You are viewing the macOS 26 version of this guide, recorded on macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro) on 4 October 2026. It is kept as it was and not updated. See the macOS 27 version.
howtosimply.com/guides/mac-won-t-sleep-or-wakes-up-by-itself-8-things-to-check/ · Checked 4 October 2026 · MacBook Pro · macOS Tahoe 26
In this guide
Open System Settings, click Lock Screen and set the two Turn display off times. On a MacBook, open Battery, click Options and set Wake for network access to Never. Then switch off sharing services you do not need and look in Activity Monitor for an app that keeps the Mac busy.
5 of 8 steps with real screenshots · 2 official sources below
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro)
- App
- System Settings
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 8 steps
- Checked
- 4 October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
Step by step
Tap the picture to see it full size Check the sleep 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. If either is set to Never, the Mac never sleeps by itself.
Tap the picture to see it full size MacBook: check the Battery options
Click Battery in the sidebar, then Options. Switch off Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.
Tap the picture to see it full size Turn off Wake for network access
In the same Options window, set Wake for network access to Never. On a desktop Mac the switch is under System Settings, Energy. With this on, other devices on the network can wake the Mac.
Tap the picture to see it full size Switch off sharing you do not need
Open System Settings, General, Sharing. Services such as File Sharing and Printer Sharing let other computers use your Mac, and that keeps it awake. Switch off the ones you do not use.
Tap the picture to see it full size Look for a busy app
Open Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder in Applications and click CPU. An app at the top of the list with a high percentage keeps the Mac working. Quit it. Music and video apps also prevent sleep while they play.
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.
Unplug external devices
A faulty USB or Thunderbolt drive or other device can stop the Mac from sleeping or wake it up. Unplug the devices and see whether the Mac now sleeps.
Check for accidental touches
A key press, a mouse that moves or a touch on the trackpad wakes the Mac. A Bluetooth mouse in a bag or a pet on the desk is enough.
What we saw on our device
- Check the display-off times: On our MacBook Neo they were set to For 2 minutes and For 10 minutes.
- MacBook: check the Battery options: On our MacBook Neo this switch was on.
- Switch off sharing you do not need: On our MacBook Neo every switch on this page was off.
- Look for a busy app: On our idle MacBook Neo, CPU LOAD showed Idle at 93,60 %.
About this guide
A Mac stays awake when something is using it: an app, a connected device or another computer on the network. It wakes up for the same reasons. The list below follows Apple's own order.
Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The pictures are our own screenshots from macOS Tahoe 26 on a MacBook Pro.
Good to know
If the Mac still misbehaves, update macOS and restart. A restart also resets the power controller on a Mac with Apple silicon.
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.
In short: System Settings > Lock Screen > Battery > Options… > Wake for network access > General > Sharing > Activity Monitor > CPU
Links checked in October 2026. Menus and features can change after software updates. These steps match the version named at the top.
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