2 Steps To Sleep Vs Shut Down: Which is better for your Mac?

Every device needs rest. Similarly, even your MacBook needs some well-earned rest! Here is a question- after a hectic working schedule, when you decide to put your MacBook aside, what exactly do you do with it? Do you prefer to shut down or put it in sleep mode? Many have a habit of putting their systems, laptops, or MacBooks on sleep mode or shutting down and starting the work right from where they left off.

Whereas, there are also many who believe it is important to shut down MacBooks or I should say every device they use after the day’s work is completed.

Which is best for your MacBook; sleep vs shut down

1. Shut Down your MacBook

There are multiple reasons MacBooks and Windows laptops are accessed differently. Many believe that all MacBooks and Windows laptops are similar in functioning and hence prefer to shut down their Macs every time the work is over, just the way Windows users do it. This is highly untrue, and MacBooks are designed in a unique way regarding their hardware as well as their operating system or macOS.

Shut down your MacBook has various advantages. The main one is that your Mac’s battery is preserved when you shut it down. Moreover, shutting down your MacBook will allow it to close all the fragmented applications, documents, and software as well.

But did you know that shut down your MacBook will take more time to restart your system once you resume work? It may also ask you to wait till some important applications get updated. And it also puts a little stress on the motherboard, power supply, and internal supply.

Also, MacBooks run essential maintenance tasks automatically when they are on or in sleep mode. This gets prevented if you shut it down. That’s why I recommend shut down your MacBook only if you are not going to use it for a long period of time.

2. Letting your MacBook sleep

Many people ask me “is it ok to not shut down your mac?”. I always answer that it is better if you do not shut down your MacBook and rather put it to sleep. The major myth people have is that the battery drains if you do not shut down the MacBook. Did you know that iMac consumes around 43W of energy when working and 1.53W of energy in sleep mode? This much energy is required to keep the maintenance tasks going.

Even while in sleep mode, MacBooks update calendars, contacts, email, notes, iCloud Documents, Photos, etc. Also, did you know that the MacBook on sleep mode keeps the Find My Mac feature working? It also automatically installs software updates, performs scheduled machine backups, etc.

One of the most appreciated benefits of sleep mode is that it allows you to resume your work right from where you left off! You don’t need to open up thousands of tabs, files, and documents again, restarting your Mac from sleep mode will keep everything as it was.

Conclusion

Considering these benefits, I strongly recommend keeping your MacBook in sleep mode or shutting it down if you are going to resume work soon or another day. But if you are going to take a break from your MacBook access for a couple of weeks, then I recommend you shut it down.

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Vilas December 24, 2021 MacBook