How to fix my Mac mini heating up in sleep mode?

Turn On "Prevent automatic sleeping when display is off"

Set "Turn display off when inactive" to 5 or 10 minutes.

Then leave the Mac mini On with the display Off and only shut down for long periods of non-use.

How hot is it getting?

Is it just warm to the touch or hot?

What are the temperatures of the components? To find out, download the free MacsFanControl.

MacsFanControl

You can then see whether anything is getting too hot.

It is quite likely that the SSD is getting warm because during sleep the fan will not be operating. Once you wake up the fan kicks in at a slow speed and cools the machine down.

I cannot prove that theory but it seems plausible.

MateuszStepien wrote:

Thank you for your reply. There is no other option for it to be in sleep mode though and not heat up?

You're welcome.

Is "Wake for network access" in the Energy Settings turned On...?

If it is, turn it Off and test.

Then if that doesn't help..?

Leave the Mac mini On with the Display(s) Off and Shut Down for longer periods of non-use.

Sleep is unnecessary on later Macs and should be disabled. Shut for long absences/idle overnights i.e and for regular operation, use the settings exactly as shown by @den.thed. Important: do not manual-sleep: leave on or shut down.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

How hot is it getting?

Is it just warm to the touch or hot?

Those are excellent questions Ian.

What are the temperatures of the components? To find out, download the free MacsFanControl.

MacsFanControl

You can then see whether anything is getting too hot.

That observation will have to happen quickly after wake from sleep, because the fan would come on when you went to check the temp's.

It is quite likely that the SSD is getting warm because during sleep the fan will not be operating. Once you wake up the fan kicks in at a slow speed and cools the machine down.

I was thinking the power supply, the network card to allow wake for access and who knows what other components are drawing power in computer sleep mode.

I cannot prove that theory but it seems plausible.

Agreed.

I'm having exactly the same problem. However, this issue seems to have started after I enabled the Apple Intelligence. I suspect the AI is doing some work in the background. During the "sleep" after display inactive period, my wired mouse light kept on, meaning the mini is actually NOT in sleep mode. After waking up, my M4 mini gets cool again. If I manually put the mini to sleep mode, it does turn off the mouse light, the fan stops, and the case remains cool.

I've finally figured out a solution: set "Start Screen Save when inactive" to "Never" !

I used to have the exact same problem as you can see from my previous post. This setting change has put my M4 mini into proper sleep mode with wired mouse light turned off during the sleep mode. Please note, DO NOT turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off". Otherwise, it will prevent your Mac going into sleep mode.

It seems this is a software bug which causes the Macs not going into the sleep mode if screen saver is activated and dynamic screen saver clips use a lot of energy (I can feel the case warming up quite quickly when running this type of screen savers).

IMO, these extended discussions on Sleep are pointless (also endless) because the problems are all easily avoidable with no compromises.