Studio Display Will Not Wake From Sleep

Love the Studio Display. Unfortunately, it will not wake up once it goes to sleep.

Video showing the issue:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/695566328?h=a311f9d8f1

Problem persists under different conditions:

Am currently using the Mac Studio, but have also tried it with M1 MacBook Pro (13",2020) as well as a 2013 Mac Pro (using a thunderbolt adapter). The issue remains, regardless of the setup.
I have tried not putting my Mac into sleep at all, and instead just locking the screen. But eventually the display turns off, and when I need to use my computer, it doesn't turn on again.
Have tried different thunderbolt cables, both Apple-branded and non-Apple-branded
Have tried using the Studio Display in a single-display set up, as well as in a dual-display set up
Have tried on macOS Monterey 12.3.1 (latest update)

Current Workarounds (if you can call them that; it's a significant interruption to workflow to do this each time I need to resume working at the computer)

Restarting the computer entirely
Unplugging and re-plugging in the thunderbolt cable
(if using a 2nd monitor), logging in, manually setting the machine to sleep, and then waking it up again: 50% of the time, when re-waking the Studio Display may come on the second time if lucky.

I'm not alone in experiencing this issue. There appear to be other threads related to this issue, albeit with slightly different set ups described. The difference is that I've tested this problem with several different Mac setups (MacBook, Mac Pro, Mac Studio) and confirm it appears to be a larger issue.

Current System Specifications:

Clean MacOS Install: When I set up my Mac Studio, I set it up as a clean install - so there are no randomly corrupted preference files that could have been brought over via data migration.
MacOS Version: 12.3.1 (build 21E258) --> note: the issue existed on 12.3 (i.e. not a new issue introduced by the .1 update)
Mac Studio (M1 Max/24-core GPU/ 64GB/ 1TB) --> note: also tested with 2020 MBP + 2013 MP
Monitors: Studio Display + Dell U2720Q --> note: also tested as a single-display setup without the Dell monitor.
Connection: Thunderbolt. Have tried with several different cables, including the Apple cable that came with the Studio Display itself.

I've taken a lot of time to put this together, including the video. If anyone has a contact at Apple that could help escalate this issue, I (and others) would be very appreciative. I have also filed a report here: Feedback - Displays - Apple

Thanks in advance.

Posted on Apr 4, 2022 4:34 PM

Top-ranking reply

jspence444

Level 1

45 points

Posted on Jul 4, 2022 10:16 AM

Hi everyone, I'm the original poster who made the video and started the thread, and I'd like to follow up with some information that might be helpful.

In my case, it's a confirmed hardware issue with the Studio Display monitor itself. The monitor is being repaired by Apple. They are replacing the logic board and thunderbolt ports. I went through 2 levels of tech support with Apple, and shared data from my system with the Apple engineering team. Also did the firmware update for the Studio Display when that came out. The whole thing has been quite an ordeal, so I'd like to share the info below to make it easier for others with the same issue.

How to confirm that you have the same issue

Testing Procedure: log in to your computer. Then put it to sleep via Apple Menu -> Sleep. Wait 2-3 mins. Then wake by clicking your mouse or pressing a key on your keyboard. Repeat this procedure 4-5 times as it can be intermittent. And make sure that you wait 2-3 minutes after sleeping before waking.

Testing Specifications

Test with just the single Studio Display monitor and your computer, without anything else connected (except mouse and keyboard). In other words, leave all other monitors or accessories disconnected.
Test with different thunderbolt cables to confirm it's not an issue with your cable.
Test the same monitor with different computers to confirm it's not an issue with your computer.

If you perform the testing procedure as above and the issue persists, then you may have the same hardware issue that I did. If that's the case, then your best bet is to get it repaired under the 1 year AppleCare Warranty. Get started on that sooner rather than later because it takes a lot of time to go through the process: calling AppleCare, getting a case number, taking it to your nearest Apple Store so the Genius Bar can confirm it in person, ordering the parts, bringing the monitor back home, waiting for the store to tell you that the parts have come in, taking the monitor back to the store, and waiting for them to actually perform the repair.

If you have a different monitor sleep/wake issue

If you do not have a Studio Display, but are having sleep/wake issues with your monitor then you have a different problem. If you try the steps above and can't get the issue to show up in each setup, then you have a different problem. If you have a different problem, please start a different thread instead of posting a reply to this one, because this only causes confusion for others.

Finally, if everyone could please mark this post as "Helpful" so the testing steps above can be shown more prominently to people who might also be having this issue. Thank you everyone who contributed and tried to help solve the problem.

