M1 Mac mini display issue

Problem solved after 11.3 update.

Before the Thunderbolt screen connection wouldn't work (black screen on startup or after sleep). Now it works just fine.

Now I can choose between Thunderbolt or HDMI: both work fine now.

The same happened to my M1 Mini. I updated to 11.3 and after rebooting I only got a black screen. Nothing was showing anymore, not even the Apple logo at booting or the recovery mode.

The same monitor I have been using ever since I bought the Mini back in December, connected to the HDMI port.

I was only able to resolve the problem by connecting a different monitor. Once I got picture on that one I could connect my normal default monitor again without issues.

So weird, luckily I had a spare monitor laying around.

Snow picture still appear on M1 Mac mini with Big Sur 11.3.

I don't see pink squares now. Earlier they appeared after every restart/reboot of Mac mini.

I finally solved the problem with black screen after updating to Big Sur 11.3. It simply does NOT wake up on clicking external USB mouse / or keyboard. I unplugged USB cable and connected again. Now I could wake up M1 Mac mini.

More problems. When I tried to replace a monitor, Mac mini didn't recognize a new monitor with HDMI connection. I tried a half of hour to get it work. Then suddenly it started to work again.

So it's really TERRIBLE! Too many bugs and problems. I regret about buying M1 Mac mini.

I can confirm having invested a few dollars into a new high quality HDMI cable is that it is smart to check this before blaming things on the M1 Mac mini itself. For now, things are stable and there is no way that I'm going back. M1 is fast and Microsoft has done a good job to port Office apps to M1. Devonthink also is M1 native. I'm super happy.

These pink squares really doesn’t bother me at all. It appears sometimes on the login screen.

It doesn’t effect the performance of the Mac.

I’m using the Mac mini’s HDMI port for my main display and for 2nd monitor I’m using my thunderbolt 3 docking station’s display port without any issue.

I had problem with waking up the 2nd monitor at the but after first update the problem has gone. And after the last update the pink squares didn’t appear yet. Finger cross!!

Hi,

I don't restart the Mac. I just unplug and plug the HDMI cable back in. It is fine then as long as I am using the Mac. The only time I get the snow is when it wakes up from sleep (about 50% of the time) and occasionally when it starts up (about 10% of the time). The plugging and unplugging, to date, has always worked.

Have you ever thought about reading previous posts and updating your Mac to the latest os?

it solves “pink squares” issues.

This thread should be closed now, since the latest os update resolved this issue 👍

The latest update on the device and I have not seen a pink square since. However, twice now the device will not wake (or wake monitor) after sleeping. I read in the myriad of comments here that perhaps I should try disconnecting my monitor and then reconnecting (or turning off and on) after such an event. I'll try, but there is still something wrong with the software/firmware (???). How sad that Mac is so slow to respond.

I have never seen the pink squares to date. But my HDMI monitor has snow (like the analog TV when a station wasn't broadcasting) almost everyday. I finally turned my Mac Mini around, so the ports are facing me. That way, I can quickly plug and unplug the HDMI cable to fix it. BTW the monitor plugged into the USB-C port NEVER has an issue.

I used the HDMI monitor (as well as the USB-C one) on other Mac computers (primarily Macbooks) and on Windows computers never with any issues. It is just since I am using it with the Mac Mini that I have to unplug and replug it in each day to get it to work. Clearly, this is a Mac display issue. (I have updated to the most current OS.)

Folks,

Big Sur 11.3.1 on a Mac Mini M1 purchased in 2020. I'm on HDMI.

The Cable is a new one and was purchased paying attention to its quality.

The monitor is a 32 inch LG. The display is in 4K HDR.

All is finally well. No pink squares. No screen resize upon wake. No white noise. Bravo Apple!!!

I am disconnecting from the notifications in this forum.

F.

Had my mac mini m1 main logic board replaced and the display issues are still there. Together with the apple certified technician/engineer at the AASP shop, we were able to replicate the issue even after the MLB was replaced. We used my own display/screen (I brought it to their shop), and two of their displays (different brands and models, one VGA display connected via Apple original multi-AV adapter, one 32-in FHD display connected via HDMI).

I called Apple Support right away, and got the same robotic promises from the senior advisor that they are looking into this, etc. etc. I have already spent roughly 20% of the cost of the M1 16GB I paid for in travel expenses, time spent following up with them, etc. just to have this resolved. This is so unacceptable!

The unit has been with the AASP for 1.5 months now; AASP asked for a replacement MLB from Apple; MLB was replaced; voila! the issues ARE STILL persistent. The Apple-certified engineer told me he does not know what's causing the problem or what the real issue is since the MLB was replaced already, and that the MLB is the only replaceable/serviceable part. There's nothing the AASP could do.

[Edited by Moderator]

dude, the problem is with the M1 mini. selling knowingly defective items are illegal and deceptive. there is not even a warning or a disclosure concerning the alleged defect. check this one:

https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/01/defective-macs-stage-light/

For about three weeks I was having repeated freezing of my Mac Mini M1 (2TB SSD). I had been running it for some months with no problems but out of the blue it froze, a pink screen flashed briefly and then the screen went dark; I had to reboot it via the power button at the back. Big Sur diagnostics most of the times reported a GPU-related problem. Searching the Internet I found a fair number of apparently sound posts telling that it was a Mini M1 HDMI-port related problem. I tried to run the LG 4K display from the Thunderbolt/USB-C port (instead of the HDMI port) using an adapter but the problem continued. Then I bought a plain USB-C to Display Port 4K @ 60Hz cable (UPGROW) and the problem disappeared for good. Apparently using the Thunderbolt/USB-C port and a plain fair priced USB-C to Display Port cable is just what the Mac Mini M1 / Big Sur wants. For the record.

for now it works for you. wait for the next OS update if it stays the same or wait a few days or a couple of weeks. also, I believe, it just masks the underlying hardware-related problem. product description of mac mini M1 plainly says it supports display up to 4k (via HDMI 2.0), etc. There is no disclaimer/disclosure about potential issues/problems with displays, cables, etc. They will force you to buy their "apple-certified" multi-AV adapters, but the problem still persists.