Mac won't sleep or wakes up by itself? 8 things to check

Step-by-step guide

Follow these steps in order. After each step, check if it works.

1. 1

   Check the display-off times

   Open System Settings and click Lock Screen.

   Set Turn display off on battery when inactive and Turn display off on power adapter when inactive to a few minutes.

   On our MacBook Neo they were set to For 2 minutes and For 10 minutes.

   Done
   
2. 2

   MacBook: open the Battery page

   In System Settings, click Battery in the sidebar.

   The page is titled Battery, with Fully Charged below it on our MacBook Neo. Click Options… at the bottom right.

   Done
   
3. 3

   Switch off Prevent automatic sleeping

   A sheet opens with Slightly dim the display on battery at the top.

   Switch off Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off. On our MacBook Neo this switch was on.

   Done
   
4. 4

   Set Wake for network access to Never

   In the same sheet, click the menu next to Wake for network access and choose Never.

   The menu offers Always, Only on Power Adapter and Never; ours was set to Only on Power Adapter. Then click Done.

   Done
   
5. 5

   Switch off sharing you do not need

   In System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then Sharing. You can also type Sharing into the Search field at the top of the sidebar.

   Services such as File Sharing and Printer Sharing let other computers use your Mac. Switch off the ones you do not use.

   On our MacBook Neo the page listed 10 switches under Content & Media, Accessories & Internet and Advanced, and all were off.

   Done
   
6. 6

   Look for a busy app

   Open Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder in Applications, click CPU, then click the % CPU column to sort by it.

   An app at the top with a high percentage keeps the Mac working; quit it. On our idle MacBook Neo, CPU LOAD showed Idle at 93,60 %.

   Done
   
7. 7

   Look for an app preventing sleep

   In Activity Monitor, click Energy and look at the Preventing Sleep column (its heading is cut off as Preventing Sl… in our picture).

   Apple says this column shows whether an app is preventing the Mac from going to sleep. On our MacBook Neo every listed process showed No.

   Done
   
8. 8

   Sort by Preventing Sleep

   Click the Preventing Sleep column heading to sort by it, so any process showing Yes moves to the top.

   On our MacBook Neo, with caffeinate running, the heading read Preventing… and caffeinate, powerd and WindowServer showed Yes. Quit the app you do not need keeping the Mac awake.

   Done
   
9. 9

   Let Spotlight finish

   After an update or after connecting a new drive, Spotlight builds its search index.

   Apple notes this can take several hours, and the Mac does not sleep during that time. Wait for it to finish, then try again.

   Done
10. 10

    Unplug external devices

    Apple says a USB or Thunderbolt drive or other device can stop the Mac from sleeping or wake it up. Unplug them and see whether the Mac now sleeps.

    To see what is connected, open System Information from the Utilities folder and click USB or Thunderbolt/USB4. On our MacBook Neo, USB listed only USB 3.1 Bus (Connection Type: Built-in).

    Done
    
11. 11

    Check for accidental touches

    Apple lists a key press, a moving mouse or a touch on the trackpad as things that wake the Mac. Keep a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard still or switched off.

    To see which wireless devices are connected, open System Settings > Bluetooth and look under My Devices. On our MacBook Neo, Bluetooth was on and My Devices showed No Bluetooth Devices.

    Done
    

If you do not see this option

• Wake for network access is not on the Battery page It sits in the sheet that opens when you click Options… at the bottom right of the Battery page.
• There is no Battery in the sidebar Apple says on a desktop Mac the Wake for network access setting is under System Settings, Energy. Sources: If your Mac sleeps or wakes unexpectedly, View energy usage in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Sharing is not in the sidebar Click General in the sidebar, then Sharing. You can also type Sharing into the Search field at the top of the sidebar.

If this does not work

• Activity Monitor shows only a few processes The window subtitle should read All Processes, as on our MacBook Neo, so that background processes are listed too.
• The Mac stays awake after an update or a new drive Apple says Spotlight indexing can take several hours and the Mac does not sleep until it is done. Wait and try again.
• The CPU list does not show what keeps the Mac awake Click Energy in Activity Monitor and sort by the Preventing Sleep column. Apple says it shows whether an app is preventing the Mac from going to sleep; on our MacBook Neo, with caffeinate running, caffeinate showed Yes.

Good to know

If the Mac still misbehaves, update macOS and restart.

To find out whether software that starts with the Mac is the cause, try how to start a Mac in safe mode.

For the opposite wish, a Mac that stays awake on purpose, see how to stop a Mac from going to sleep.

macOS 27 compared with macOS 26: We rewrote this guide on macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo): it now has 11 steps instead of 8. The macOS 26 page keeps the steps and screenshots as they were.

Version history: the macOS 26 version of this guide, with its own screenshots.

About this guide

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)

App

System Settings

Real screenshots

10 of 11 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

2 official, linked below

What to do next

Sort out sleep and charging on a Mac Step 2 of 4

1. MacBook not charging? 4 fixes to tryNot charging? Work through these in order.
2. How to lock the screen on a MacLock it every time you step away.
3. How to stop a Mac from going to sleepKeep it awake for a download or a talk.

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