boot every day I want to use it. Fans run during the day if I put the Mac and ASD in sleep mode.
 
I can't even get tissue paper to move when the Display is on, let alone sleeping. Have tried several positions, including 6 inches from right.
 
benwiggy said:
I can't even get tissue paper to move when the Display is on, let alone sleeping. Have tried several positions, including 6 inches from right.
Click to expand...
Thanks for testing. It would be very strange if your fans are not running even in normal on mode. Do you have the 2022 ASD? If you pull apart the couple of layers of a Kleenex ( or similar) tissue it should work. Like kattam said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back