The M1 Mac Mini is Apple’s first Mac desktop with Apple Silicon chips. But, recently more and more M1 Mac mini users are experiencing weird display glitches. So, here is everything we know about M1 Mac mini external display issues and are possible methods to fix them.
M1 Mac Mini Display Issues
A recent report indicates that some M1 Mac mini users are experiencing issues with their external displays. Basically, if you are experiencing this error, your M1 Mac mini won’t boot up its connected third-party display.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that this issue doesn’t affect all M1 Mac mini owners. However, there have been numerous complaints on Apple Support Communities and other tech forums since last year’s November when the Mac mini was first released.
According to some users, their displays won’t turn on even when connected to two different displays using two cables. Meanwhile, the problems also seem to appear on the latest version of macOS Big Sur.
While some users said that their screen won’t wake up every time it goes to sleep, others reported a black screen after the Mac mini wakes the monitor. Note that the reported external display still works perfectly with other machines. Besides, whether you are using Thunderbolt, HDMI, or DisplayPort, the issue is affecting Mac users regardless of which port they use. So, the problem must come from the M1 Mac mini.
Apple Investigating M1 Mac mini External Display Issues
Until now, it is unclear what could be the cause of this external display problem. On the bright side, the internal memo from Apple states that it is looking into the problem. So, at least we know that Apple is aware of the situation now. But, the company still doesn’t offer any solution or an update to fix the problem yet.
How to Fix M1 Mac Mini Display Issues
Well, all we know is that this problem only affects the M1 Mac mini. And, it doesn’t matter which third-party display or cable you use. Luckily, some users have found a couple of workarounds to deal with this issue. Wait no more, here are the possible ways to fix M1 Mac mini external display issues.
Unplug and Reconnect your Display
The best fix we have found is to unplug the Thunderbolt cable and then plug it back. We suggest putting the computer to sleep first then wait for around two minutes before waking it up. After that, try unplugging and replugging the display to see if it solves the problem.
Disable Sleep Mode
Another possible way to fix the M1 Mac mini display issue is to disable sleep mode. Technically, if your machine stays awake all the time, then this problem cannot occur. So, follow these steps to disable sleep mode on M1 Mac mini:
- Open System Preferences on your M1 Mac mini.
- Click Energy Saver.
- Change the “Turn display off after” to “Never”.
Yes, we know that disabling sleep mode is not an ideal solution, especially if you don’t use your Mac mini for long periods. However, it is still an option in case you don’t want to keep disconnecting your display cable.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it’s not clear what is causing the issue. But, we guess that this is only a macOS Big Sur bug, which can be fixed easily with a future update. For now, you still have to deal with this issue by using the above methods to get your external display working in the meantime. Let’s hope that Apple will fix this issue soon. We’ll update this when a more permanent fix is available as soon as possible.
Are you experiencing the same display issues? Let us know in the comments
11.3.1 does not fix the problem.