--- title: What is DarkWake on a Mac? description: DarkWake is a Mac running with the display off. How to read it in pmset -g log, and how Keep Mac Awake keeps a closed MacBook working. date: 2026-11-14 kicker: pmset log section: The closed lid, explained related: power-nap-wake-for-network-access, caffeinate-lid-closed, macbook-not-sleeping-lid-closed --- > **Short answer:** DarkWake is the state in which a Mac runs its processor, disk and network with the display and sound off. A sleeping Mac wakes into it for seconds at a time for Power Nap, maintenance that macOS scheduled or network traffic, then sleeps again; a Mac on its way to sleep also passes through it, and on AC power a system-sleep assertion can hold it there. In `pmset -g log`, `DarkWake from Deep Idle` is a short wake from real sleep and `Entering DarkWake state` is a sleep that was blocked. To keep a closed MacBook working on a task, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake: `keepmacawake start --hours 8` keeps it awake for that session and restores normal sleep afterwards. ## What does DarkWake mean on a Mac? DarkWake is a wake with the display off: the Mac computes, reads the disk and uses the network, but nothing lights up and no sound plays. The name comes from Apple's developer documentation and power management source. When a Mac goes to sleep from normal use, Apple's kernel does not drop straight to sleep: "If system is in full wake, first enter dark wake by converting the power drop to a capability change", then it drops the graphics and audio capabilities ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L6460)). From dark wake the Mac goes on to sleep, usually within seconds. The letters of a log line show it. A dark wake shows `[CDNP]`: CPU, disk, network and push notifications; a full wake adds V for video (the display) and A for audio, as in `[CDNVAP]`. [Why did my Mac wake up?](/tools/mac-wake-reasons) explains every letter and wake reason. ## What runs in a dark wake? macOS's own background work, and on AC power whatever a system-sleep assertion keeps running. Four kinds, as of November 2026: - **Power Nap.** "When your Mac goes to sleep, Power Nap activates periodically to update information" ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/turn-power-nap-on-or-off-mh40774/26/mac/26)). These are the `SleepService` wakes. What it updates is in [Power Nap and Wake for network access, explained](/blog/power-nap-wake-for-network-access). - **Maintenance that macOS scheduled.** System services book wakes from the real-time clock; the `Wake Requests` line in the log names them, such as `mDNSResponder` with `info="DHCP lease renewal"`. Apple's kernel: "Both Maintenance and SleepService alarms are dark wake", while a wake you schedule for a set time is a full wake ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L4719)). - **The network.** Wake for network access wakes a Mac "briefly so users can access shared services" ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchle41a6ccd/26/mac/26)); the kernel names a wake that is not maintenance a "non-maintenance (network) dark wake" ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L9350)). - **A closed lid held by an assertion.** Apple documents that the PreventSystemSleep assertion "allows the system to reside in Dark Wake for an arbitrary length of time" ([Apple developer docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/iokit/kiopmassertiontypepreventsystemsleep)). caffeinate -s creates it, and Apple's man page says it "is valid only when system is running on AC power" ([man caffeinate](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/d415e45501842834a280930c3eed9186544a67f0/caffeinate/caffeinate.8)). Apple's power daemon notes that "PreventSystemSleep assertion and its linked types are the only ones that can keep the system in S0dark" ([PMAssertions.c](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/dc081c6cca8184bd1f49987ac70a800f2b19b0de/pmconfigd/PMAssertions.c#L5177)), so caffeinate -i does not hold a closed lid. Details in [does caffeinate keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed?](/blog/caffeinate-lid-closed) ## How do I see DarkWake in pmset -g log? Run `pmset -g log` in Terminal; it only reads, so it needs no `sudo`. Only the sleeps and wakes: ```sh pmset -g log | grep -E "DarkWake|Entering Sleep" ``` Four lines from a MacBook asleep on battery, November 2026, with one list of hardware codes shortened: ```text 2026-11-01 19:08:59 +0100 DarkWake DarkWake from Deep Idle [CDNP] : due to NUB.SPMI0.SW3 nub-spmi0.0x02 rtc/Maintenance Using BATT (Charge:15%) 6 secs 2026-11-01 19:09:05 +0100 Sleep Entering Sleep state due to 'Maintenance Sleep':TCPKeepAlive=active Using Batt (Charge:15%) 337 secs 2026-11-01 19:14:42 +0100 DarkWake DarkWake from Deep Idle [CDNP] : due to smc.sysState.Wake(0x70070000) wifibt ... ARPT/ Using BATT (Charge:15%) 30 secs 2026-11-01 19:15:12 +0100 Sleep Entering Sleep state due to 'Maintenance Sleep':TCPKeepAlive=active Using Batt (Charge:14%) 8 secs ``` The first wake came from the real-time clock for maintenance and lasted 6 seconds, then the Mac slept for 337 seconds. The second came from the Wi-Fi hardware, with codes Apple does not document, and lasted 30 seconds. The kinds of line are easy to mix up: | Line in `pmset -g log` | What happened | Did the Mac stay awake for your work? | | --- | --- | --- | | `DarkWake from Deep Idle ... due to ...