Have you ever left your Mac for a short while and noticed that it shuts down on its own when you return? Or does your Mac shut down while you’re downloading or playing music for a long time? If your Mac shuts down when it goes to sleep, you’re going to have a lot of work left unfinished. And when this problem becomes chronic, it can be quite frustrating.
In this guide:
· You will learn the reasons why your Mac shuts down while in sleep mode.
· You'll discover how to prevent it from shutting down by customizing sleep mode.
· You will be able to completely eliminate the problem with terminal commands and third-party solutions.
Why Does My Mac Shut Down When In Sleep Mode?
If your Mac shuts down after going to sleep, it could be a bug or a power-saving setting. Here are some possible reasons:
1️- ) Battery or Power Supply Problems
There are many reasons why your MacBook might shut down while sleeping. If your Mac's battery is low or there's a hardware problem with the battery, the device might shut down when it goes to sleep. If your MacBook shuts down while charging, there's a strong possibility that there's a problem with the adapter or wall outlet.
Solution:
· Check the battery status by going to System Settings > Battery tab.
· Try changing your charging adapter and see if the issue persists.
· Put your Mac to sleep by plugging it into the charger and see if it shuts down.
2️ -) Check out the Sleep Mode Settings!
When your Mac goes to sleep, it can sometimes appear to shut down completely, but it actually just turns off the display and some components go into a low-power mode.
In particular, the following situations may occur:
- The screen turns off, but the Mac continues to work.
- External or internal storage drives may stop working when disks are put into sleep mode.
- When the network connection is lost, operations such as file downloads or remote access are interrupted.
- If the system disables certain components in power saving mode, the Mac will appear to be completely shut down.
How can you understand this situation?
- If you notice that when you turn on your Mac after it has entered sleep mode, some applications or processes have stopped, the system may actually be shutting down while it is in sleep mode.
- If you get an error message like "Mac shut down unexpectedly" when your Mac starts up, it really did shut down.
To prevent this type of shutdown, you can prevent your Mac from shutting down while in sleep mode by changing some options in the "System Preferences > Display & Battery > Sleep Settings" tab.
3️- ) Check for Updates on macOS
If your MacBook is shutting down after going to sleep mode, it may be due to a system error. In this case, you will need to review some settings for your MacBook.
· Install the latest version of macOS by going to System Settings > General > Software Update.
· Uninstall apps that are not updated or are constantly running in the background.
· Restart your Mac and check if the issue persists.
4️- ) Reset PRAM and SMC Settings
PRAM and SMC (System Management Controller) settings control your Mac's power management. If these settings are corrupted, your Mac will shut down in sleep mode.
Solution:
Reset PRAM (For Intel Macs)
· Shut down your Mac and hold down these keys as you turn it back on:
· Command ( ⌘ ) + Option ( ⌥ ) + P + R
· Release the keys when the Apple logo appears a second time.
SMC Reset (For Battery Management!)
· Shut down your MacBook.
· Press and hold Shift + Control + Option + Power button simultaneously for 10 seconds.
· Turn on your Mac and check if the problem is resolved.
Prevent Shutdown in Sleep Mode Using Terminal
If you want to completely prevent your Mac from shutting down when it goes to sleep, you can do so using a command in Terminal.
· Open Terminal (you can open it by typing "Terminal" in Spotlight).
· Enter the following command and press Enter:
caffeinate -d
This command prevents your Mac from going to sleep entirely, but this setting is reset when you restart your Mac.
If you want to stay active all the time:
You can use the following command in Terminal:
sudo pmset -a sleep 0
This command will make sure your Mac never goes to sleep. If you want to get it back, enter the following command:
sudo pmset -a sleep 1
Control Sleep Mode with Third-Party Apps
There are also useful third-party apps available to prevent your Mac from sleeping altogether!
Amphetamine (Mac App Store)
Features:
Prevents your Mac from going to sleep for a specified period of time.
Ideal for file downloads and long transactions.
Click to download Amphetamine – Mac App Store .
Owl
Features:
· It allows your Mac to remain on for a specified period of time.
· It can be easily activated/deactivated from the menu bar.
Download Link: Owly for Mac
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Sleeping on Mac
· Why does my Mac shut down when it goes to sleep?
Your Mac might sleep due to low battery, software bugs, or incorrect power management settings. Check your battery health and review sleep settings.
· Can I prevent my Mac from sleeping with Terminal commands?
Yes! You can prevent your Mac from sleeping altogether by using the commands "caffeinate -d" or "sudo pmset -a sleep 0" in Terminal.
· My MacBook shuts down when the lid is closed, how can I prevent it?
Enable "Never Sleep with Power On" by going to System Settings > Display & Battery > Sleep Settings.
· What are the best practices to prevent MacBook from shutting down in sleep mode?
Amphetamine and Owly prevent shutdown issues by keeping your Mac from going to sleep for a set amount of time.
Conclusion
To prevent your Mac from shutting down in sleep mode, you should first check the sleep and battery settings in System Settings. If the problem persists, you can fix power management errors by resetting the PRAM and SMC. For a more permanent solution, you can control sleep mode with Terminal commands or applications like Amphetamine.
Also read: MacBook Screen Dimming Time Adjustment: How to Change MacBook Sleep Time
