Kernel Panic every time I close computer

It might be a hardware issue, but consider the possibility that something installed on the Mac is conflicting with the latest version of the MacOS that is being upgraded to, but worked ok with earlier versions. There are ways to test this, including booting into Safe Mode. A drastic step, maybe not for everyone, but a step I have successfully taken in a case similar to yours, is to make two backups that you have checked are sound. Then erase and reinstall the MacOS, create one generic administrator user (call it "admin") and upgrade to the desired version of the MacOS, but install nothing. You now have a generic, vanilla Mac, much like a brand new unit from the factory. If the problem is present, it is likely to be broken or faulty hardware. If the problem is gone, then migrate users and account and files, but nothing else (no software, no settings), retest for proper behavior, then reinstall software bit by bit, testing after each install to ensure the problem has not returned.

Solved (for me).

I have an LG UltraFine 5K connected to my crashing MacBook Pro (15", 2017) via the LG-provided cable. Kernel panics on sleep transition for about 9 months. Exact message varied by MacOS version but it was always fingering com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily.

Suspected a cable issue for a while and ended up buying the excellent 70 cm Anker Thunderbolt 4 cable. No panics in over 2 weeks and as an added bonus, the MacBook is back to waking up *immediately*.

I confess that this seems like strange advice to me when there are a number of users all reporting the same issue immediately following an update? I mean, I guess it can't hurt to be safe, but doesn't it seem more likely there's been a bug introduced in 11.6.4?

I'd been putting off upgrading to Monterey, but currently that seems like the most promising path forward for me.

Kernel Panics are predominately caused by hardware faults and third-party kernel extensions. There are a few other causes, including some problem in Apple's kexts, but that is rare. If it is hardware, no update will fix it, including upgrading to Monterey. If it is Apple's kext, you have a better chance of making them aware of it through a Genius Bar than sending them reports.

If you think it is the update, use the softwareupdate command in Terminal to download the full installer for the OS version you were using before the update and install that. Create a bootable USB installer and use that to erase your 11.6.4 OS and install the old one.

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 11.6.3

There are full installers for 11.5.2, and 11.6.1, .2, .3, and .4.

There is nothing in that panic that indicates anything that will magically repair itself regardless of how many panic logs you have sent to Apple. Take it to an Apple Store Genius Bar or Authorized Repair Center to have it evaluated as it may be a hardware problem.

It seems to be the way things go nowadays; the easiest way to fix a bug in last year's MacOS, is to upgrade to this years MacOS; for me, upgrading from Big Sur 11.6.4 to 12.2.1 Monterey solved it. But don't follow the advice Apple Support gave me to install all App updates in safe mode if you have Xcode on 11.6.x; it will crash your Mac in a different way than the kernel panic when sleeping.

It's sad, but you have to download about 32GB and wait about 8 hours in total to stop making your Mac crash when it sleeps. But now I can airplay from my phone to my Mac. I still have to think of a reason why that is useful, but I can :-)

And it can even sleep 😴

Did it happen before it like since 12/29/2021 with v11.6.2? My client's 13" Intel 2020 MBP did that when waking up from its sleep (doesn't need to close its lid). It either froze, rebooted, etc.). In macOS v11.6.4, it just doesn't wake up and requires to hold down the power button. :( I had to disable its system sleep to avoid this! I hope v11.6.5 fixes it.

Apple just released Big Sur 11.6.5 and now all the problems I had before seem to be gone on my 2020 Intel MacBook Air. If you haven't updated it's definitely worth a try. Hopefully it will solve all of our problems.

Maybe they actually listened to us? ; )

And Big Sur 11.6.5 didn't help for you? It certainly did for me. No problem at all so far, no matter which applications I have started. According to an article in Tidbits the update ”address multiple AppleScript- and kernel-privilege-related issues”.

https://tidbits.com/watchlist/macos-big-sur-11-654-and-security-update-2022-003-catalina/

Well, no reason to dig deeper into that, as 11.6.5 – suggested even before your first post – most likely will solve your problem. The error message looks very familiar to me, and I haven't seen it after updating.

Thanks for the clarification.

I am nearly two days in post-Monterey upgrade and my MacBook is still completely stable, when it normally would have panicked multiple times (and I’ve been intentionally sleeping it frequently to try to trigger the panic behaviour).

I’m going to go ahead and call this a software issue.

I think the best advice for now is that anyone who can upgrade to Monterey should do that. (And otherwise consider a rollback.)

Apple support told me a few minutes ago to update to Monterey and that there will be no 11.6.5 version.

Now one day without crashes, so indeed, Big Sur 11.6.5 seems to have solved the problem for me too on a 2020 Intel Macbook Air.

I'd go ahead and make a backup - upgrade to Monterey, check if persists - if yes then erase from internet recovery and reinstall

If that does not help - that is a hardware issue which most probably only apple support will be able to help with

Out of interest, why would a hardware issue that didn't previously manifest suddenly do so (for multiple users, with the same suspect bundle) following an OS upgrade? Genuinely trying to understand, as this isn't intuitive to me at all.

There have been many hardware issues that aren't triggered until a new OS or update affects the hardware in some new way. Most often it has been faulty GPUs, but could be anything. Many people could be affected because Apple buys components in bulk that may all have the same hidden flaw. It can be a problem with Apple's kexts, too, but problems like that are usually fixed within a few days with a new release of the update.

Safe mode disables most non-Apple things but if the system is damaged enough, sometimes even safe mode has problems. Before sending it in for repairs, I would do those backups (you'll need those anyway if you send your Mac in) and try the clean reinstall from scratch that I described earlier. It once resolved an odd problem I had on an older MacBook Air some years ago. In fact that clean install will tell you immediately if the panic upon sleep is due to hardware or something else. If it occurs even with a plain vanilla configuration, it is hardware.