Mac won't wake from sleep: get the screen back

Steps

1. 01

   Wake it the way macOS expects

   • Press a key, or click the mouse or trackpad button — that is Apple's first step
   • Press the brightness-up key a few times: a display dimmed all the way down looks exactly like a Mac that won't wake

   Why?

   Holding the power button on a sleeping Mac can start a shutdown rather than wake it, which is why Apple leads with a key press.

2. 02

   Rule out a flat battery

   • Plug the power adapter into the Mac and into a power outlet
   • Unplug every device connected to the Mac except the power adapter
   • Hold Command and Control while you press the power button to restart
   • Let the battery charge to at least 10 percent before reconnecting anything

   ✓You should see: The battery icon in the menu bar shows it charging.

   Why?

   This is Apple's own sequence for a laptop that has run out of power — which looks identical to one that refuses to wake.

3. 03

   Check the display rather than the Mac

   • Listen for the fans or the drive and tap Caps Lock to see whether its light responds — if the Mac is alive, the fault is in the display path
   • On an external display, press its own input-source button and reseat the cable at both ends

   Also see: External monitor not detected on your Mac?

4. 04

   Set sleep so it stops happening

   Ventura or later

   • Laptop: Apple menu → System Settings → Battery → Options → turn on 'Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off'
   • Desktop: Apple menu → System Settings → Energy → turn on 'Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off'
   • Either: Apple menu → System Settings → Lock Screen sets 'Turn display off on battery when inactive' and 'Turn display off on power adapter when inactive'

   Monterey or earlier

   • Monterey and earlier, laptop:Apple menu›System Preferences›Battery— 'Turn display off after' sits on both the Battery and Power Adapter tabs, and 'Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off' is on the Power Adapter tab
   • Monterey and earlier, desktop:Apple menu›System Preferences›Energy Saver— 'Turn display off after' and 'Prevent your Mac from sleeping automatically when the display is off'

   Why?

   These separate the display going dark from the whole Mac going to sleep, which is the state it struggles to come back from.

5. 05

   If it keeps happening, test it in safe mode

   • Apple silicon:Apple menu›Shut Down, then hold the power button until 'Loading startup options' appears, select your volume, hold Shift and click 'Continue in Safe Mode'
   • Intel: restart and immediately hold Shift until the login window appears
   • Let it sleep and wake a few times there — if it behaves in safe mode, something loading at startup is the cause

   Also see: Stop apps from launching at login