USB devices aren't working after waking from sleep

Question

USB devices aren't working after waking from sleep

On my 13-inch MBP Retina (early 2015), which was upgraded to Sierra, my USB devices are not recognized after the laptop wakes from sleep. This behavior only started after I applied 10.12.1.

The do work after a quick restart.

It's any USB device: an Anker hub, Apple USB keyboard, M-Audio Oxygen 25, Apogee Jam.

I have reset SMC and PRAM, with no effect.

Appreciate any help. May ultimately try a clean install, but trying to avoid that.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch,Early 2015), macOS Sierra (10.12.1)

Posted on Nov 12, 2016 4:24 PM

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Answer 1

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Nov 13, 2016 12:05 PM in response to ChicagoDevGuy

Hey ChicagoDevGuy,

I understand that after updating Mac OS Sierra, that your USB devices are not being recognized after your Mac wakes from sleep. Excellent job of resetting the SMC and PRAM. If this did not resolve the issue, try booting the Mac up into safe mode.

What is safe mode?

Safe mode (sometimes called safe boot) is a way to start up your Mac so that it performs certain checks and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:

Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

Loads only required kernel extensions

Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

Disables user-installed fonts

Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Together, these changes can help resolve or isolate issues related to your startup disk.

Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities to post your question. Let us know what occurs in this mode for further assistance.

Have a great day.

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Answer 2

Nov 14, 2016 5:11 AM in response to brenden dv

Thanks, Brenden. I rebooted in safe mode last night and let the MBP sleep overnight.

Unfortunately, the behavior persisted this morning. USB devices were unresponsive until the laptop was rebooted.

Appreciate any other thoughts or guidance.

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Answer 3

JayB.

Community Specialist

Nov 16, 2016 9:18 AM in response to ChicagoDevGuy

No problem. Since the issue continued while in safe mode, try to perform an Archive and reinstall of MacOS Sierra. You can use Time Machine to perform a full system backup.

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

macOS Sierra: Reinstall macOS

Let us know if this works for you.

Cheers

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Answer 4

Nov 19, 2016 8:39 AM in response to JayB.

Thank you, Jay. I performed a basic reinstall and it did not fix the issue.

I'm going to try a clean reinstall and see if that resolves the problem.

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Answer 5

Warfidem

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2016 5:57 AM in response to JayB.

I also have this issue. It started immediately with the OS Sierra update. I use a wacom device and when I wake from sleep, i have to unplug my wacom and re-seat it for it to be recognized. I notice this as well sometimes with my external hard drive.

I did a clean install of the OS after this and noticed the problem persists.

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Answer 6

Nov 21, 2016 5:58 AM in response to Warfidem

Same behavior here. Just finished a clean install, with no luck. Booted from USB drive after erasing startup disk, same thing happens after sleep.

Off to the Apple Store. 😟

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Answer 7

Nov 21, 2016 8:36 AM in response to Warfidem

Warfidem - Question: any chance you are using a USB hub? Specifically, an Anker hub?

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Answer 8

Warfidem

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2016 7:17 PM in response to ChicagoDevGuy

Yes I am using a 3.0 hub from Inland. I tried disconnecting the hub and just plugged in the Wacom (with updated drivers), Keyboard, and my time machine backup HD (seagate 2tb) and... same thing occurred. Which leads me to believe it's an on wake USB issue. The keyboard works that allows me to log back into my machine, but No Wacom. I have to unplug the usb from the wacom (not the back of the machine because it's faster) and reseat it and boom it works.

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Answer 9

Nov 28, 2016 1:55 PM in response to Warfidem

So, on a whim, I swapped the Anker USB hub with a Pluggable (brand) 10-port USB 3.0 hub (apparently their flagship unit).

After a couple of days, the performance has improved dramatically and the issue hasn't recurred.

Suspecting this was the hub's issue and it coincided with the 10.12.1 update.

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Answer 10

Dec 5, 2016 4:56 PM in response to ChicagoDevGuy

No luck. After a week of seemingly working fine with the Pluggable USB 3 hub, the problem has returned. Very frustrating.

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Answer 11

kkwan77

Level 1

52 points

Dec 25, 2016 7:00 PM in response to ChicagoDevGuy

I've noticed the same issue recently after the latest update. Again, I have unplug the Anker USB hub and reconnect it in order the devices connected to it are recognized. Really annoying. . .

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