iMac wakes up every night

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Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

iMac wakes up every night

I was away for a while and before leaving I shutdown the iMac (latest version with Sonoma). When I got home, the computer was turned on. I do not have any programs set to run at night or otherwise. The option for energy saving/enable access for network is turned off. I tested this and consistently it happened every night. I called Apple thinking that maybe Timemachine does this. I was told that TM is not waking up the computer but that every computer that has USB 3 ports is designed to do this. I could not get an explanation about why or the perceived benefit of this "feature". I was told that the only way to prevent this from happening is to unplug the computer from power. Do you know maybe how is this useful and any other way to stop this from happening? Thanks.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 8, 2024 7:53 AM

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Answer 1

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 11, 2024 8:52 AM in response to hcsitas

Problem solved with help from knowledgeable senior Apple Advisor. The problem was caused by a discontinued feature in old MacOS that was loaded on the new iMac when I used TM to load what I had on the old iMac to the new one. It showed up in the System Report/Power. Using Terminal was required to remove the remains of this feature that turned on the computer every night even after a shutdown. Now if the computer is shutdown it stays shutdown.

NOTHING to do with any power supply, etc.

[Edited by Moderator]

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

93,382 points

Apr 8, 2024 8:27 AM in response to Suzy2014

1) In addition to Nap and Wake turn off "Automatically startup after a power failure" in the Energy Saver settings.

note: your Energy Saver panel may not show all of these

2) The latest macOS versions are having various issues with automatic computer sleep mode.

As a test:

Turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping when display is off" and only allow the display to turn off.

Then leave the Mac ON with the display OFF during the day and shut down for longer periods of non-use.

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

93,382 points

Apr 8, 2024 6:46 PM in response to Suzy2014

If you are sure that the iMac was Shut Down and not in Sleep Mode...?

Then turn OFF "Start up automatically after a power failure" in Energy Saver to see if that fixes.

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Answer 4

WheelieNick

Level 8

46,043 points

Apr 8, 2024 7:59 AM in response to Suzy2014

Is the Mac completely turned off (apple logo in menu bar, turn off) or is it in sleep mode? You might want to turn off Power Nap and wake for Time Machine to see if the issue persist

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Answer 5

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Apr 8, 2024 9:29 PM in response to Suzy2014

Never mind relaying unverifiable BS conveyed over the phone, that’s what it’s for. Schedule Apple in-store repair, they’ll check it out and replace if defective.

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Answer 6

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Apr 8, 2024 9:39 PM in response to Suzy2014

Ok, but how will that help exactly? It won’t one bit. What’s so complicated about getting Apple in-store service for a $1000+ computer that you’re entitled to for free? It’s boring agreed, but also the best option - just do it.

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Answer 7

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Apr 9, 2024 8:42 AM in response to Suzy2014

I’m having a very hard time believing your iMac is legit-new eligible for warranty repair/service by Apple. Otherwise it makes no sense why you’re insisting a fully shut computer is waking up + adding a ton of phone Apple he-said she-said that also makes no sense.

So, let’s get this out of the way: did you buy your iMac from Apple/Apple-authorized retailer recently as you claim and does it show as being eligible for service? If yes, schedule an in-store appointment (it’s free).

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Answer 8

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 11, 2024 5:28 PM in response to Suzy2014

I called Apple again and now with the help of the link that you provided the advisor was able to help me through deletion of the scheduled nightly power up. Hopefully when I shut down the old computer, it will stay shutdown. Thanks for sharing the link.

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Answer 9

den.thed

Level 10

93,382 points

Apr 11, 2024 6:28 PM in response to Suzy2014

Sorry I was away from the forum this afternoon.

Sadly the changes from earlier the macOS versions are hard to keep up with and those support articles that allow for selecting different macOS versions are not very intuitive.

On the old iMac running Monterey or earlier, go to Apple > System Preferences > Energy Saver > Schedule > and uncheck the Start up or Wake box.

On the new iMac running Ventura or Sonoma, you have to use terminal to change the settings.

You're welcome and I'm glad that you were finally able to get it sorted out.

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Answer 10

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 8, 2024 5:31 PM in response to WheelieNick

Thanks for your replies. The computer was shutdown - completely (NOT in sleep mode). All entries under Energy saver are turned off, including. Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off.

I could not locate power nap.

"Then leave the Mac ON with the display OFF" - how would I turn off the display on an iMac?

I will try again tonight, but have no high hopes. I cannot understand why Apple thinks that this is a great feature...

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Answer 11

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 8, 2024 9:27 PM in response to hcsitas

As I mentioned, this is a brand new imac. According to Apple this is not a bug or a problem, it is a feature documented in one of their databases that goes along with any imac that has USB 3 ports....

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Answer 12

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 8, 2024 9:34 PM in response to hcsitas

First I would like to know if anyone here has a latest imac and if they are experiencing the same issue or not. It is not that simple to just grab this computer and take it to the store, leave there, etc.

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Answer 13

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 9, 2024 8:33 AM in response to hcsitas

The same thing happened last night after I followed suggestions; something woke up the computer.

I still have the old imac, fully functional. I realized that the exact same thing is happening on it too. I would have a very hard time believing that it also has a power supply problem....

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Answer 14

den.thed

Level 10

93,382 points

Apr 11, 2024 8:39 AM in response to Suzy2014

I'm glad that you were finally able solve the issue.

Sorry I missed the boat on the Schedule Startup thing.

Schedule your Mac to turn on or off in Terminal - Apple Support

This was a tough one, because up thru Monterey Schedule "Startup or Wake" was a feature in System Preferences.

Thanks for coming back and sharing the solution. It will surly help others in the future.

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Answer 15

Suzy2014 Author

Level 1

115 points

Apr 11, 2024 2:18 PM in response to hcsitas

Den.thed, that's interesting.

I called back Apple because I would have liked to repeat on the old imac (with Mojave) what was done on the new imac (I have the exact same issue on that). I was told that they cannot help because there is no documentation about this issue... This is obviously not true as I can see from the link you sent me.

I know nothing about Terminal, but I see that what you mentioned is very much like what I was told to do. Once in Terminal I was told to type something like:

Susans-iMac-2:~ susanxxxxx$ sudo pmset repeat cancel

Could you help with telling me how to execute this simple instruction (if I know how to get to it and if this going to fix the problem on my old iMac)?

There was something else preceding the above instruction that I do not know if necessary, looking like this:

The default interactive shell is now zsh.

To update your account to use zsh, please run `chsh -s /bin/zsh`

Thanks

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iMac wakes up every night

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