Should you shut your MacBook down every night, or is closing the lid enough? Many people are unsure. The short answer: closing the lid (sleep) is fine for daily use, but restarting now and then keeps your Mac fresh. This article explains the difference between shutting down, restarting and sleep, how to do them and when to choose which.
Blue Apple repairs MacBooks in Amsterdam. A MacBook that does not wake from sleep or turns itself off can be a sign that something is wrong; more at the end.
Sleep
Close your MacBook, or choose Sleep in the Apple menu, and it goes to sleep. It uses very little power, and when you open it you continue where you were within seconds. A fully charged MacBook loses only a few percent a day in sleep.
Suitable for: daily use, short breaks and overnight if you use it again the next day.
Restart
Choose Restart in the Apple menu. All programs are stopped, memory is cleared and macOS starts again. That solves many small glitches.
Suitable for: after an update, when your Mac is slow or behaves strangely, or simply once a week.
Shut down
Choose Shut Down in the Apple menu. The MacBook turns off completely and uses (almost) no power.
Suitable for: when you will not use it for more than a few days, when you send or carry it in a full bag, or before having it repaired.
"Reopen windows"
When restarting or shutting down, the Mac asks whether to reopen windows when you log back in. If you tick it, your programs and documents are ready again after startup. If a certain program is what makes it falter, untick it.
Handy shortcuts
- Control + Command + Q: lock the screen.
- Option + Command + power button: sleep (on Macs with a separate power button).
- Control + Command + power button: force restart, only when nothing else works.
Also read Ctrl-Alt-Delete on a Mac for when an app freezes.
What does restarting actually do?
A restart stops all programs cleanly, clears temporary files and empties the memory. After an update macOS finishes the installation during the restart. Small glitches, such as a Wi-Fi connection that does not come back or an app behaving strangely, often disappear by themselves.
Your MacBook gets hot in the bag
If your MacBook comes out of your bag warm, it did not go to sleep properly, for example because an app kept it awake or a device was connected. Check under Energy in Activity Monitor which apps prevent sleep. If in doubt, shut it down completely before putting it in a full bag.
When it does not work
- It does not wake from sleep: hold the power button a few seconds to turn it off, and turn it on again.
- It shuts off by itself: that can be a worn battery. See checking battery health.
- It does not turn on: connect the charger, wait a quarter of an hour and try again. If nothing happens, read MacBook will not turn on.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
If your MacBook shuts off by itself, does not wake or no longer turns on at all, we test the battery, the power button and the logic board. You hear beforehand what is needed. More on our page about MacBook will not turn on.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad never to shut my MacBook down?
No, but restart it now and then. That keeps macOS fresh.
How much battery does sleep use?
Little: usually a few percent a day.
Why does my MacBook turn on when I open the lid?
That is standard on newer MacBooks. It wakes from sleep or starts up.
