MacBook Pro M3 Wakes Too Fast for my Monitors, Wrecks Virtual Desktop Window Layouts

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MacBook Pro M3 Wakes Too Fast for my Monitors, Wrecks Virtual Desktop Window Layouts

Hello,

I'm looking for help related to external displays handling during wake from sleep on a MacBook Pro M3 Max (2023) with Sequoia 15.5.

When my Mac wakes from sleep, the external monitors seem to be too slow to power on and signal readiness. As a result, macOS assumes no displays are connected so it colapses all windows from my virtual desktops onto the built-in laptop screen or in one of the external displays.

Once the monitors do wake up, they are detected but my carefully arranged window layout is lost, requiring manual reorganization from scratch.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a known workaround, such as forcing macOS to wait longer before reconfiguring displays, or a way to preserve the window layout despite the delay?

MacBook Pro (M3 Max, 2023)

Posted on Jul 29, 2025 02:51 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 31, 2025 02:51 PM in response to monomalandro

The jumble of perviously-opened windows occurs when a display is so slow to appear, the Mac declares it dead. Then the active windows that would otherwise become inaccessible are moved to the edge of the nearest working display. seconds later, those dead display may become active, but it's too late. that's why I was asking about Docks.

What make&model display(s)?

many have additional inputs that could allow you to skip most adapters and get those displays up faster.

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Answer 2

Jul 31, 2025 07:53 AM in response to monomalandro

monomalandro wrote:

Hello,

I'm looking for help related to external displays handling during wake from sleep on a MacBook Pro M3 Max (2023) with Sequoia 15.5.

When my Mac wakes from sleep, the external monitors seem to be too slow to power on and signal readiness.

The current stable release of Sequoia including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 15.6 — I would start here

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Jul 31, 2025 07:59 AM in response to monomalandro

Do your REQUIRE your Mac to sleep?

Most Apple-silicon setups use very little power when idle, unless you have loaded it up with Chrome, Virus scanners, Bit Torrent, a VPN that you installed yourself, third-party speeder-uppers, Cleaners, Optimizers, and Brand-X file syncers.

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Answer 4

Jul 31, 2025 07:56 AM in response to monomalandro

Are you using Docking devices to support these displays?

Generally, they come up far too late to allow this to work elegantly.

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Answer 5

monomalandro Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 31, 2025 09:50 AM in response to leroydouglas

Hello,

I've been dealing with this issue for over a year now, so I doubt an update will solve it — but I'll update to 15.16 anyway, as I always do. I've tried multiple monitor brands and models, and the result is always exactly the same.

Thank you!

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Answer 6

Jul 31, 2025 10:39 AM in response to monomalandro

you refer to these as 'virtual desktops'.

If they are virtual desktops, and not related by their relative positions, why do you care what order they are in?

Are you using any Docks to connect these displays?

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Answer 7

monomalandro Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 31, 2025 12:57 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

you refer to these as 'virtual desktops'.

If they are virtual desktops, and not related by their relative positions, why do you care what order they are in?

Are you using any Docks to connect these displays?

I've tried connecting the external displays both directly using a USB-C to HDMI cable and via a USB-C docking adapter.

The virtual desktops—technically macOS “Spaces”—on those displays contain open documents and application windows. I don’t mind if the order of the desktops changes; that’s not a big deal. The real issue is that after waking up from sleep, all the documents and windows that were previously on those virtual desktops get consolidated onto a single screen, turning everything into a mess.

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Answer 8

Jul 31, 2025 02:54 PM in response to monomalandro

<< mostly contain Chrome windows, along with some Word and PDF documents. ..

How important to you is Chrome?

If you were running a different browser, power use would be so slow you could just dim the displays and walk away instead of a Sleep/Wake cycle.

Chrome is the biggest resource hog that is not blatantly malware.

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Answer 9

monomalandro Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 31, 2025 09:53 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Nothing fancy, my virtual desktops on the external displays mostly contain Chrome windows, along with some Word and PDF documents.

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