Apple is investigating an issue with the appearance of “ pink squares ” on screens connected to the Mac Mini M1

In an internal memo this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple informed service providers that it is aware of and is investigating an issue that may cause “pink squares or pixels” to appear on screens connected to a Mac mini M1 .

This issue has been reported by users in the Apple Support Communities, MacRumors Forums, and Reddit since the Mac mini M1 launched in November, but the exact cause is unclear. Based on feedback from affected users, it appears that the issue is more common when connecting displays via HDMI compared to Thunderbolt.

Apple did not provide a specific timeframe for a fix. The memo was posted on February 19, more than a week after macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 was released, which doesn’t appear to fix the issue. It’s possible that a fix could be prepared in time for the release of macOS Big Sur 11.3, which has been in beta testing since February 2.

In the meantime, Apple has outlined the following troubleshooting steps:

• Put the Mac mini to sleep
• Wait two minutes and wake up the Mac mini
• Unplug the display from the Mac mini, then plug the display back in
• Adjust the screen resolution in System Preferences> Screens

If the problem recurs after restarting the Mac mini, Apple will ask you to repeat the above steps.

There have been various other external display issues with the Mac M1s in recent months, ranging from USB-C connection issues to some unavailable resolutions when using an ultra-wide or super-ultra-wide display.