Having the MacBook not sleeping can be quite the issue for a lot of users. You always want it to go to sleep and resume work when you come back. But if the Mac is set up to go to sleep when you close the lid and it doesn’t, you might end up having malware or various hardware issues. If that’s the case, you want to address the situation right away and solve it before it becomes very problematic. Thankfully, there are a few methods you can use to get around such an issue.
What causes the “MacBook not sleeping” issue?
These problems can be caused by a large variety of things. For example, there can be background apps or even malware that uses system resources even after you closed the lid. Either that, or the external peripherals might keep the device active.
Of course, there can be other problems, like hardware issues or system errors. In other cases, the sleep mode settings are not adequate and you need to ensure they are handled correctly. Once you know why there’s the “MacBook not sleeping” issue, at least you can narrow down a potential solution to help you fix the problem as quickly as you can.
Ensure that the Sleep settings are configured properly
A good rule of thumb here is to go to the Lock Screen settings in the System Settings. Here you want to select the time preference for when to turn the display off on battery or power adapter when inactive. The settings might be ok, or they might be modified, so adjust them to what you feel is proper.
Check network access
Sometimes, the reason why you have this MacBook error is because the device has network access and someone is using it remotely. If you want to stop that, go to Battery/Options in the System settings and select the pop up to Wake for the network access, and there you choose Never. You will be required a password in order to make any changes, so add that, and then the settings will be applied.
Assess the Activity Monitor
The Activity Monitor is a great indicator of when and if something consumes lots of resources. A lot of the time, that might be caused by malware, or it might very well be anything else. Addressing those issues is excellent and it will help provide a much better result in the end. You can stop those apps from running and you can narrow down any of the issues caused by those. The faster you address those problems, the better it will be, so ensure that you are handling those things with as much care and focus as you can.
Disconnect external devices
Sometimes, external devices might keep the Mac running. A good way to avoid any issues related to this is to just eject those external devices. It can be a bit of a struggle to try and eject multiple external devices, but it’s a good idea to give it a shot. That will help deliver a much better result, and you will be quite impressed with the results you can obtain from this!
Check to see if there are system updates
Updating your software and system is always a priority. Sometimes there can be malware that will be able to enter the system because it’s still vulnerable. But if you update your device often, it’s much harder for malware to do that. Plus, updates will give you access to new features and fix bugs, something that will always provide a much better experience and result in the end.
Reset the NVRAM
It might be a trickier solution, but this can actively work. What you want to do is to turn on your Mac, and as you do that, hold Option+Command+P+R. You can release the keys after a few seconds. It’s a great way for you to reset the NVRAM, and you usually see results right away. Even if you have Apple Silicon devices, you can still turn off the Mac and let it stay for 30 seconds and then you turn it back on. That is also said to provide a NVRAM reset.
We encourage you to start using these tips and apply them as quickly as possible. Doing so will ensure that you can stop the “MacBook not sleeping” issue. These problems happen sometimes, and there are tons of different causes. Thankfully, these fixes should usually be more than enough, and they will give you all the info you need to prevent any problems. Rest assured that there are always challenges when it comes to keeping your MacBook running in the best shape. Sometimes errors can arise, and these fixes will usually help solve most problems you encounter!