Headless MacMini

I use a headless Mac Mini also and hope to see some good info here. Mine has a keyboard attached as well as a wireless mouse. Putting it to sleep with the keyboard is doable, but the only way I know to turn it off is to hold the power button until it goes off.

What I do is use some sort of VNC remote viewer software on another computer or an iPad (I use the free Mocha VNC Lite). Or, if you have another Mac use the built-in remote desktop. These solutions require remote access to be enabled on your Mac Mini. Then, just use the Shutdown menu item underneath the Apple menu. A keyboard or mouse isn't necessary for this.

What I do is use some sort of VNC remote viewer software on another computer or an iPad (I use the free Mocha VNC Lite). Or, if you have another Mac use the built-in remote desktop. These solutions require remote access to be enabled on your Mac Mini. Then, just use the Shutdown menu item underneath the Apple menu. A keyboard or mouse isn't necessary for this.

why not just set it to go to sleep after X hours of inactivity? I know there are some that say you need to turn off all of these sorts of options to achieve optimum sound, but I hear no difference in my modest system. Or, you can just leave it on all the time.

Do you have another computer and a home network?

Screen sharing works very well for me!

Are you logging in to the Mac Mini from another PC? If so, the terminal command "shutdown -h now" for halt or "shutdown -r now" for reboot. These are standard Unix commands.

If you have another Mac (10.5 or above) or an iPad or iPhone, you can remote into the Mini and control it as if you were sitting in front of it. There are two steps to get this working. The first step is to configure the Mini to allow screen sharing. Here are instructions if your Mini runs 10.6 (Snow Leopard):

Mac OS X 10.6 Help: Sharing your screen with other computer users

Instructions are similar if your Mini runs 10.7 (Lion):

OS X Lion: Share your screen with other computer users

The second step is controlling the Mini from another Mac:

Mac OS X 10.6 Help: Sharing the screen of another computer

OS X Lion: Share the screen of another computer

If you don't have another Mac, iPad or iPhone (heaven forbid), but you have a Windows computer, you can use VNC software. You still need to configure screen sharing on the Mini (first step above). Then, you need to get the VNC software on your Windows computer and configure it. Here are some good options:

http://www.wyse.com/products/software/mobility/PocketCloud
http://www.tightvnc.com
http://www.realvnc.com

I hope this helps!

This might be the simplest solution for shut down, but it requires a keyboard. If you press these four keys at the same time (Control-Option-Command-Eject), it will quit all apps and shut down the computer without any more interaction on your part. If you have any unsaved files open (unlikely if you're only using this as a music server), it will give you a chance to save changes.

I do control my mac mini with either an ipod touch or iphone and will try the screen sharing recommendation.
When I first got the mac I tried the VNC route but never got it to work as I'm not the most computer savvy guy. Maybe I'll get my 14-year-old grandson to set it up. ;)

I set mine to automatically shut down at 12:00AM and boot up at 3:00PM everyday. If I want to shut it down earlier, I use a VNC client from my iPad or iPhone to remote control it.

The auto shut down and boot up time can be set in:

System Preferences->Energy Saver->Schedule.

Good info. Will give it a try. Do I need to download an app to my iphone to control the mac mini with the phone?

Do I need to download an app to my iphone to control the mac mini with the phone?

Yes. I recommend PocketCloud which is free. It's easy to set up and is very secure.

Thanks for the link Mingles.

Got the pocketcloud app on my iphone and ipod touch. Works like a charm. I think I'll still use the apple remote app to control itunes but it is nice to be able to turn the machine off the correct way.
Thanks again Mingles.

There is a low-cost app called Rowmote that works well installed on an Iphone or Touch. It can shut down Pure Music, ITunes and the mac itself. Occasionally it will not work and I have to force a shutdown, but usually it works fine.