Mac takes around 10 seconds to wake from sleep after macOS 27 update

Try PhDCricketer's suggestion to update.

If that doesn't work, try these AI suggestions as reverting to a former macOS is a PITA and may well not cure the problem. Gemini says:-

A 10-second delay waking from sleep after a major upgrade like macOS 27 Golden Gate usually points to a few specific causes: background tasks hung on wake, legacy background daemons/login items conflicting with the new system, Bluetooth device polling delays, or low SSD swap headroom.

Here is the systematic way to isolate and resolve it:

1. Check Activity Monitor directly after waking

Open Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor. Set the View menu to All Processes, then click the CPU column to sort by percentage.

Look for processes that spike immediately after opening the lid:

• mds / mdworker_shared: Post-upgrade Spotlight and Siri AI re-indexing. If the upgrade was done very recently, this is normal; leave the MacBook plugged in overnight to let it finish indexing.
• Third-party helpers: Outdated cloud tools, background monitoring agents, or auto-updaters often attempt to re-establish connections the second the system wakes, causing a display freeze.

2. Audit Login Items & Background Launch Agents

Major OS upgrades often leave orphaned background daemons that stall the initial user-session un-hibernate sequence.

1. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.
2. Under Open at Login, remove any non-essential background applications.
3. Under Allow in Background, toggle off legacy third-party utilities, menu bar helpers, or outdated synchronization agents to prevent them from executing at wake.

3. Clear System Caches via Safe Boot

A Safe Boot flushes system dynamic caches, clears temporary wake states, and rebuilds directory indexes.

• Apple Silicon (M-series): Shut down. Press and hold the Power Button until "Loading startup options" appears. Select the main volume, hold the Shift key, and click Continue in Safe Mode.
• Intel Mac: Shut down. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold Shift until the login screen appears.

Log in, restart normally, and test the wake behavior.

4. Test Bluetooth & Network Wake Triggers

Sometimes the delay isn't the OS waking, but the Mac waiting to handshake with paired peripherals or network connections before turning on the display:

• Go to System Settings > Bluetooth and temporarily turn Bluetooth off to see if the wake lag disappears (pinpointing a hanging connection to a mouse, keyboard, or headphones).
• Go to System Settings > Battery > Options and ensure Wake for network access is set to Never or Only on Power Adapter.

5. Check Free SSD Headroom

Golden Gate relies heavily on swap file management when resuming memory state from sleep. Ensure the internal drive has at least 15–20 GB of free space so the OS isn't throttling disk writes during the sleep-wake transition.

10 seconds to wake from sleep does not seem normal.

Note that it is possible that you are being logged out instead of your Mac just sleeping. The login process is longer than the wake up process. There is a 'hidden' setting that can cause that (not explicitly hidden, but not where you might think to look).

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Advanced (button at the bottom), and if the setting to Log out automatically after inactivity is on then toggle it off.

More generally:

Have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support

Those steps will help to isolate the problem.

It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 

Personally, I have a 16" M4 Pro MacBook Pro running macOS 27 Golden Gate. I just put my Mac to sleep then waited a couple of minutes, and after pressing a key it took about 1 second or a little less to unlock with my Apple Watch and fully wake up.

every inch of god wrote:

I'm having the same issue with my M5 MacBook Air. Sometimes it takes 15 seconds or more

I have noticed that if I use Touch ID while I'm waiting on my watch to unlock it it unlocks right away

I think 15 seconds is beyond the pale. (Even my PowerPC from the 1990s was better than that!) As Ian suggested, put some attention on peripherals. With my 2025 M5 MacBook Air (2026) and 2019 Macbook Pro (Tahoe), my wake ups from sleep are instant. But when an external Dell monitor (an old one) is connected, I see several seconds of the displays flashing, reconnecting and configuring ... but not 10 or 15 seconds, more like ~ 3 seconds. But without the external display, it is very fast. If my watch is unlocking the Mac, that can take a couple of seconds, like maybe 2 seconds. But 10-15 seconds is too long, something is off. Note also ... if you have one or more HDD attached, say for backups with Time Machine, when those HDD (mechanical drives) decide to spin up that can take 5 seconds or so. Again, I think 10-15 seconds is more than anything I have seen. But in the above laptops, when "bare" (no peripherals), awaken immediately.

I am wondering if some of the standard troubleshooting steps might provide a clue. Create a new user, log out and log in as the new user, and test. Also, back to the original user ... boot into Safe Mode and let the computer sit in Safe Mode for about 10 minutes, some housekeeping is being done. Then retest. These will help you to ascertain if the issue is due to something installed for the original user only, or something installed for all users.

