The MacBook happens to be a popular laptop on the market, and it is renowned for its reliability and performance.
However, like all electronics, it isn’t immune to technical glitches. One such issue that owners of MacBooks may encounter is their laptop failing to go into sleep mode.
In order to help you understand why this might be happening and how you can fix it, here are seven possible reasons why your MacBook won’t sleep:
1. You Have Automatic Graphics Switching Enabled
If you have an Intel-based Mac with integrated graphics, chances are that the Automatic Graphics Switching is enabled.
This feature allows the system to switch between the integrated GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a dedicated GPU depending on the load and power requirements.
The problem is that when in high performance mode, your MacBook will not enter sleep mode if there is a lot of activity taking place on the laptop. To disable the feature, open System Preferences > Energy Saver > Uncheck’ Automatic Graphics Switching’.
2. Too Many Applications Are Open
If you have too many applications running at once, then chances are that they will be consuming a large number of resources which will prevent your system from entering sleep mode correctly, as doing so would require more than what is available at any given time.
To fix this issue, try disabling certain apps or getting rid of any background tasks that might be running continuously so that the computer can enter sleep mode without any problems occurring afterward.
As an alternative, you can also delete other volumes in Container Mac has, as well as other junk files that are no longer necessary, including some apps.
3. An External Device Was Connected
External peripherals such as USB hubs, thumb drives or other peripherals can prevent your MacBook from going to sleep if they are still connected after the computer has gone idle for a while.
To resolve this issue, simply disconnect any external device that was connected prior to using your laptop again so that your device can sleep properly once more.
4. Low Battery Charge Left
If the MacBook doesn’t have enough charge left in its battery, it will likely struggle to sleep as doing so would cause it to completely run out of power which could lead to data loss or even damage to the device itself due to excessive heat build-up from lack of airflow through the fans.
To make sure that your device goes into sleep mode, confirm that the MacBook’s battery has enough remaining life.
5. Location Services Are Enabled
Location services use up a lot of energy so if these services were enabled the odds are that they are the ones preventing the laptop from entering sleep mode. That is because the mode might require more energy than the computer has to offer due to location services being active in the background.
To disable location services, simply head over to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Turn Off ‘Location Services’ option located under the ‘Privacy’ tab.
6. The Power Button Is Set To Sleep Instead Of Shutdown
macOS allows users to configure how their power button behaves when pressed by giving them three options; Sleep, Shut Down or Do Nothing respectively.
This means that if you accidentally set yours to Sleep instead of Shut Down, it is to be expected that pressing it would result in nothing happening since pressing this button while already sleeping wouldn’t do anything else except turning off whatever monitor was connected.
As such, thus preventing your laptop from actually going into true deep sleep mode since this requires both hardware and software interaction with each other.
To no longer experience this issue simply head over Settings > Energy Saver > Select “Shut Down” option located next to the “Power Button Type:” drop down menu instead of Sleep option.
7. A Scheduled App Nap Is Still Running
Apple introduced App Nap back in 2013, which allows macOS systems running Yosemite or later versions (Mojave included) to temporarily suspend apps when they aren’t actively used in order to improve overall battery life usage efficiency.
The issue with App Nap, however, is that certain applications may take longer than expected before they fully go into a dormant state, resulting in preventing other processes from taking place, including putting Macbook into a deep sleep state itself.
To resolve the problem, simply check if App Nap is scheduled by going Settings > Energy Saver > Uncheck’ Enable App Naps’ option located under ‘App Naps’ tab, which you can find at the bottom right corner section.
