HDMI connection between Dell monitor and 2018 Mac Mini does not work until reboot.

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Level 1

4 points

HDMI connection between Dell monitor and 2018 Mac Mini does not work until reboot.

I use HDMI cable, both ends, to connect my Dell Monitor with 2018 Mac Mini Ventura 13.0.1. When the monitor sits idle for a while, the monitor sometimes cannot get the Mac HDMI signal, when I try to use keyboard to wake it up. The monitor would display "no HDMI signal detected". When this happens, I'd have to reboot the Mini to trigger the HDMI signal to come through. However, this problem is inconsistent that the keyboard clicks could sometimes trigger Mac to send HDMI signal and Dell Monitor connects with no issue. Is there anything wrong with Mac Mini's HDMI port? I even tried with different HDMI cable and port, but to no avail. I got my Dell monitor end of 2022. However, I had the same issue with my old Dell monitor. I prefer not to reboot the Mini to trigger the HDMI signal. Can someone help?

Mac mini, macOS 13.0

Posted on Mar 7, 2023 7:50 PM

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Answer 1

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tc_chao Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 12, 2023 11:21 AM in response to hcsitas

I submitted the above inquiry on 3/7, today is 3/12. The mentioned problem did not happen during this period. Even though I do not recall the frequency of the problem, but, it seems that it lasted a long time since I applied the suggested fixes. So, I'll claim that the problem is FIXED! Thank You!

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Answer 2

tc_chao Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 8, 2023 9:44 AM in response to hcsitas

Thanks for the suggestions! I've followed the above settings. I guess that the last setting, prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off, was the key? I'll wait for the occasion to happen and test out.

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Answer 3

hcsitas

Level 6

11,570 points

Mar 8, 2023 10:00 AM in response to tc_chao

👍 yes, but disabling sleep for hard disks & lan is also necessary. The timeout for displays is your choice - displays are the main power hog, not Mac.

For long absences or overnights, shut everything.

🤞, do update.

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Answer 4

tc_chao Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 8, 2023 2:01 PM in response to hcsitas

Interesting.. My Mac mini does not have the setting for "put hard disk to sleep when possible". It could be that it's not a laptop. Good to know that the display is the power hogger. Thanks for the info.

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