Shut down or sleep?

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Level 1

4 points

Shut down or sleep?

Hi guys,

I hope you’re doing well!

I had a quick question about my Mac and was wondering if you could help. I’m not sure whether it’s better to put my Mac to sleep or to shut it down when I’m not using it, especially overnight but then use it in the morning. I use it everyday in different times of the day for example (morning before school, at school 3 hours, then 6 hours not using it and then at night)

Does putting it to sleep cause any harm over time, or is it okay to just leave it like that regularly? I want to make sure I’m taking care of it properly and using the best option for long-term performance.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,

Nick

MacBook Air, macOS 15.3

Posted on Mar 24, 2025 2:06 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

150,006 points

Mar 24, 2025 5:54 AM in response to nick958delta

Letting a Mac sleep causes no harm. Neither does shutting it down.

I want to make sure I’m taking care of it properly and using the best option for long-term performance.

When you are not actively using your Mac, just ignore it. Walk away, shut its lid, or not. It makes literally no difference either way.

Macs work best when treated with benign neglect. It's not as though they need attention like some kind of exotic pet. Do you have an iPhone? Or even (shocking) some other kind of phone or similar device? Same idea.