Troubleshooting Wake On LAN on a Mac

Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot issues when trying to wake a Mac.

Before you begin: Hardware Requirements

First, confirm that you meet the hardware requirements for using Wake on LAN:

Confirm that the computer is on a wired network (not WiFi). Wake On LAN is not supported for Mac hosts on a wireless network.
Make sure the host is in Stand-by, sleep, or hibernation (ACPI specification S3 or S4) mode.
You cannot wake a Mac that is powered off.

Adjust the Power Management settings in a System Configuration file

Check the Power Management settings on the Mac you want to wake up.

Open Finder.
Navigate to SystemConfiguration by going to Go > Go to folder and typing /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/.
Open the following file: com.apple.PowerManagement.plist.
Set the <integer> Wake On LAN </integer> value to 1 for the following <keys>:
1. <key> AC Power </key>
2. <key> Battery Power </key>
3. <key> UPS Power </key>
Restart the Mac.
Result: Wake On LAN should be available.

Open Finder.
Navigate to Terminal by going to Go > Utilities and double-clicking on Terminal.
Result: The Terminal window is displayed.
Type pmset -g live.
Result: A table with settings and values is displayed.
Look for the value womp and verify that it is set to 1.
Result: If it is not set to 1, you can set it with the command sudo pmset -a womp 1.

What to do next:

Make sure the host is in Stand-by, sleep, or hibernation (ACPI specification S3 or S4). You cannot wake a Mac that is powered off.

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) standards:

S0 – System is fully powered on
S1 – Power on Suspend(POS): Power to the CPU and RAM is maintained.
S2 – CPU powered off.
S3 – Standby, Sleep or Suspend: RAM still has power
S4 – Hibernation: Memory is saved to the hard drive and the system is powered down.
S5 – Shut Down: The power supply still supplies power to the power button.

For additional information, visit the Apple support site.