4 Ways to Fix Mac Display Not Working After Waking From Sleep

Paurush dabbles around iOS and Mac while his close encounters are with Android and Windows. Before becoming a writer, he produced videos for brands like Mr. Phone and Digit. On weekends, he is a full-time cinephile trying to reduce his never-ending watchlist, often making it longer.

Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Reset SMC

SMC, or System Management Controller, is a chip available for Intel-based Macs or iMacs that controls and stores critical details of different hardware functions. Since we are talking about screen brightness, try to reset the SMC of your Mac or iMac to see if it solves the problem.

Note: SMC reset is not applicable for Mac models running on M-series chips. Restarting these Macs itself acts like the process of SMC reset.

Step 1:Press and hold thePower Buttonuntil your Mac shuts down.

Step 2:After your Mac shuts down, wait for a few seconds and pressShift + Left Option + Left Controlkey. Press and hold thePower Buttontoo.

Step 3:Keep pressing the four keys foranother 7 seconds. If your Mac turns on, it will play the default start-up chime again while you hold down the keys.

When you see the Apple logo, the display will turn on normally. But if it doesn’t boot after the Apple logo, check the next solution.

Fix 2: Reset NVRAM

Another solution for Intel-based Macs is performing an NVRAM reset. NVRAM, or Non-Volatile Random Access Memory, holds information like sound volume, startup disk selection, time zone, and more. If you can’t get the display to turn on after sleep on your Mac, try to reset the NVRAM. Do note that after the NVRAM reset, you must adjust these settings again on your Mac.

Step 1:Long-press thePower Buttonon your Mac.

Step 2:After your Mac shuts down, press thePower buttonagain to boot your Mac.

Step 3:While your Mac is turning on, pressOption + Command + P + Rfor 20 seconds.

Step 4: Release all four keyswhen the Apple logo appears for the second time. This means that the NVRAM reset is complete. After that, your Mac will restart.

Step 5:Check if the display is turning back on or not.

Note:The NVRAM reset is only applicable for Intel-based Macs. Restarting a Mac running on an M1, M2, M1 Pro, or M1 Max chip is equivalent to performing an NVRAM reset.

Fix 3: Detect Displays Automatically

For external displays, try replugging it with your MacBook and manually detect it again.

OpenSettings>Displays> press theOptionkey > click onDetect Displays.

Fix 4: Disable Sleep Mode Temporarily

If yourexternal displayis working after connecting to the Mac, try disabling this feature for some time and see if the problem issolved.

Step 1:OpenSettings>Battery>Options.

Step 2:Disable the toggle forPrevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.

Tip:Learn how toadjust the resolution for the second display on Mac.

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Last updated on 28 August, 2024

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