` | A sleeping Mac woke with the display off for system work, then slept again | No, it was a short wake from real sleep | | `Entering Sleep state due to 'Maintenance Sleep'` | Back to sleep after that dark wake | No | | `Entering DarkWake state due to 'Clamshell Sleep'` | The lid closed, the sleep was blocked, and the Mac kept running with the display off | Yes, while the assertion held | | `DarkWake to FullWake ... due to Notification` | A dark wake turned the display on | Only until it goes dark again | powerd writes `Entering DarkWake state` instead of `Entering Sleep state` only when an assertion blocks the sleep; Apple's comment reads "Log to asl only if there are assertion that can prevent system from going into S3/S4" ([PMConnection.m](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/dc081c6cca8184bd1f49987ac70a800f2b19b0de/pmconfigd/PMConnection.m#L2462)). So never read a `DarkWake from` line as proof that a Mac stayed awake. To check what holds a Mac awake right now, assertions and settings, see [what keeps a Mac awake](/blog/what-keeps-a-mac-awake). ## Why does my Mac wake up at night? Mostly for dark wakes: Power Nap, maintenance and network traffic, each usually seconds long, with the display off. A Mac asleep for a night can log dozens of them. They are part of normal sleep. When the display lights up, it is a full wake: the lid, a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, or a notification. Apple's guide to unexpected wakes points to Wake for network access ("Other users may be waking your Mac remotely to use its shared resources") and suggests setting it to Never if you do not need it ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/if-your-mac-sleeps-or-wakes-unexpectedly-mchlp2995/26/mac/26)). To name every wake on your Mac, paste `pmset -g log` into [Why did my Mac wake up?](/tools/mac-wake-reasons); to see the charge those wakes cost, paste it into [MacBook battery drain while sleeping](/tools/macbook-battery-drain-sleep). If a closed MacBook never seems to sleep at all, see [MacBook not sleeping when the lid is closed](/blog/macbook-not-sleeping-lid-closed). ## Does a dark wake keep my work running with the lid closed? A maintenance or Power Nap dark wake does not: it runs macOS's own work for seconds, and with the lid closed the kernel sends the Mac back to sleep as soon as it can, unless an external display and power are connected ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L9323)). A dark wake held by caffeinate -s does keep processes running, on AC power only and only while caffeinate runs; unplug the adapter and the Mac sleeps. Apps that listen for sleep were still told the system is going to sleep: the kernel acts "before notifying clients that system will sleep" ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L6632)), so an app that pauses on that notice pauses. ## What to use To keep an agent, a download or a build running on a MacBook with the lid closed, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): `keepmacawake start --hours 8` keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake for that session, with no external display, and restores normal sleep afterwards. It does not hold the Mac in dark wake: it holds no power assertions and turns on the system-wide `SleepDisabled` setting, the one `pmset disablesleep` controls, for one session; in Apple's kernel source that setting "pegs the system at full wake" ([IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp#L7831)). It runs on AC power by default, and on battery too if you allow it, down to a floor you pick; a separate watchdog restores normal sleep if its background service or the system service stops or hangs. It does not wake a sleeping Mac, so start the session before you close the lid. More on [keeping a MacBook awake with the lid closed](/). Other options: caffeinate -s keeps a closed MacBook running in dark wake on AC power only, while caffeinate runs. `sudo pmset disablesleep 1` works on battery too, but is system-wide, has no timer, battery floor or watchdog, and stays on even after a restart until `sudo pmset disablesleep 0`. Apple's closed-display mode needs an external display, power, a keyboard and a mouse ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102501)). Every way, with its limits, is in [how to close a MacBook without it sleeping](/blog/prevent-macbook-sleep-lid-closed). > **Careful:** A closed MacBook that is awake still makes heat. Keep it on a hard surface with airflow, never in a bag or under a pillow. ## FAQ ### Is DarkWake normal on a Mac? Yes. A sleeping Mac logs dark wakes for Power Nap, maintenance and the network, and in Apple's kernel source a sleep from normal use passes through dark wake for a moment. Many short `DarkWake from` lines overnight are ordinary. ### How do I stop my Mac from going into DarkWake? You can cut their number, not end them: set Wake for network access to Never, as Apple suggests, and turn off Power Nap where your Mac offers it, both in System Settings > Battery > Options on a MacBook. macOS still books some maintenance wakes. ### What is the difference between DarkWake and Power Nap? DarkWake is the state, a Mac running with the display off. Power Nap is one feature that uses it, to update Mail, Calendar and iCloud while the Mac sleeps; maintenance and network wakes use it too. ### Does Keep Mac Awake use DarkWake? No. Keep Mac Awake, the first choice for keeping a closed MacBook awake for a task, holds no power assertions: it turns on the `SleepDisabled` setting for the session you start, then puts it back, so it works on battery too if you allow it. ## Sources - [Apple open source: IOPMrootDomain.cpp](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/xnu/blob/ac9718fb1af618d5ce8678d0dc6e8a58f252216f/iokit/Kernel/IOPMrootDomain.cpp) (full wake to dark wake to sleep, dark wake alarms, the lid, `SleepDisabled`) - [Apple open source: PMConnection.m](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/dc081c6cca8184bd1f49987ac70a800f2b19b0de/pmconfigd/PMConnection.m) and [PMAssertions.c](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/dc081c6cca8184bd1f49987ac70a800f2b19b0de/pmconfigd/PMAssertions.c) (when powerd logs a dark wake, which assertions hold it) - [Apple open source: man caffeinate](https://github.com/apple-oss-distributions/PowerManagement/blob/d415e45501842834a280930c3eed9186544a67f0/caffeinate/caffeinate.8) - [Apple developer docs: kIOPMAssertionTypePreventSystemSleep](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/iokit/kiopmassertiontypepreventsystemsleep) - [Apple Support: Turn Power Nap on or off on Mac (macOS 26)](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/turn-power-nap-on-or-off-mh40774/26/mac/26) - [Apple Support: Set sleep and wake settings for your Mac (macOS 26)](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchle41a6ccd/26/mac/26) - [Apple Support: If your Mac sleeps or wakes unexpectedly (macOS 26)](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/if-your-mac-sleeps-or-wakes-unexpectedly-mchlp2995/26/mac/26) - [Apple Support: If your external display is dark or low resolution](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102501) - [Keep Mac Awake: command line](https://keepmacawake.com/command-line.md)