Mac Studio crashes when sleep with Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

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Level 2

156 points

Mac Studio crashes when sleep with Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

I just spent hours troubleshooting my Mac Studio Ultra crashes whenever it goes to sleep. It will crash into a reboot loop and eventually the amber SOS light is on. Unplugged for a while and booted into recovery mode.

Turns out the crashes is caused by the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, even without any device connected to the adapter, simply just plugged into one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports.

After unplugged the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter with all others still plugged in, it can go to sleep without crashing (By the way, the light doesn't dim or fade while sleeping?)

The devices I have plugged in are Studio Display, LG 27" 4K via HDMI, Wacom tablet, two 3.5" external HD (WD Passport).

I can still plug the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter in to connect my two external RAIDs after the Mac Studio has powered up. But cannot let the Mac to go to sleep. Restarting the Mac also requires me to unplug the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

Mac Studio, macOS 12.6

Posted on Oct 14, 2022 4:33 PM

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Answer 1

karina184

Community Specialist

Oct 17, 2022 11:23 AM in response to Edmond Leung

Hey Edmond Leung,

We're happy to hear that you were able to isolate the issue. Thanks for letting us know! If you'd like to look into possible service options, reach out here: Get Support.

Have a great day.

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Answer 2

kamote0628

Community Specialist

Oct 15, 2022 5:58 PM in response to Edmond Leung

Hi Edmond Leung, We appreciate you reaching out to us. We understand that you are experiencing issues with your Mac Studio if you put it into sleep while your Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter is plugged.

We’d like to gather additional details that may help us be in a better position to assist you. Have you had the chance to try a different Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter?

If yes and you are experiencing the same issue, we recommend that you check if the issue persists when signed in on a different user account.

The article below can help if you do not have any other user account to test with.

Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

If you are experiencing the issue when signed in on a different user account, we recommend that you check if the issue persists while on safe mode.

Below is an article to help guide you through the process.

How to use safe mode on your Mac

Take care!

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Answer 3

Edmond Leung Author

Level 2

156 points

Oct 17, 2022 11:04 AM in response to kamote0628

Hello,

After following your steps to troubleshoot, I discovered that the crashes was due to a faulty Thunderbolt port on the Mac Studio. The 2nd one from the left when you are looking at the back of the Mac Studio.

It won't even connect to the Apple Studio Display while the other 3 ports in the back do.

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Mac Studio crashes when sleep with Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

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