Awake
Stop your Mac from going to sleep on demand. Awake doesn't touch your Energy Saver settings — it just tells macOS "stay awake" while the mode is on, and lets macOS go back to its normal sleep behavior when you turn it off.
Modes
Use the selected power plan
The off state. macOS manages sleep exactly as it normally would. This is what's active when Awake is first enabled.
Keep awake indefinitely
Stays awake until you change the mode or turn Awake off. Good for long tasks where you don't know how long they'll take.
Keep awake for a time interval
Stays awake for a duration you choose with two steppers:
- Hours — 0 to 23
- Minutes — 0 to 59
Awake switches itself off automatically when the time runs out.
Keep awake until a specific time
Shows a date and time picker. Stays awake until the chosen moment arrives, then switches itself off. Handy for "keep awake until the end of my meeting" situations.
Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Keep screen on | When on, the display stays lit. When off, the Mac stays awake but the screen is allowed to dim or turn off — saves battery for background tasks. |
Tips
If you just need a download or backup to keep running and want to save battery, leave Keep screen on off. Your Mac stays awake but the screen can still dim or sleep.
- Downloads & backups: Use "Keep awake indefinitely" and switch it off when you're done.
- Presentations: Use "Keep awake for a time interval" set to the length of the session.
- Scheduled tasks: Use "Keep awake until a specific time" matching the job's end time.