macOS service · Your keyboard, mouse and trackpad (macOS)
Why WindowServer keeps your Mac awake
WindowServer draws everything on screen and receives input. Each time you press a key or move the mouse, it creates a short UserIsActive assertion that names the device, which restarts the countdown to sleep. That’s you using the Mac. It becomes a problem only if a device keeps sending input on its own: a mouse on an unsteady surface, a stuck key, a faulty trackpad.
Checked on macOS 27.2.1 on a MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, 11 November 2026.
What you’ll see
| Type | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
UserIsActive | com.apple.iohideventsystem.queue.tickle … product:<device> … | Input arrived from the named keyboard, mouse or trackpad. Times out after 600 seconds here. |
PreventSystemSleep | com.apple.WindowServer.PUIDS | Seen briefly from WindowServer on this Mac. |
Check it on your Mac
Open Terminal (in Applications › Utilities) and run:
pmset -g log | grep WindowServer
Real output from the Mac we checked:
2026-11-11 16:51:17 +0200 Assertions PID 475(WindowServer) Created PreventSystemSleep "com.apple.WindowServer.PUIDS" 00:00:00 id:0x0x70000817d [System: PrevIdle PrevSleep DeclUser SysAct kCPU kDisp]
The UserIsActive lines look like “com.apple.iohideventsystem.queue.tickle serviceID:… product:<your mouse> eventType:17” and repeat with every bit of input.
Activity Monitor shows the same thing without Terminal: open its Energy tab and look at the Preventing Sleep column.
What to do
- Run
pmset -g log | grep UserIsActive | tail -20after the Mac failed to sleep. The product: part names the device that sent input. - Turn that device off or unplug it for one night and see if the Mac sleeps.
- For a Bluetooth device, also check the bluetoothd page.
See it without Terminal
SleepPilot, a menu bar app, lists every app that is keeping your Mac awake right now by name — audio through coreaudiod is shown under the app that plays it — and warns you when one holds the Mac awake for too long while nobody is using it. Each morning it can show what kept the Mac awake overnight.
Questions
Is it safe to quit WindowServer?
No. WindowServer draws the whole screen; quitting it logs you out.
Is WindowServer keeping my Mac awake normal?
Normal while you use the Mac. Worth a look only if it appears while nobody touches it.
Does WindowServer keep the display on?
Counts as you using the Mac, so neither the display nor the Mac sleeps.