Macbook Pro crashes/goes to sleep & won't wake when connected to external monitor

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Macbook Pro crashes/goes to sleep & won't wake when connected to external monitor

My MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012) running High Sierra 10.13.2 is crashing on me when I plug it into my external monitor or when I run certain applications like PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, In-Design etc.

The screen goes blank and seems to randomly go to sleep as I can still see lights under the keypad but will not respond. I have to do a force restart and often times it will then crash again on me during the restart. I can usually use the programs for a little while before this happens but if I plug in the monitor it happens immediately. I have tested the monitor with other devices and have also tried other monitors with this mac with the same result.

The monitor was previously working fine with this mac. The issue was already happening before being upgraded to High Sierra.

Posted on Jan 17, 2018 12:03 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Glen27 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 8, 2018 5:40 AM in response to Alwayswantingtohelp1

Brought it in to find out that it was an issue with the video card. That and the logic board would need to be replaced which at that cost is pointless since the battery is basically shot as well. Would have liked for a loaded MacBook Pro to have lasted me 5 years but at least the problem is solved. 😟

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Answer 2

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Jan 18, 2018 5:32 PM in response to Glen27

Hello Glen,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!

I understand from your post that your MacBook Pro crashes when you plug your external monitor into it or when you run certain programs. I recommend testing the issue while your Mac is in safe mode and/or in a new user account. The following articles have the steps you will need to test the issue in both safe mode and in a new user account:

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - Apple Support

Let us know how it goes.

Best Regards.

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Answer 3

sterling r

Community Specialist

Jan 20, 2018 9:43 AM in response to Glen27

Hi Glen,

What model of display are you using with your MacBook Pro (Mid 2012)? If it is a 4K, 5K, or Ultra HD TV those require a MacBook Pro (Late 2013) or later.

Using 4K displays, 5K displays, and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac - Apple Support

Let us know the type of display you are using so we can further assist you in resolving this issue.

Regards.

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Answer 4

Jan 25, 2018 10:31 AM in response to Glen27

Hi Glen,

If your MacBook Pro software and all the application software is up to date, you may want to contact Apple Support.

Contact - Official Apple Support

Regards.

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Answer 5

Glen27 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 23, 2018 7:15 AM in response to sterling r

Thanks Sterling, the monitor is a Samsung CURVED 1920x1080 HDMI VGA LCD Monitor (Model #C27F391FD) so seems as if this should not be the issues especially as I have not used the monitor in a few months and the problem persists when running my Adobe programs.

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Answer 6

Glen27 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 19, 2018 1:19 PM in response to chuck_3rd

Hi Alex, thank you for the advice. I have tried both of those suggestions and unfortunately the problem persists. 😟

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