MeowseDownload

Keep your Mac awake, for as long as you need

Downloads, renders, presentations and long builds shouldn’t stop because your Mac fell asleep. Keep Awake holds it awake from the menu bar, for a set time or until you turn it off.

Download for Mac1 MB

How to use it

  1. Click the Meowse icon in the menu bar.
  2. Choose Keep Awake For and pick 15 or 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours, or Until Turned Off. Keep Awake starts right away.
  3. The time left shows under Keep Awake, and a dot appears on the menu bar icon. Click Keep Awake to end it early.

When the time is up, your Mac goes back to its usual sleep settings. Next time, Keep Awake starts with the length you picked last.

Let the display sleep

Turn on Allow Display to Sleep in the Keep Awake For menu to keep your Mac running while the screen turns off as usual. It suits downloads and long tasks you don’t need to watch.

How it works

Keep Awake uses a macOS power assertion, the same mechanism as the caffeinate command built into macOS. macOS itself enforces a timed session’s end, so it always ends on time.

It prevents sleep from inactivity. Closing a MacBook’s lid or choosing Apple menu → Sleep still puts your Mac to sleep. Sessions end when Meowse quits, so your Mac never stays awake by accident.

The Terminal way

macOS can do the same from Terminal. This keeps the display awake for an hour:

caffeinate -d -t 3600

Keep Awake does it from the menu bar, shows the time left, and can’t be forgotten in a Terminal window.

Questions

Will Keep Awake stop my MacBook sleeping when I close the lid?

No. Keep Awake prevents sleep from inactivity. Closing the lid or choosing Sleep from the Apple menu still puts your Mac to sleep.

Is it the same as caffeinate?

It uses the same kind of macOS power assertion, with a menu, a countdown and an end time that macOS enforces.

Can I keep the Mac awake but let the screen turn off?

Yes. Turn on Allow Display to Sleep in the Keep Awake For menu, or in Settings → Awake.