View in context

89 replies

Sep 1, 2022 11:45 AM in response to jbru13

Some readers have obtained some relief by powering off the Studio display for a few minutes before testing again.

Apr 8, 2022 12:43 PM in response to jspence444

I'm having a similar issue with my Mac Studio, but I'm using a Huawei MateView monitor, not the Studio Display. Sometimes the monitor will wake from sleep and sometimes it won't. I have to take the Thunderbolt cable out of the monitor and reconnect it to get the monitor working again. I wonder if this might be more of a Mac Studio / Thunderbolt / Sleep issue rather than a Studio Display issue.

Apr 29, 2022 12:32 PM in response to TechnicallyInclined

I find it necessary to power down the studio, then power it up, login anew and wait for all the open app windows to appear on their respective desktops, open them to my preferred size for working, and then get to work. So, the power down, power up, login does wake the display, but this is a serious, frustrating inconvenience.

kenrinc

Level 1

8 points

Jul 4, 2022 9:46 AM in response to gooober

Same. Mac Studio M1. Dell U2713 27" display. TB4 to DP cable. I'm running a hard plugged USB apple keyboard with Logitech wireless mouse. Everything works fine normally. Have it set to screensave for 1st 15m then sleep. Once sleeping, about 50% of the time the system wakes up by pressing the space bar. The other 50% of the time it's just a sleeping monitor and no keyboard or mouse input will wake the monitor. The funny thing is, I know the M1 is receiving the keystrokes because if I constantly hit the space bar, eventually it starts beeping at every keystroke. What I've been doing up to this point is disconnecting the keyboard USB cable, plugging it back in and immediately hitting space bar and the monitor wakes up. $.02

Ken-

H20nly

Level 1

0 points

Jul 8, 2022 7:02 PM in response to TechnicallyInclined

I have this issue with a Mac Studio as well. I'm using a Samsung monitor connected to the HDMI port.

The computer works in the background. I have a digital audio workstation application running (Ableton Live). I can press the space bar and play back starts... music comes out of the audio interface out of my reference monitor speakers without an issue.

I'm so sick of this. I am effectively locked out of my computer. If I hard boot it, I just cause errors in my application and potentially lose unsaved work. It's pretty much the only fix though... reboot. Might as well be a PC.

So far for troubleshooting I have changed the HDMI cable, turned off Sleep. Changed the power settings on the monitor to be always on, and started turning off the monitor at its power switch and pulling out the Ethernet cable when the computer is not in use. This is a stupid problem for a $4000 computer to have.

I would switch monitors, but why? The internet and these forums are riddled with people complaining about this on laptops, desktop, Pros, Airs... Apple monitors, LG monitors, Samsung monitors... connected via Thuderbolt, USB-C, HMDI and DisplayPort. The common denominator is the computer/OS manufacturer, not the peripherals.

I'm posting this here to add another configuration to the problem and to maybe save someone the trouble of swapping out their monitor only to see the issue return in 4-48 hours.

[Edited by Moderator]

jbru13

Level 1

8 points

Sep 1, 2022 11:28 AM in response to TechnicallyInclined

Same issue. Tried two separate Studio Displays and had the same result both times.

I'm using a brand new Macbook Pro 16 M1 Max. Even if I connect the Studio Display with nothing else connected, it does not wake from sleep after an extended period of time has passed. The fact that Apple doesn't test the brand new laptop with the brand new monitor is ridiculous. I've tried 3 Dell USB-C monitors and none has this issue; only the double-priced first party option has these nagging bugs.

jbru13

Level 1

8 points

Sep 1, 2022 12:01 PM in response to Jeremy K.

Thanks, yes unplugging the thunderbolt cable is the workaround, but of course this means you can't plug any SSD's into the Studio Display, which is really a key benefit of the thunderbolt ports. I ordered a CalDigit TS4 thunderbolt hub to see if routing through there bypasses the issue, just out of curiosity more than anything else. I may end up returning it since it ends up being quite an expensive solution.

KJD54

Level 1

0 points

Sep 3, 2022 4:15 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

All I can tell you is what worked for me. I got a new Mac Studio Computer with M1 Ultra chip and noticed that MOST OF THE TIME I couldn't wake my Samsung Neo G9 monitor after it went to sleep. Before I had this combination of monitor and computer I had a 2017 iMac which, of course, had no problems waking up. I needed more storage for the Mac Studio, so I got a hub from OWC that has internal storage. When I plugged the Samsung monitor into the OWC hub instead of directly into the Mac Studio computer, my wireless keyboard now works to wake the monitor from sleep. However, if the monitor goes into screensaver mode, the keyboard won't wake it up any more. But I can get it out of screensaver mode by tapping on the trackpad. Most of this thread is discussing the problem as though it is specific to the Studio Display, but since I don't have a Studio Display and I seem to have the same problem with waking my Samsung monitor, that makes me think that there is a problem with the MacOS.

