1. Mac Taking Forever to Wake Up? You’re Not Alone 💤
You open your MacBook, expecting to get back to work in seconds. Instead, you’re greeted by a black screen. Or a spinning loading bar. Or just… nothing for 30 seconds or more. If your Mac takes too long to wake from sleep, it’s more than just annoying — it disrupts your flow and wastes your time.
Whether you’re using an Intel Mac or an Apple Silicon Mac, this issue is surprisingly common. But it’s also solvable. Let’s dive into the real reasons behind slow wake-ups and how to fix them — step by step.
2. Why Does macOS Wake Slowly? 🤔
Several factors can cause delayed wake times:
- Too many background processes trying to resume
- External drives or peripherals that delay the system
- Bluetooth or network settings causing lag
- Corrupted sleep or power management data
- macOS system bugs (especially after updates)
Let’s walk through the most effective solutions.
3. Unplug External Devices Before Sleep 🔌
External drives (especially HDDs), USB-C hubs, and third-party peripherals can confuse macOS during wake-up. Try this:
- Disconnect all external devices before closing the lid or triggering sleep
- Then try waking the Mac and timing the difference
If it wakes faster, you’ve identified the culprit. Try different hubs or update drivers if needed.
4. Check Your Wake Settings and Background Apps
macOS may be trying to resume too many services at once. Here’s how to clean it up:
- System Settings → General → Login Items → disable unnecessary ones
- Scroll down to “Allow in Background” → turn off heavy or unused apps
Apps like Dropbox, Adobe services, or VPNs can delay wake by 5–15 seconds.
5. Disable “Power Nap” and Network Wake 🛑
These features are helpful on paper — but can cause long wake-ups:
- System Settings → Battery → Options
- Disable “Enable Power Nap” and “Wake for network access”
This ensures your Mac isn’t waking up to perform tasks that can wait.
6. Reset NVRAM and SMC (If You’re on Intel)
If you’re using an Intel Mac, power management data might be corrupted. Here’s how to reset:
- NVRAM: Restart → hold
Option + Command + P + Rfor 20 seconds - SMC: Shut down → hold Shift + Control + Option + Power for 10 seconds
On Apple Silicon Macs, simply shut down completely for 10 seconds. The system resets automatically.
7. Use “pmset” in Terminal to Check Sleep Behavior
Open Terminal and type:
pmset -g log | grep "Wake reason"This shows what triggered the wake — and what might be slowing it down. Look for repeated delays caused by:
EC.DarkPME(USB power events)RTC(scheduled tasks)USB(peripheral wake conflicts)
8. Test in Safe Mode (To Rule Out Third-Party Interference)
Boot into Safe Mode to disable login items and check wake speed:
- Intel: Restart and hold Shift
- Apple Silicon: Hold Power → click Options → press Shift → “Continue in Safe Mode”
If your Mac wakes up instantly in Safe Mode, a third-party app is likely the cause.
Extra Tip 💡
Go to System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Enable “Reduce motion.” This disables some heavy UI effects that can cause delays during wake or unlock animations.
🚀 Speed Up Wake Time with AppHalt
AppHalt helps your Mac wake faster by pausing background apps and processes before sleep.
✅ Prevent background sync tools from delaying wake
✅ Reduce CPU load during resume
✅ Identify and stop rogue apps causing slow wake times
📥 Want your Mac to wake instantly — like it used to? Download AppHalt now and enjoy a faster, smoother experience every time you open your Mac.
