If you’re discovering that your Mac is waking up randomly from sleep without any interaction, it’s not a ghost, it’s probably some setting that needs to be changed. Here’s how to fix it.
When you put your Mac to sleep, it basically shuts down but stays on standby. Therefore, the processor, storage drivers, etc. memory is still on, so when you wake it from sleep mode, it instantly returns to where you left off.
Sleep mode is ideal for when you don’t want to shut down your Mac completely, but want to save power when you’re not using it.
However, sleep mode is pretty pointless if your Mac randomly wakes up from sleep from time to time. Sometimes he may wake up randomly one evening, or the problem may be more severe when he wakes up every time you try to fall asleep.
It can be pretty frustrating to say the least when your Mac randomly wakes up from sleep, but it’s an issue with some easy fixes. It’s also a problem that can be a little scary, making you think there’s a ghost or some paranormal activity in your house.
In any case, here’s how to fix your Mac waking up randomly from sleep mode.
USB Devices
A big culprit for most sleep mode problems on Mac is the USB devices you plug in like mouse, keyboard. etc., so it might be a good idea to see if any of your USB devices are causing the problem.
To find out if a mouse or keyboard is causing the problem, temporarily turn your Mac’s auto-sleep mode to . From there, move the slider next to it all the way to the right.
Next, unplug all your USB devices and wait for your Mac to automatically go to sleep. If it’s not waking up from sleep mode like in your issue, then one of your USB devices is causing the issue. Do all this again, but only re-plug one USB device until you find which device is causing the problem.
So why would a USB device be the culprit? A key on your keyboard may be malfunctioning and sending that information to your Mac so it can never actually go to sleep. The same can happen for the mouse where one of the buttons is stuck and held down continuously, preventing your Mac from sleeping.
Network Activity
If your Mac is connected to the internet, it may be waking up randomly from sleep because there was internet activity or other network activity that woke it up.
This is especially true if your Mac is connected to a network drive or server in your home. When the network driver is active, it can send a command to your Mac to wake it up. This can also apply to iTunes sharing, Printer sharing and File sharing.
To prevent this from happening, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver and uncheck the box next to it. This will prevent any outside internet or network activity from randomly waking your Mac.
reset the SMC
The two solutions above cause random wakeups 99% of the time, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reset the SMC if all else fails.
Sleep mode on your Mac is controlled by your Mac’s System Management Controller, or power manager, called SMC. It stores options for when the system sleeps, among other features on your computer. It is possible that the information in the SMC is corrupted, causing random wakeups.
To fix this, start by putting your Mac to sleep and wake it after it goes to sleep. Then restart your Mac. Wait for it to open completely and then close it completely.
On a MacBook, plug in the charger for power, and then simultaneously press the Shift, Control, Option keys and Power button on the left side of the keyboard. Hold for a second or two and then release all keys and buttons at the same time. Next, turn on your Mac.
On a powered Mac, all you have to do is turn off the machine, unplug the power cord, wait fifteen seconds, plug the cable back in, wait five seconds, then turn on your Mac.
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