Waking up MacBook Pro 2019 in clamshell mode

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Waking up MacBook Pro 2019 in clamshell mode

I have a MacBook Pro 2019 on Sequoia that is connected to a Tobenone dock. The following devices are connected to the dock:

2 HDMI monitors
USB keyboard
Ethernet connection
Logitech USB webcam

When the MBP is connected with the lid closed, everything is working as expected. If I leave for a bit and come back, the MBP will have entered sleep mode. Upon moving the mouse or tapping a key, the two monitors come up but the MBP itself appears to be frozen and doesn't respond to anything, forcing me to hold down the power button to restart it.

As an experiment, the next time the MBP went to sleep, I first opened the lid to get the built-in display to fire up. After closing the lid at that point, everything works fine - no lag and nothing is frozen. Is this something I simply have to do each time or should the MBP be able to wake up properly with the lid still closed?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.7

Posted on Oct 31, 2025 1:00 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 1, 2025 11:43 AM in response to gs-scooter

gs-scooter wrote:

• I have a MacBook Pro 2019 on Sequoia that is connected to a Tobenone dock. The following devices are connected to the dock:

2 HDMI monitors

• USB keyboard

• Ethernet connection

• Logitech USB webcam

When the MBP is connected with the lid closed, everything is working as expected. If I leave for a bit and come back, the MBP will have entered sleep mode. Upon moving the mouse or tapping a key, the two monitors come up but the MBP itself appears to be frozen and doesn't respond to anything, forcing me to hold down the power button to restart it.

As an experiment, the next time the MBP went to sleep, I first opened the lid to get the built-in display to fire up. After closing the lid at that point, everything works fine - no lag and nothing is frozen. Is this something I simply have to do each time or should the MBP be able to wake up properly with the lid still closed?

There are reports of some issues/ glitches here —yes

To be proactive you can file a bug report / submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

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