Can a Mac mini be used upside down for power button access?

It will run. But upside down will interfere with cooling, as heat is dissipated through the top of the case, not just through the vents on the bottom.

Lots of people have just put self-adhesive "feet" aka bumper stops on the bottom of the mini to raise it enough to make it easier to reach the power button.

You can also get stands that are stands alone or ones with a hub with multiple ports (or even a place for a spare drive). I bought a basic stand that raises the mini about 2.5" off the desk which allows for better airflow and has a hole cut in it so you can reach under with a finger for access to the power button.

My M4 Mac Mini Pro is oriented on its side with the fan facing left. Thus, the power button is at the top and quite accessible while seated.

In reply to MartinR's commend regarding silicon feet under the mini I've done the following;

It works beautifully for getting to the power button and doesn't interfere with the WiFi and BlueTooth antennas. i got mine from Amazon.

I knew that, you knew that. That is why I only replied to the OP.

Although in this case, it sounds like the OP might need to use the button multiple time a day. Which would use more energy for multiple startups, than just leaving the Mac mini on during the day with the display(s) off.

neillalewis wrote:

Can I use my Mac Mini upside down so that I can easily access the on/off button

That is really only an On button. It should only be used as a power Off button, if the Mac mini is froze up and you can not get to the UI Shutdown or Restart buttons.

This works great and looks neat!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1MBJNVF?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

FWIW, I almost never power down my Macs. The exceptions are when there appears to be an extended power outage (my primary system is on a UPS which gives me enough time for a graceful shutdown) and when it is time to clean the area of dust or rearranging things for new hardware.

As an aside, just making a couple slices of toast will use more power than my setup uses all day.

On its side, I never feel heat on the "top edge" of the case.

Due to reports of WiFi interference from metal stands, docks, hubs, and other metal objects under, around or close to base Model Mac minis, I have avoided any of those accessories. Curiously, people have reported that the M4 Pro models do not suffer the same WiFi interference from those accessories. Some claim that the M4 Pro model Mac minis incorporate better shielding than the base model.

I mention this because some people have recommended he get a stand for his Mac mini.

John

Johne154 wrote:

Due to reports of WiFi interference from metal stands, docks, hubs, and other metal objects under, around or close to base Model Mac minis

I have mine on an aluminum stand on a wood table. I mostly connect by Ethernet but on a few occasions I have turned on WiFi. My router is downstairs. I have had no issues when using WiFi.

OK! These complaints about the power button have been going on for months so I hope this one minute video will settle the argument once and for all showing how you can cure the problem free of charge in ten seconds.

Cure M4 Power Button Problem in 10 Seconds!

Regarding Wi-Fi interference, as you can see in my video I have been using the aluminium stand I bought 9 months ago from China for under £5 . . . the prices they charge in the west are ridiculous.

In my upstairs room I have 2 Macs, loads of electrical equipment, wiring and 38 sockets on extension leads. My house is fairly large and the router is at the far end downstairs.

Given those conditions you would expect Wi-Fi to be problematic but I have not experienced a single setback.

The aluminium stand has the advantage that I can stack up to 2 SSDs beneath it.

As far as the bottle tops are concerned I did several quick experiments.

The circular base of the M4 is 100mm and the first thing I tried was a 50mm diameter bottle top. So long as it was placed centrally it was completely stable . . . in any case where would it fall?

The cocoa tin lid was 75mm and the coffee lid was 80mm. You may notice some slight movement when I was pushing the cocoa lid . . . that was because in the hurly burly of filming I hadn't got it central but again there was no danger of it falling anywhere.

If you really wanted to make it more "permanent" you could stick it in position with a dab of Blu-tak.

I really am losing it . . . I was thinking the power button would be used twice a day . . . once to turn on and once to turn off!

Time for my medication.