Mac mini M4 screen go black randomly

It does depend on the quality of the monitor, but HDMI is, first and foremost, a TV connection. And by quality, I mean cheaper monitors often limit HDMI to the original HD resolution of 1920x1080, regardless of any higher resolutions the monitor can support under a DisplayPort or USB-C Thunderbolt connection.

That, and over the years, I've seen far too many posts here by folks trying to use HDMI. Issues which disappeared when they used their monitor's DisplayPort option.

I have an EIZO monitor that allows me to use DisplayPort, USB-C or HDMI. Given the cost of these monitors, I know HDMI would work (with a proper high speed HDMI cable), but I'm still going to use a connection meant for computer monitors before I'd even consider HDMI.

Having an HDMI port is intended for video work. It eliminates the need for a break-out box. You use DisplayPort or USB-C to a monitor for your work screen in Final Cut Pro, Avid, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, etc., and a separate HDMI output to a reference monitor (TV) to see how color will appear on a TV as you simultaneously work in your video editor.

As a follow-up, I haven't had the issue with the black screen since switching out the HDMI cable I was using with an 8K cable. The specific version I had on hand was from Amazon. It is the "10K 8K HDMI 2.1 Cable 2-Pack 6.6FT, Highwings Certified 48Gbps Ultra High Speed Slim HDMI Cord,Support 4K@120Hz 8K@60Hz, HDCP 2.2&2.3, Dynamic HDR,eARC,DTS:X, Compatible with Roku TV/HDTV/PS5/Blu-ray"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091GWJPJ5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Will follow up if the issue returns.

ChupacabraZZZ wrote:

Not sure why, but I have had no blackouts at all on my problematic MSI 4K 32" gaming monitor. I am currently using a USBC > DisplayPort cable and it hasn't done it once in 10 days now.

What changed between you having blackouts and now; the cable, port or both?

Previously it would do it multiple times a day, sometimes within a few minutes of each other. The Mini defaulted to 144Hz too, and I'm afraid to touch it - no reason to since that's the max refresh of the monitor anyway.

I am using the USBC connector closest to the HDMI out on the M4 Mini, not sure I used this specific port before. But at the moment mine is working correctly and has been for a week and a half now. So strange.

Thanks for the feed back.

I tried booting mine in safe mode back when it was acting up, and my MSI monitor blacked out then too, so I don't think it's a software issue.

Knock on wood, I'm going on almost a month now without a single blackout using a back-panel USBC port to a DisplayPort adapter cable. I know I tried this before and was still having blackouts. Only difference is that I ** using the USBC port closest to the HDMI port. Doubt it makes any difference, but it's been 100% solid since I swapped the problematic MSI monitor back in with this configuration.

If I use the HDMI port on the M4, it will black out frequently with my MSI 4K monitor, and very, very rarely on my older Dell 4K monitor.

I ** still of the opinion that it's a hardware defect primarily with the HDMI port but that's just a SWAG.

OK, so now why is this forum replacing the word "a m" (no spaces) with ** in my post? Why?

This might be a shot in the dark but I was experiencing the same thing on a Mac Mini M4. There have been numerous fixes posted.

However, none worked for be until someone reported that remove the Zoom app fixed it for them. I had Zoom installed so installed it and all its supporting files and haven't had a screen "pause" since.

So, to make a long story short do you have Zoom installed? If so try deleting it (AppCleaner did a good job of it) according to the developer's instructions.

You can check to see if you've removed all of the supporting files by downloading and running the shareware app Find Any File to search for any files with the application's or the developer's name in the file name.  For the Zoom software you'd do the following search(es): 

1 - Name contains zoom

Any files that are found can be dragged from the search results window to the Desktop or Trash bin in the Dock for deletion.

FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.  

If you get warnings that the file can't be deleted because it is in use or used by another app boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and delete from there.

Note:  if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode.  This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will assure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

As I said it's a long shot but if you have Zoom it's worth a try. 🤞

I've had my Mac Mini for about 2 months, and I had the problem with blackouts from the start. After reading posts on this forum, I did some research on HDMI cables. There are several types of them and it is essential that you use the proper cable. In the case of the mac mini, you must use an "Ultra HIgh Speed" cable. There is a certification process, whereby the cable manufacturer can certify that the cable meets HDMI 2.1. Lowes home improvement carries Utilitech brand, and this cable is certified. Once I used this cable, I haven't had any issues. So here is a suggested troubleshooting plan for anyone who is still having this problem:

1. If you have 2 monitors connected with different cables, disconnect the non-hdmi monitor. Troubleshoot one at a time.
2. Check the cable to see what version of hmdi it is. Printing on the cable should say "Ultra High Speed Hdmi". If it says anything other than this, such as "High Speed", then replace the cable with "Ultra High Speed". The packaging for the cable should have a label that says certified.
3. If this doesn't solve the problem, I would take Old Toad's suggestion and notify apple via the feedback form immediately. At this time I would disconnect the hdmi cable and try one of the other methods. But be careful, you must use the proper cable. Even USB C cables can be different in terms of carryong data.

