AI said:
"That sounds more like a wake-from-sleep / wake-from-display issue than
a startup issue.
On a 2017 Intel Mac running macOS Ventura, a 10–15 second delay before
the password field becomes active is commonly caused by one of these:
* external drives or USB devices “hanging” wake-up
* network/login items trying to reconnect
* FileVault delay
* Mail or cloud syncing during wake
* corrupted power management settings
* failing SSD or low free space
* old Intel Macs struggling with Ventura
Here’s the order I’d check things.
__________________________________________________________________
1. Disconnect ALL external devices first
This is the biggest culprit surprisingly often.
Temporarily unplug:
* USB hubs
* external drives
* printers
* webcams
* SD cards
* dongles
Then:
* restart the Mac
* let it sleep
* wake it again
If the delay disappears, reconnect one item at a time.
External drives that are spinning up from sleep are especially
notorious.
__________________________________________________________________
2. Check free disk space
Ventura behaves badly when storage gets low.
Go to:
Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage
If free space is under about:
* 30–40 GB = possible slowdowns
* under 15 GB = very likely issue
__________________________________________________________________
3. Turn OFF “Wake for network access”
Go to:
System Settings → Battery → Options
Turn OFF:
* Wake for network access
Also turn OFF:
* Power Nap (if shown)
These can cause delays while networking wakes up.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Test without Mail running
Even though Mail isn’t a startup issue, it can hang during wake while
reconnecting accounts.
Try:
* quit Mail completely
* let Mac sleep
* wake it
If fixed:
* one email account may be stalling
* Exchange accounts are common offenders
__________________________________________________________________
5. Disable FileVault temporarily (test only)
FileVault can occasionally cause delayed login responsiveness on older
Intel Macs.
Check:
System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault
If ON:
* temporarily disable it
* test for a day
(Decryption takes time, so only worth trying if other fixes fail.)
__________________________________________________________________
6. Reset SMC and NVRAM
On Intel Macs this still matters.
Reset SMC (2017 MacBook/iMac Intel)
Shut down.
Then press:
* Shift + Control + Option
* AND power button
Hold 10 seconds.
Release and start normally.
Reset NVRAM
Start Mac and immediately hold:
* Option + Command + P + R
Hold about 20 seconds.
__________________________________________________________________
7. Check Activity Monitor after wake
Immediately after the lag:
Open:
Applications → Utilities → Activity Monitor
Look for:
* very high CPU
* “Not Responding”
* kernel_task spikes
* Mail
* Spotlight
* cloud storage apps
__________________________________________________________________
8. Ventura on 2017 Intel Macs
Ventura is near the upper limit for some 2017 Intel machines. They
often become sluggish after updates.
If everything else fails:
* a clean restart may help temporarily
* safe mode test is worthwhile
* reinstalling Ventura without erasing can repair corrupted system
files
__________________________________________________________________
9. Quick diagnostic question
One important clue:
Does the delay happen:
* ONLY after sleep/wake?
* or ALSO from a full restart?
If it’s sleep/wake only, power management or peripherals are most
likely.
If it also happens after reboot/login, storage or background processes
become more likely."
Rod Blitvich - Amy & Sam’s Dad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On 3 Jun 2026, at 11:38 am, STEPHEN CHAPE via WAMUG
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi folks.
My wife uses my previous iMac.
MacOS Ventura 13.7.8
2017 Model Intel i7
Just lately an annoying issue is happening.
When she taps a key to activate the screen (Mac is on) there is
delay.
Once the login box appears it takes about 15 seconds before the
password can be entered.
I have checked her startup apps and the only one is Mail.
But the Mac is not booting when it does this anyway … it is already
on.
Regards,
Stephen Chape
Mac by choice
Windows because my employer knew no better
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