How to Keep Your MacBook Awake: Tips and Tricks

The MacBook is an incredibly powerful and versatile machine, designed to help people work, play, and create without interruption or distraction. However, sometimes we need our MacBook to stay awake and working for longer than usual. Perhaps we’re rendering 3D animations, running automated scripts, or simply watching a movie or listening to music without having to constantly move the mouse or tap the keyboard. Whatever the reason may be, keeping our MacBook awake can sometimes prove challenging, especially if we’re not familiar with the various power-saving features and settings that come with macOS.

Fortunately, there are several easy and effective ways to make your MacBook not sleep, no matter what task you’re performing or how long it takes. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular methods, including adjusting energy-saving preferences, using third-party apps and utilities, and running command-line scripts. Whether you’re a professional designer, a software developer, or a casual user who wants to binge-watch their favorite series without interruptions, these tips and tricks will help you keep your MacBook awake and ready at all times.

How to Keep Your MacBook from Going to Sleep

1. Adjust Your Energy Saver Settings

One of the easiest ways to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep is to modify your Energy Saver settings. To access your Energy Saver preferences, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver.

From there, you can adjust the amount of time your Mac stays idle before the display goes to sleep, as well as when your hard drive goes to sleep and when your computer goes to sleep. By increasing these times, you can ensure that your MacBook doesn’t go to sleep too soon.

2. Use Video-Playing Software

If you want to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep while you’re watching a movie, you can use video-playing software, such as VLC media player. Simply open VLC and start playing your video, and your MacBook won’t go to sleep.

3. Keep Your Charger Plugged In

Another way to keep your MacBook from going to sleep is to keep your charger plugged in. Your MacBook won’t go to sleep as long as it’s connected to a power source.

4. Disable Automatic Graphics Switching

If you’re using a MacBook with dual graphics cards, you can disable automatic graphics switching to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep. To do this, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver, and uncheck “Automatic graphics switching.”

5. Use a Third-Party App

There are several third-party apps that can prevent your MacBook from going to sleep. Some popular options include Caffeine, Amphetamine, and Nosleep. These apps allow you to easily and quickly turn off sleep mode on your MacBook.

6. Turn Off the Display Sleep Timer

If your MacBook is still going to sleep too quickly, you can turn off the display sleep timer. To do this, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver, and move the “Turn display off after” slider all the way to the right.

7. Disable the Screensaver

If you have a screensaver enabled, it can cause your MacBook to go to sleep. To prevent this, go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver, and select “Start after: Never” for both the screensaver and the screen saver “hot corner” options.

8. Keep Your MacBook Open

If you keep your MacBook closed while it’s connected to an external monitor, it may go to sleep. To prevent this, you can keep your MacBook open and disable the built-in display. To do this, go to System Preferences > Displays, and uncheck “Mirror Displays.”

9. Use Terminal Commands

If you’re comfortable using Terminal, you can use specific commands to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep. For example, the command “caffeinate” will keep your MacBook awake until you hit Control + C to end it.

10. Turn Off Power Nap

Power Nap is a feature that allows your MacBook to update itself and sync data while it’s in sleep mode. However, if you want to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep altogether, you can turn off Power Nap. To do this, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver, and uncheck “Enable Power Nap.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several simple ways to prevent your MacBook from going to sleep. From adjusting your Energy Saver settings to using third-party apps, these tips will help you keep your MacBook awake and productive for as long as you need it.

Section Two: How to Keep Your MacBook Awake

If you need your MacBook to remain awake for an extended period of time, there are a few things you can do to ensure it stays on. Here are some tips to troubleshoot and keep your mac awake:

1. Check Your Energy Saver Preferences

MacBooks have energy-saving settings that put them to sleep when they are inactive, by default. While this is a great feature for prolonging battery life, it can be frustrating if you need your MacBook to stay on for an extended period. To change your energy settings, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver. From there, you can adjust the duration of time before sleep mode activates, as well as other preferences.

2. Keep Your MacBook Plugged In

If you need your MacBook to stay on for an extended period and you have access to a power outlet, plug it in. This will prevent the MacBook from going into sleep mode due to battery depletion.

3. Use a Mouse or Keyboard to Resume Activity

Sometimes, MacBooks can go into sleep mode even when you are in the middle of working on something. This can be due to the inactivity of the touchpad on the MacBook or if you’re using an external monitor. By using an external mouse or keyboard, you can wake the MacBook up from sleep mode and resume activity.