Someone below said that they use a USB C to display port connection, and that connection worked. So I'm thinking that this whole issue might be due to using the proper cables. I would like apple to get involved with this. If I am right, the instructions should clearly state what cables should be used, or better still, supply the proper cables with the computer.

I tried a half dozen high-end HDMI cables including Ultra High Speed ones. None of them worked.

In my case my older Dell 28" 4K monitor always worked fine over HDMI, my MSI 32" Gaming monitor is the one that blacked out all the time over HDMI. The MSI has worked perfectly with the USBC > DisplayPort cable. MSI tech support even told me they don't recommend their monitors with Mac Minis.

Whatever the issue is, there appears to be some dependency on the type of monitor as well.

Yes, have had no blackouts at all using the USBC > DP adapter. Same monitor would black out multiple times an hour using HDMI. I bought some pretty high-end 8K ultra high bandwidth cables and none of them helped. I think the HDMI port is defective and/or out of spec on the M4 mini and that's why there are so many reported issues with it.

As I mentioned in my earlier note, after swapping four or five high-quality HDMI 4K cables with no luck, I bought the Anker brand 8K cable. The basic version is not expensive. I have not seen a blanked screen in two weeks since installing it. I suspect the issue is that the HDMI chip is losing sync with my Dell.

I also see this with my Switch/Switch 2 and a 4K Vizio TV. I am now trying an Anker 8K cable on it.

No it absolutely does not work with many 4K monitors. I have tried a half dozen high quality, 8K certified and everything else. My monitor blacks out randomly with all of them. Only by using a USBC > DP cable has it worked flawlessly since then. My previous M1 mini worked fine with standard HDMI cable on same monitors, so it's clearly a defect in the M4 Mini as far as I'm concerned. Too many people having problems with the on-board HDMI to write it off as "it's the cable" when it's clearly not.

Kurt’s right. When I upgraded from my 2012 iMac to the 2018 mac mini I initially connected with HDMI because I had the cable already. Every once in a while the screen would suddenly black out and then display fuzz until I rebooted. It was annoying because I could go weeks with out it happening and then be hit with three outages in one afternoon. When I switched to a DisplayPort cable the problem disappeared never to return. Since that time I’ve seen/heard dozens of people complain about the same issue and every time they’ve been using an HDMI cable.

Okay so now I changed to a Thunderbolt cable and that's fine too. It seems that I was having issues with HDMI and 60HZ. Thunderbolt with 60HZ is fine. This Asus display won't take a USB-C cable. It takes HDMI, Displayport or Thunderbolt.

Fingers crossed! Entering day 3 without a single random blackout since using a new cable.

For reference it was:

Anker HDMI Cable 8K@60Hz, 6.6FT Ultra High Speed 4K@120Hz 48Gbps Ultra HD, HDMI Cable Support Dynamic HDR,eARC,Dolby Atmos,Compatible with PlayStation 5,Xbox Series X,Samsung TVs

Amazon ID B**********

~$16

Crazy the number of other "certified" cables I went through for it to be cabling issue.

Thanks to HaraldS for the suggestion.

[Edited by Moderator]

I know how frustrating it is to have strange things happen when you buy a new electronic component. In this case, there is a lot of misinformation going around. The first thing you need to do when troubleshooting this issue is to ensure your connections are correct and in compliance with Apple's requirements. Since you have a 4K monitor (I assume you have only 1 monitor), HDMI will work perfectly fine, provided you have the correct cable. The only cable that will work is a "Ultra HIgh Speed HDMI cable", and it has been certified to HMDI 2.1. A common name for this type of cable is 8K cable, but all 8K cables are not created equal. That's why you need to ensure it is certified to HDMI 2.1.

These cables are not expensive, in fact I bought one in Lowe's Home Improvement store under the name "Utilitech" for around $20. I initially had the flickering issue, but it stopped once I replaced the cable.

When you are troubleshooting, I suggest disconnecting any other monitor you may have connected via USB.

I think that this confusion could have been prevented if Apple had just supplied the proper cable and put warnings in their literature to the effect that a certified cable is absolutely required.

It sure seems like the M4 Mini has problems with the HDMI port. Mine has worked perfectly since I swapped to a USBC > DP cable. But I/we shouldn't have to do that because Apple put a defective HDMI port on these things. Now I've lost a USBC port to "fix" the problem.