Mac put to sleep, display wakes up for no reason

I put my iMac to sleep at night. Yet the display wakes up for no reason at random times throughout the night. Why is this happening?

Posted on Sep 4, 2026 6:12 AM

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7 replies

Sep 4, 2026 8:34 AM in response to Irwin Chusid

Apple keeps changing things and this may not be easy to solve.


1) Change and test the following Energy settings for a day or two.

If "Wake for network access" is On, turn it Off to eliminate that as a problem.



2) Think back and try to remember if you added any new USB devices around that time.

Anything from a TM backup drive, a USB hub, a USB keyboard or mouse can wake the iMac.

The only way to test those, is to disconnect those devices one at a time and see if the iMac stays asleep.


3) Lastly check to see if there are any other major appliances on the same AC wall circuit as the iMac.

Some thing like a refrigerator that cycles automatically, could be causing enough of a power sag to wake the iMac.

Sep 4, 2026 8:54 AM in response to Irwin Chusid

Good suggestions. I just disabled Wake for network access. That seems like a possible culprit. However, I once found it on at 4am, and put it back to sleep. I walked away from the Mac and 1 minute later the display awakened again. But perhaps disabling network access will prevent this.


No new USB devices added. Using the same ones I have for several years.


I have an a/c on the same wall circuit, but it's been there for years (same window unit, installed and used seasonally) and this has never happened before.


Thanks for the suggestion about the network access option.

Mac put to sleep, display wakes up for no reason

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