M1 MacBook Pro crashes after sleeping for a while
This is a popular issue reported with M1s—both laptop and desktop. I have now spent a total of about four hours on support calls with Apple. I have been through dozens of forums and hundreds of threads, and here is what I learned:
There is a difference between logging out/shutting down and crashing. I thought my M1 MacMini and MacBook Pro were crashing because the only open apps I had were Firefox and Chrome browsers. It turns out they were logging out and shutting down.
If you're unsure about what's happening when your Mac goes to sleep, leave an app open (not a browser window) before you leave your computer for the night. I found that if I left an app open with unsaved changes, I could prevent the Mac from crashing. That's when I saw these:
This was the clue I needed.
The good news is, if your Mac is logging out and shutting down, there is an easy fix.
- Go to Preferences > Security & Privacy
- Click the Unlock icon, if it shows as locked
- Click the Advanced button in the lower-right corner
- Untick the checkbox for log out or change the time duration before logging out
No one I spoke with at Apple asked about this setting. They had me reinstall updates and reboot to completely replace iOS. They even had me book an appointment with an Apple store. I hope this saves you a small part of the frustration I endured.
MacBook Pro (2020 and later)
