At random times my mac mini will lock up while in sleep mode and will not respond no matter what I try. The only way to clear it is to shut off power and restart. This started about 1 week ago. Any suggestions? Apple M4 chip. Running Sequoia 15.6.1
Mac mini, macOS 15.6
Start by updating to 15.7.3. There have been enhancements and fixes.
Then consider disabling the sleep function for the mini. Allow the monitor to sleep, but not the computer. It really isn't necessary to sleep the Mac and it is problematic for many.
Ref: How can I stop Mac Mini going to sleep af… - Apple Community
Sorry, I should have been clearer. This can also occur if I just walk away and don't put it in sleep mode. If it goes inactive for a while the same problem can occur. I just installed updates for Sequoia so maybe that will help?
First thing to do, is update to Sequoia 15.7.3 or... upgrade Tahoe 26.
What's new in the updates for macOS Sequoia - Apple Support
What's new in the updates for macOS Tahoe - Apple Support
Then if that does not help?
As a test:
Turn On "Prevent automatic sleeping when display is off"
Set "Turn display off when inactive" to 5 or 10 minutes
Leave the Mac Mini On and only allow the display(s) to turn Off during the day.
Then test manually Sleep from the Apple Drop Down menu over night.
Or optionally Shut Down at night and when away for a day or more.
Also FWIW:
Automatic computer sleep has been hit and miss for years.
It works fine for some setups and causes crashing for others.
Settings, third-party software and external devices all play a role.
So in the end, there is no one size shoe fits all solution to the problem.
New problem coming out of sleep mode
