M1 Mac Mini, Displays wont turn on after wake from sleep

Just got my Mac mini M1... and I am also experiencing this issue. :(

Unfortunately, Disabling Sleep DOES NOT work.

No, the problem persist 😡.

The problem is still there on my 2018 model Mac mini.

The issue is the same, I think, as the original on this thread. One monitor hooked up USB-C to DisplayPort and one by the HDMI port on the M1 mini. Works fine at first but then eventually the HDMI monitor will not wake back up. I had already set it to not sleep when the monitors turn off. When it happens, it displays what should be on the monitor that is on for a few seconds and then switches to what should be on the HDMI monitor for a few seconds over and over. Unplugging the HDMI cable and reconnecting it fixes the issue until it does it again. If it is the same problem, I was just pointing out that preventing the computer from sleeping does not fix it - you have to prevent to monitors from turning off.

That doesn't work. If you disable sleep, you have to turn off the monitors manually, and when you turn them back on, the configuration and arrangement are wrong. No matter what you do, you always have to change the configuration to get the images to work properly. This is probably a software problem, maybe drivers, but it is something we can't solve without Apple's help. Support told some guys that Apple is working on it, but so far no news.

That shouldn’t be necessary if you have the monitors switch off by timer (see trevoz’s post below). If it is, it’s to do with your dongles and your monitors, with the oversized Samsung most likely suspect. I doubt you’ll get a fix from Apple, good luck anyways.

This is the Mac mini forum - posting about other Macs is not very helpful.

In any event, there were very similar. if not identical. issues with the 2018 Mac minis (plenty of threads in here) which I also experienced. For me, the M1 Mac mini resolved my monitor not waking issues (Apple USB-C to multiport adapter for my VGA monitor) once set to turn off the display after x minutes and prevent the computer from sleeping while display is off. No combination currently works for my two Intel 2018 Mac minis other than not letting the monitor sleep and also not letting the computer sleep.

Previous Mac minis all the way back to 2006 did not have these issues (I have at least one of each except the 2014 model).

When my M1 mini first arrived, I had it connected HDMI to HDMI on a Alienware AW2518H 1080p gaming monitor. With that configuration, whether I let the whole system sleep, or just the monitor sleep, it would not return to life without using the monitor power button to turn it off and back on again.

Once my LG 27UN850-W monitor arrived, still using HDMI to HDMI (using their in-the-box cable), it works perfectly. The system goes to sleep and will then wake up with the press of a key on the keyboard. My prior HDMI cable was a quality 8k cable, so I doubt that had any bearing on the problem. For me at least, the issue seems to have been the monitor as opposed to the Mac mini.

Same family then. I am using the LG 27UN850-W. My Alienware monitor would not wake up but my new LG does. The only other variable is that when I changed out monitors, I used the HDMI cable that came with the LG monitor. Previous to that I was using a high quality 8k HDMI cable, so would not expect that to be a contributor, but you never know. I'm just happy as is good now and my Bluetooth Logitech keyboard and mouse are consistent, so far, with no connection issues. Knock on wood, with the monitor situation resolved, I am not experiencing any of the issues that others are reporting.

Same problem, while I wake up my mac which connects an external monitor by clicking Bluetooth mouse, my USB keyboard has no power. Just to note that I just switch from an Intel-based Mac, it not a problem for the previous model.

I have a similar issue, but not exactly the same.

So far, the new M1 mini seems to 'forget' it's screen configuration and try to figure out what's happening from scratch every time it 'wakes'.

The M1 does not seem to sleep in the same way as the Intel macs - that's probably related to the issues I've been seeing.

I read through this thread, and I admit - it's frustrating to see the 'apologists' pile on and defend Apple out of the gate. Clearly, they have made some substantial changes here to this new model and it's most certainly affecting the user experience. Let's not get into 'hey - you're just holding it wrong' mode. There's a lot of complexity in monitor configuration that works, and that does not work well with this model.

My setup is I like to share the desk with 2 other machines - so I have a HDMI switcher and a power bar that senses power draw from one monitor, and when that first monitor powers up, the other one gets power from the system. It's complicated, but it typically works pretty well. What I've been finding is sometimes the Mac can manage to wake the monitor, and sometimes it can't. I happen to have another device in sleep mode on my desk, and when I toggle that, the mac finds the second monitor, and eventually then finds the first.

I also am using a lenovo thunderbolt 3 dock for one of the HDMI monitors. It's generally working really well - but the odd time this dock does need to be unplugged and plugged back in when switching things around a lot.

The reality is - this is a desktop - and users will expect it to run a myriad of configurations well and without issue.

Also - I have been running into the flickering issue after a 'sleep' cycle. Only cure for that so far is a restart.

I'm still experimenting with the sleep settings and I will re-post any work arounds for monitors and I encourage others to do the same. Thanks for sharing!

I was using a usb-c to display port adapter. What resolved my issue was just using the HDMI out port on the MacMini. Not my first choice, but pretty much my option at this point. I also had a usb-c to HDMI usb-a hub and could not connect through HDMI on that, which I preferred for the additional cable length I got to the monitor. I can definitely say this M1 performance wise has been amazing (over intel) other than the notorious wake from sleep issue Apple has yet to resolve after so many years.

I'm having this exact same problem. Every time i wake up the Mac, I have to go into monitors and rearrange the monitors. I've even tried to just swap which port the monitors are connected to to avoid this, but it didn't work. The monitors down always come on, sometimes they come on in the wrong positions, sometimes it comes on as mirrored. I've tried messing with resolutions, but no help. This is on an M1 Mac mini that I have had for two days. One monitor connected to HDMI, and another to USB-C with an adapter to HDMI. Both monitors are the exact same, Samsung 22 inch monitors. The monitors also blink when trying to wake up, and my desktop pictures keep flashing while this is going on, until I can get both monitors working again. This is incredibly frustrating, especially since this is a brand new computer, with one brand new monitor, and the other monitor only months old.