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MacBook Pro display won't wake from sleep, Touchbar asks "extend desktop" or "mirror display"

I'm having an intermittently occurring issue where I open my MacBook Pro 15" (2016) up, and the display does not wake properly. Instead, the TouchBar has an option that says "Extend Desktop" or "Mirror Display", but nothing happens when I push either option. This occurs when the laptop is not connected to an external display, and where I have not selected any sort of Airplay display option. The only way I've found to get the display to come on again is to force shut down and restart, which is of course very inconvenient. Any advice on how to fix or prevent this issue would be much appreciated.

MacBook Pro 15", 10.14

Posted on Mar 22, 2019 12:14 PM

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Posted on Mar 22, 2019 12:29 PM

If your Mac doesn't sleep or wake when expected.


Possible Fix for Wake-Sleep Problem


You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.


  1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
  2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals.
  3. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  6. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list.  Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
  7. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.


If your wake problem ceases in Safe Mode then read the article about what safe mode disables and look there for a possible culprit. If the wake problem ceases in the new user account then the problem is located in your Home folder or your third-party applications that are running. Test with only one application. Then add one at a time and test the wake-sleep issue.

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1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Mar 22, 2019 12:29 PM in response to n8c

If your Mac doesn't sleep or wake when expected.


Possible Fix for Wake-Sleep Problem


You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.


  1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
  2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals.
  3. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  6. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list.  Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
  7. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.


If your wake problem ceases in Safe Mode then read the article about what safe mode disables and look there for a possible culprit. If the wake problem ceases in the new user account then the problem is located in your Home folder or your third-party applications that are running. Test with only one application. Then add one at a time and test the wake-sleep issue.

MacBook Pro display won't wake from sleep, Touchbar asks "extend desktop" or "mirror display"

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