It is interesting to me that the problem of not being able to wake the monitor must not occur with all monitors, and all computers, just a small number. If it occurred with all of them, it would have to be fixed right away or Apple couldn't sell any. Yet, there are specific people, like all of us on this thread, that have a problem. Maybe something specific to our set-ups that are screwing up some sub-routine on the computer? Computers are complicated!

My stuff, in case it might help to find a common culprit:

1) Mac Studio computer with M1 Ultra chip, running MacOS 12.5.1

2) Mac Magic keyboard with Touch ID and numeric keypad for Apple silicon

3) Apple Magic trackpad

4) Samsung Neo G9 monitor

5) OWC Ministax STX with HDD and SSD - my monitor must be plugged into this hub. If it is plugged directly into the Mac Studio, I can't wake it with the keyboard or trackpad.

6) External Western Digital 4TB drive for Time Machine

7) Direct ethernet connection to modem

8) A few other peripherals like a scanner, external speakers, and printer plugged into the Studio computer, but these are usually switched off.

Let me know if you have other questions.

snosek

Level 1

0 points

Nov 8, 2022 2:30 AM in response to Jeanpmj

I have also changed the Prevent automatic sleeping when the display setting and have some new experience. The waking up computer together with Studio Display is more reliable, on the other hand within 5 days I had 3 kernel panic reboots after waking the computer up. What still leads me to suspicion, that in whole this Studio Display topic the issue lays rather on the Mac's side of the cable...

May 13, 2022 7:25 AM in response to pruppert

Hi @pruppert, thanks for sharing your experience.

Unfortunately, this does not resolve the issue, which is ongoing. Even with all peripherals disconnected. And even when testing it as a single-monitor setup (no other displays connected at all), the issue persists.

This appears to be a larger issue. Hopefully it is a software issue that could be resolved with a firmware update.

I must admit it’s becoming frustrating to deal with this multiple times a day. Each time this happens, all my windows get moved to the other display and resized. So to resume work, I have to unplug & replug the display, then move my windows back, then resize & reposition. Every single time. And this happens multiple times a day.

May 17, 2022 8:30 AM in response to TechnicallyInclined

Yup. I've had the same problem since I got my Studio Display, and it's continued under macOS 12.4 and display firmware 15.5. I have an M1 MacBook Air that I use in clamshell mode and a Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad that I use wired to the display.

For what it's worth, I did notice that with the keyboard and trackpad unplugged and connected to the MacBook by BlueTooth, interacting with them still wakes the computer (I get the unlock notification on my Apple Watch), but the display doesn't wake. I've just gotten into the habit of unplugging and replugging the display when I get back to my desk.

gooober

Level 1

47 points

Jun 30, 2022 10:10 AM in response to gooober

I would like to add:

Try connecting your keyboard and mouse by cabling them directly to your Mac. If the issue goes away, then it must be something with Bluetooth.
Try not running your MacBook in clamshell mode. Run it with it open as a test and see if the issue goes away.

jbru13

Level 1

8 points

Sep 2, 2022 12:34 PM in response to pruppert

I think those are two accounts for the same person. They followed up (I tried to link to the post but can't get it to work) saying that Apple did a hardware repair, and that essentially nothing changed. Which aligns with my experience in that I purchased two Studio Displays. This is definitely a bug. Although what's confusing is why every Studio Display user doesn't have the issue. From this thread it seems to affect, at minimum, various brand new m1 machines.

pruppert

Level 1

9 points

Sep 2, 2022 1:47 PM in response to jbru13

I have two Studio Displays:

One attached to M1 MacBook Air

One attached to 2018 Intel MacBook Pro

The issue is occurring for me on the latter display with 2018 MacBook Pro. I have never had the problem with the M1 connected display.

Sep 28, 2022 10:08 AM in response to jbru13

I agree that it's the monitors, but why is the question.

I had a mini back in 2018 that had the same issue with Samsung 4k screens. Now my brand new Studio can't wake my Monoprice 49" Dark Matter. It's very frustrating.

But I've had good luck using the trick I posed above using the sleep Hot Corner to get the display to wake without a physical reconnect or reboot.

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Studio Display Will Not Wake From Sleep