4. Avoid Closing the Lid

MacBooks will automatically go into sleep mode when you close the lid. If you need it to stay awake, avoid closing the lid. If you must keep the lid closed, you can connect an external monitor and keyboard to keep it awake and working.

5. Disable “Put Hard Disks to Sleep When Possible”

Another setting that can interfere with your MacBook staying awake is “Put Hard Disks to Sleep When Possible.” This feature can interfere with programs that require constant hard drive access, causing the MacBook to go into sleep mode. To disable it, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver > uncheck “Put Hard Disks to Sleep When Possible.”

6. Keep Your MacBook Cool

Overheating can cause a MacBook to shut down or go into sleep mode. Keep your MacBook in a cool place, and avoid getting it too hot. You can also use a cooling pad to prevent overheating if you need to keep the MacBook running for an extended period.

7. Use Terminal to Keep Your Mac Awake

Using the terminal can be intimidating, but it’s a powerful tool to keep your MacBook awake. To do this, open Terminal and type “caffeinate” followed by the return key. This will keep your MacBook awake until you manually end the process by pressing control+c.

8. Avoid Running Programs That Tie Up Your CPU

If running a program that exhausts your CPU, your MacBook may eventually go into sleep mode to protect the hardware. To prevent this from happening, avoid running heavy-duty programs or close them when not in use.

9. Keep Your MacBook Updated

Software updates can fix issues that cause your MacBook to go into sleep mode or shut down. Always keep your MacBook up-to-date with the latest OS and software updates.

10. Use Third-Party Apps

Finally, several third-party apps help keep your MacBook awake. One such app is Amphetamine, which provides a variety of options to keep your MacBook from going to sleep. Other third-party apps to consider include Caffeine, NoSleep, and InsomniaX, to name a few.

Easy Methods to Stop Your MacBook from Sleeping

In our previous section, we talked about the importance of keeping your MacBook up and running. In this section, we’ll show you how to prevent your MacBook from sleeping with easy methods.

Adjusting Your Energy Saver Settings

The Energy Saver control panel on your Mac allows you to customize your computer’s sleep settings. This feature automatically puts your MacBook to sleep to conserve battery life. However, if you want to avoid your MacBook from sleeping, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple icon on the top-left corner of your screen
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu
3. Click on Energy Saver
4. To customize your Energy Saver settings, adjust the sliders that appear under the Battery and Power Adapter tabs.
5. Drag the “Turn display off after” slider to Never.

Use Terminal to Override Sleep Function

Terminal is an app on your MacBook that allows you to access the Unix command-line interface. Using Terminal, you can disable the sleep function entirely. Here’s how:

1. Click on the Launchpad icon in your dock, type Terminal in the search bar, and click to open the app.
2. Type in the following command: “sudo systemsetup -setcomputersleep Never” and hit Enter.
3. Your MacBook will no longer go to sleep mode, even if it’s left idle.

Using Third-Party Apps

Several third-party apps can prevent your MacBook from sleeping or customize the Energy Saver settings. Here are a few options:

1. Amphetamine: This app keeps your MacBook up and running for an indefinite amount of time, preventing the computer from sleeping, and customized Energy Saver settings.
2. Caffeine: This app is a simple, free tool that prevents your MacBook from going to sleep when you close the lid.
3. InsomniaX: A powerful, easy-to-use app that prevents your MacBook from sleeping when you need it.

Keep MacBook Running with Running Applications

If you’re busy downloading a large file or a batch task, you can prevent the MacBook from sleeping by keeping an application running. This method is simple and effective.

1. Open the App or application.
2. The Application will keep your Mac awake for the duration until you stop the task or close the application.
3. Stop the Application when you’re done.

Adjust Your Screen Settings

The screen settings on your MacBook play a huge part in saving battery life. If you’re not using your MacBook, you can adjust the screensaver settings to avoid sleeping.

1. To customize your screen saver, head back to System Preferences, select Desktop & Screen Saver.
2. Under the Screen Saver tab, adjust the “Start after:” slider to never.

In conclusion, with these easy steps, you can learn how to stop a MacBook from sleeping. There are several ways to prevent your MacBook from sleeping, including customizing your Energy Saver settings, using Terminal, using third-party apps, running applications, and adjusting your screen settings. Choose a method that works best for your needs, and enjoy an uninterrupted session with your MacBook!

Thanks for Reading!

I hope you found this article helpful and that your MacBook will no longer sleep when you need it to stay awake. Remember, these tips are simple and easy to implement, so feel free to try them out and see which work best for you. And don’t forget to keep a lookout for more useful tech-related content on our site. Until next time, happy computing!