Mac OS X 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) Slow to Sleep; Fixes

A number of users have reported an issue in which Mac OS X 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) is slow to go to sleep. In these cases, the system will stay awake for 30 seconds to several minutes before entering sleep mode.

Fixes

Check printer queue. This problem may be caused by items stuck in the print queue. Go to http://127.0.0.1:631/jobs/, which will show all current print jobs. Cancel any stuck items, then re-attempt sleep.

You should also go to Print & Fax in System Preferences and remove any printers that you no longer use.

Disconnect external devices. Errant external devices, particularly USB drives and other peripherals, as well as iPods, iPhones and iPads, can cause a delay in sleep. Disconnect any peripherals then re-attempt sleep.

Check for hung processes. Launch the Activity Monitor (click the Spotlight [magnifying glass] icon in the upper right corner of the screen and type Activity Monitor), then sort the items by the CPU tab. Quit any items not in use that are using significant processor time.

Feedback? info@appletoolbox.com.

Related posts:

  1. Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x) Graphics Update Fixes Portal, Aperture, StarCraft II Problems
  2. Slow Startup in Mac OS X 10.6.4; Fixes
  3. Problems After Snow Leopard Graphics Update 1.0
  4. Mac OS X 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) Cannot Connect to Wi-Fi
  5. Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x) Drops WiFi; Fixes
Posted: July 8th, 2010 | Author: ATB | Filed under: Mac | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

4 Comments on “Mac OS X 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) Slow to Sleep; Fixes”

  1. 1 Ivan said at 9:56 PM on July 9th, 2010:

    In my case the culprit is Safari 5.0. When left open system is slow to sleep. When I quit Safari prior to Sleep command, response time is typical.

  2. 2 Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard Slow to Sleep; Fixes AppleToolbox – Tools and Fixes for Mac OS X, iPad, iPhone and iPad « Chicago Mac/PC Support said at 8:34 AM on July 10th, 2010:

    [...] Slow to Sleep; Fixes AppleToolbox – Tools and Fixes for Mac OS X, iPad, iPhone and iPad Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard Slow to Sleep; Fixes AppleToolbox – Tools and Fixes for Mac OS X,….  Lists 3 great [...]

  3. 3 When Snow Leopard is slow to sleep | ZDNet said at 12:28 PM on July 12th, 2010:

    [...] a notebook to sleep, it’s likely that you want to get going and quickly. A post on the Apple Toolbox blog points out a number of culprits and remedies — the list ain’t [...]

  4. 4 Souki said at 2:58 AM on August 30th, 2010:

    Checking the printer queue solved my slow sleep problem. I deleted the stuck item and now my mac goes to sleep as if it were new.

    Many thanks :)

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