Glossary
Dark wake
A wake where your Mac does background work with the screen off, then goes back to sleep.
What it is
Macs wake briefly while asleep to do maintenance: network upkeep, Power Nap tasks, checking mail, or answering a scheduled wake request. The display stays off, so you never see it. The power log calls these “DarkWake”.
Short dark wakes are normal. Problems start when something turns a dark wake into hours of the Mac being awake with the lid closed.
Why it matters
Frequent or long dark wakes are a common cause of overnight battery drain and of a MacBook that is warm in its bag.
In Activity Monitor
Not shown.
In iKnowMyMac
Sleep & Battery shows last night as a timeline of sleep and dark wake, with each wake's reason (read from the power log through the optional read-only helper).
pmset -g log | grep -i wakeLists wake events, including DarkWake lines and their reasons.
Know why your Mac is slow.
macOS 15 Sequoia or later · Apple silicon. A 4.2 MB native app, notarized by Apple. No account, no analytics, no telemetry.
One-time purchase · every feature · 14-day refund