The M1 Mac Mini is troubling some users with an annoying bug

By Alex Blake March 26, 2021

Alex Blake/Digital Trends

The new Mac Mini outfitted with Apple’s fantastic M1 chip is one of the best-value Macs on the market right now. Still, that does not mean it is totally immune to problems, and some owners of the mini computer have been complaining that it is failing to wake connected displays from sleep when it should.

For example, MacRumors forum user gooimac reports having the following experience: “My M1 (8gb/256) Mac mini doesn’t seem to want to wake my displays after its been sleeping. I have tried with 2 different displays with 2 different HDMI cables with the same thing occurring on each one. I am currently only using one at a time. I also noticed some pink squares/graphics glitches on the Big Sur boot/log in screen (with the coloured background, not the black and white boot up).”

Recommended Videos

Other people have had the same issue, such as Pearsnet, who commented in Apple’s own Support Communities forums, yet the cause of the problem remains unknown. Pearsnet’s problem was fixed by tweaking a Mission Control setting in System Preferences, but it is not clear whether this would work in every instance.

According to MacRumors, the bug is not limited to any one type of Mac Mini monitor, with displays using DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and HDMI ports seemingly all affected. Apple is said to be aware of the glitch but has not yet issued a fix, and for now the only solutions are unofficial. If you are impacted, you could disable the feature that allows your Mac Mini to go to sleep, or unplug the affected monitor and plug it back in. Neither is particularly practical, though.

It is worth mentioning that not all Mac Mini users have been affected. I own a Mac Mini with an M1 chip and have never seen it fail to wake my connected display, so this is unlikely to be a glitch that is rife among all Mac Mini owners. I have, however, experienced the pink squares bug reported by gooimac — another problem that remains unfixed by Apple.

Still, if you own one of Apple’s tiny desktop computers, keep an eye out in case you fall victim to the sleep/wake bug. While it is not going to totally ruin your Mac Mini experience, it is still irritating.

Topics

Computing Writer

Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…

Computing

Apple may have stealthily confirmed the new Mac mini

The Mac mini on a wooden table.

With the Apple iPhone event now behind us, we are still waiting for official news about new Macs. We recently reported on the slew of Macs that are most likely on the way, but Apple's been silent on the matter -- until now. A stealthy line of code in the new macOS Sequoia update reveals that a new Mac mini might be in the works, and the confirmation fits right in with previous reports.

Let's start with some context. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is readying a new Mac mini with the M4 and the M4 Pro chip. Aside from the chip upgrade, the 2024 Mac mini is said to be redesigned to be smaller than ever before, marking the first major change in the design of the mini PC in many years. It's said to be around the same size as an Apple TV set-top box. To that end, we've heard that Apple might remove all of the USB-A ports on the Mac mini in an effort to make the PC even thinner.

Computing

An entirely new line of Macs may launch in just a few weeks

Apple’s iPhone 16 event was totally devoid of new Macs, and there were some good reasons for that. One of them is that there are expected to be so many Apple computers launching later this year that there simply wouldn’t be enough time for them all at the iPhone show. And now, a new report claims that these new Macs are just around the corner.

Writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has outlined what he expects Apple to release in a potential follow-up event this October. This includes a revamp to a wide range of popular desktop and mobile Macs. Gurman’s predictions are often on the money, so when he suggests these Macs are almost upon us, it’s worth paying attention.

Computing

Even a redesigned Mac mini won’t win me over

The Mac mini on a wooden desk.

There was a time when the Mac mini felt like the perfect Mac for me. Its compact frame was ideal for keeping my desk neat and uncluttered, while its M1 chip was miles better than the sluggish Intel processor in my 2015 MacBook Pro. Almost all my work was done from home, so I didn’t mind the lack of portability, while my MacBook handled things just fine on the road.

But over time, my 2015 MacBook Pro slowed to a crawl and I eventually replaced it with a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip. And that’s where the problems began (for the Mac mini, at least). Because after a couple years of use, I’m finding myself reaching for my MacBook Pro rather than my Mac mini almost every time -- and I’m not sure even the upcoming Mac mini redesign can change that fact.