Mac mini M4 screen go black randomly

That's true will try to make a post. I already contacted the Apple support but their advice of reinstalling MacOS didn't fix the problem and now i am thinking of trying DFU reset because i think that something was messed up on the software i hope so

I got a Mac mini m4 base model a few days ago, and I am having the same issue on an Lg c2 TV, I tried several 2.1 HDMI cables and the screen kept randomly blacking out for a couple of seconds. I will be returning this mini PC tomorrow.

That's a good question. I am sure I tried this same USBC > DP cable before when I was having issues. I think I was using the middle port on the back before, so I tried the one closest to HDMI this time. Also I think since the last time I tried this the OS has gone from 15.4 to 15.5.

The cable is just something I got on Amazon, tried to go for a higher quality looking one but I am sure I tried this one before and I still got blackouts.

But it's truly weird how I've gone almost 2 weeks now and not had one single blackout. I even had a few on my old faithful Dell 28" 4K monitor over HDMI, which is what prompted me to try the bigger MSI again. I figured if I was going to have to suffer through blackouts might as well use my bigger monitor - and it's been rock solid ever since I swapped back.

I did shut the Mini totally down when I swapped monitors, so when it powered up it was already using the USBC > DP cable on the MSI monitor.I'm pretty sure I tried powering off though before and it didn't help.

Anyway I've probably jinxed myself now but so far so good.

Hi,

Have you tried running diagnostics to determine whether the port itself is faulty? If not, I would recommend starting there. It’s also a good idea to check for any software-related issues. While reinstalling macOS might be worth trying, it’s unlikely to resolve the problem if it’s "Firmware level deep".

In this case, the best solution would be to factory reset the Mac mini using DFU mode. This process will completely restore the firmware and macOS, ensuring that any software-related problems are eliminated. If the issue still persists after a DFU restore, it’s most likely a hardware problem.

Hope that makes sense!

You may be onto something regarding power spikes. Haven't monitored that closely since I never know when the screen is going to go black.

FWIW, per my other posts, the blackouts occur (at least for me) while using either HDMI or c/Thunderbolt cables. It doesn't matter which, it always happens to the "main" monitor.

I've been able to overcome it to some extent by swapping the monitor positions. IOW, it now happens to my right monitor instead of my left one which is, for me, where I do most of my work. If you sort comments by "newest" and scroll down a few you'll see what I did to accomplish that. It still happens, but only to my right monitor now so it's not as annoying.

Hope that helps until they get it sorted out.

[Edited by Moderator]

In my case, the ports in use are irrelevant. I've swapped out HDMI and Thunderbolt cables, switched ports on the Mini as well as my two LG 4K monitors and the blackouts continue to happen to the primary monitor no matter the configuration.

It's quite possible (probable?) that it's a software issue, but if it were a one-off software issue, it wouldn't be affecting everyone here IMO.

I tried 50Hz too and couldn't stand how jerky the mouse pointer and scrolling were. When I swapped to the USBC > DP cable, it defaulted to 144Hz and it's been rock steady now for a month. No idea why.

It sure seems like the M4 Mini has problems with the HDMI port. Mine has worked perfectly since I swapped to a USBC > DP cable. But I/we shouldn't have to do that because Apple put a defective HDMI port on these things. Now I've lost a USBC port to "fix" the problem.

This might be a shot in the dark but I was experiencing the same thing on a Mac Mini M4. There have been numerous fixes posted.

However, none worked for be until someone reported that remove the Zoom app fixed it for them. I had Zoom installed so installed it and all its supporting files and haven't had a screen "pause" since.

So, to make a long story short do you have Zoom installed? If so try deleting it (AppCleaner did a good job of it) according to the developer's instructions.

You can check to see if you've removed all of the supporting files by downloading and running the shareware app Find Any File to search for any files with the application's or the developer's name in the file name.  For the Zoom software you'd do the following search(es): 

1 - Name contains zoom

Any files that are found can be dragged from the search results window to the Desktop or Trash bin in the Dock for deletion.

FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.  

If you get warnings that the file can't be deleted because it is in use or used by another app boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and delete from there.

Note:  if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode.  This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will assure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

As I said it's a long shot but if you have Zoom it's worth a try. 🤞

I've had my Mac Mini for about 2 months, and I had the problem with blackouts from the start. After reading posts on this forum, I did some research on HDMI cables. There are several types of them and it is essential that you use the proper cable. In the case of the mac mini, you must use an "Ultra HIgh Speed" cable. There is a certification process, whereby the cable manufacturer can certify that the cable meets HDMI 2.1. Lowes home improvement carries Utilitech brand, and this cable is certified. Once I used this cable, I haven't had any issues. So here is a suggested troubleshooting plan for anyone who is still having this problem:

1. If you have 2 monitors connected with different cables, disconnect the non-hdmi monitor. Troubleshoot one at a time.
2. Check the cable to see what version of hmdi it is. Printing on the cable should say "Ultra High Speed Hdmi". If it says anything other than this, such as "High Speed", then replace the cable with "Ultra High Speed". The packaging for the cable should have a label that says certified.
3. If this doesn't solve the problem, I would take Old Toad's suggestion and notify apple via the feedback form immediately. At this time I would disconnect the hdmi cable and try one of the other methods. But be careful, you must use the proper cable. Even USB C cables can be different in terms of carryong data.

Someone below said that they use a USB C to display port connection, and that connection worked. So I'm thinking that this whole issue might be due to using the proper cables. I would like apple to get involved with this. If I am right, the instructions should clearly state what cables should be used, or better still, supply the proper cables with the computer.

I tried a half dozen high-end HDMI cables including Ultra High Speed ones. None of them worked.

In my case my older Dell 28" 4K monitor always worked fine over HDMI, my MSI 32" Gaming monitor is the one that blacked out all the time over HDMI. The MSI has worked perfectly with the USBC > DisplayPort cable. MSI tech support even told me they don't recommend their monitors with Mac Minis.

Whatever the issue is, there appears to be some dependency on the type of monitor as well.

I switched from HDMI to a Thunderbolt cable about a two months ago and no trouble since.

I think so too.

I tried 5 different HDMI cables and finally switched it over with a 40 Gbps USB-c cable, cured the problem so far. I tried all 5 HDMI cables with my TV and they all work.

Yes, have had no blackouts at all using the USBC > DP adapter. Same monitor would black out multiple times an hour using HDMI. I bought some pretty high-end 8K ultra high bandwidth cables and none of them helped. I think the HDMI port is defective and/or out of spec on the M4 mini and that's why there are so many reported issues with it.

Have a couple Samsung monitors that act up with my M4 Mac mini too. Suspect its a handshake issue of some kind either between Mac and monitor or a cable quality issue? I gave up on HDMI and switched to USB-C to DisplayPort because my monitors have that port. Can't say it solved the issue completely but has reduced it. I had a Dell monitor with built in dock and could never get a good reliable connection. Dell said that model series did not play nice with Mac's. They did offer me a firmware update that unfortunately did not help. Hard to say why something works for months and then doesn't? That is the frustrating part.