You can also run Etrecheck and post its report: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211

In that report, pay special attention to the lists of background processes, launch daemons, other launch items, extensions, and login items. Etrecheck lists them all. Any items that are installed but not properly signed are worth investigating (Etrecheck lists them). Also think about if there are any clues in the Etrecheck lists of items that are using a lot of cpu, memory, etc.

If you have done migrations using Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant (especially multiple such migrations) then Etrecheck can find some potential culprits, including things left over or brought over from much older systems that can conflict with new versions of the macOS. In our new M5 laptop, Etrecheck found two outdated cache and plist files (dating back to 2010) buried in the high level System Folder. When these were removed and deleted, a minor issue was cured.

Setup:- M1 iMac, MacOS 27.0.1, Older Dell monitor in portrait mode (U2412M), via HDMI.

I tried booting in safe mode, but the problem continued. Now reboot to normal.

Now switch Dell monitor off, same apps loaded. Problem gone. So I guess the driver for the Dell monitor is showing its age?

With the Dell on, and waking from sleep, waking from sleep shows windows related processes >50 % CPU. No spinning beachball if I wake before the Dell goes into energy saving mode.

Not the end of the world. I'll put up with it now, knowing when the problem happens.

every inch of god wrote:

I’m not using any peripherals, I’ll try the troubleshooting options if this continues to be a problem, it doesn’t happen every time but it’s fairly regular, and it just started happening this week.

No external drives even, for Time Machine backups? External drives, if they are HDD (mechanical), can take several seconds to spin up when the Mac wakes up, and during those several seconds the Mac may not be responsive at all. If they are SSD, it should be much faster (nothing mechanical to spin up) but it can still take a few seconds.

Have you tried these AI solutions? If they don't work you can quiz AI as to why they haven't worked for you and if you persevere you will ultimately almost certainly solve the problem.

MacBooks should wake up instantly (within a fraction of a second to 1–2 seconds) when you open the lid, press a key, or touch the trackpad. 

Normal Behavior vs. Delayed Wake

• Instant Wake (Normal): When working properly, modern MacBooks (especially Apple Silicon M-series models) resume right where you left off almost immediately. 
• Delayed Wake (Abnormal): If your MacBook takes several seconds, lags, or displays a black screen before waking up, it is not working as intended. A delayed wake is usually caused by:
  • Hibernation / Safe Sleep Mode (standby-delay): After sitting asleep for a long time, macOS may write the contents of RAM to the SSD (hibernation mode) to save battery, causing a brief loading delay when you open it.
  • Connected Peripherals: Faulty USB hubs, docks, or external drives can block or slow down the handshaking process during wake-up.
  • Software Glitches or Corrupted NVRAM/SMC: Background processes, outdated cache, or system bugs can hang the wake sequence.
  • Third-Party Apps or Display Drivers: Certain utility apps can interfere with power management states.

Quick Fixes for Slow Wake-Ups

• Disconnect accessories: Unplug external hubs, monitors, or USB drives to see if a specific device is causing the hang.
• Restart your Mac: A fresh reboot clears out temporary RAM and background glitches.
• Check Energy/Battery settings: Go to System Settings > Battery (or Energy Saver) to adjust how and when your Mac transitions into deep sleep. 

I do have the same problem. After macOS 27 update waking up takes very long, usually 5-10 seconds (as everyone else). No incompatible software installed, no apps starting after logon.

Of course I tried restart and the issue still remains

No change after update to 27.0.1

It is MBP 14" 2021 M1 Pro (It's more than enough for what I do on it ;) ) but I see it affects newer HW too (reported to everyone with Apple silicon M2-M5)

Hope the issue will be found and fixed in some newer update of macOS 27

Originally I mentioned that my Macs take nearly 10 seconds to wake but apparently that is the third-party Monitors waking and not the Macs.

I have just checked my M4 mini using Tahoe and it takes around 10 seconds.

So, What are you think about this? Is it not a problem?

Thanks a lot! I am very happy to get your response❤️.But unfortunately the problem is still remain🥲

I'm having the same issue with my M5 MacBook Air. Sometimes it takes 15 seconds or more,

I have noticed that if I use Touch ID while I'm waiting on my watch to unlock it it unlocks right away

Is there a message about the connection being too weak?

I’m not using any peripherals, I’ll try the troubleshooting options if this continues to be a problem, it doesn’t happen every time but it’s fairly regular, and it just started happening this week.

Just download 27.2 update and your problem may be resolved instantly. Apple new ceo has corrected one blunder at least of his predecessor I guess.