A menu bar app for macOS 14 and later

Awake while it works. Asleep when it's done.

Awakly keeps your Mac awake while a download, export, build or talk needs it, then lets it sleep. One click in the menu bar, or rules that do it for you.

FreePro is $9.99, onceNo account

Your Mac doesn't know you're working.
It only knows you stopped typing.

After a few idle minutes it goes to sleep, whatever is still running.

No input forIdle for 10:00 Sleeps at 10:00 Asleep Kept awake Asleep, all done
  • Download24 GB game update 41%Stalled at 41%Done
  • Export18-minute film in 4K 63%Paused at 63%Done
  • SlidesShared on a video call Slide 14 of 32Dimmed mid-sentenceDone
  • BuildRunning overnight 213 of 380 filesDied at 2:04 a.m.Done

Ten idle minutes, and all four stop where they were. Awakly keeps it awake until the last one is done. Then it lets it rest.

01One click

Click the sun.
Your Mac stays up.

Awakly lives in your menu bar. The sun comes up while your Mac is kept awake, and sets as a timed session runs down.

  1. 1

    Click the sun

    The drop-down opens with everything in one place. Right-click the sun to start or stop without it, or press ⌃⌥⌘A in any app.

  2. 2

    Pick how long

    Fifteen minutes to eight hours, until a time of day, or until you turn it off. Keep the display on for a talk, or let the screen sleep while the work carries on.

  3. 3

    Watch it set

    The time left shows in the menu bar, and the sun sinks toward the horizon as the session runs down.

  4. 4

    Get a heads-up

    Five minutes before the end, a notification offers fifteen more minutes or an hour. Nothing ends by surprise.

02Automatic

Set it once.
Then forget it.

Rules start a session when something needs your Mac awake, and end it the moment it doesn't. Every automatic session names what started it.

A session you start yourself always wins. Rules never replace or shorten it, and take over again once it ends.

  • An app is open

    While Final Cut Pro is open

    Keep exporting with the screen asleep, and sleep when the app quits.

  • An app is in front

    While Xcode is in front

    Awake while you work in it. Switch away, and the Mac sleeps on its usual timer.

  • A slideshow is on

    While Keynote presents

    The display never dims mid-talk. PowerPoint works the same way.

  • A display

    While a display is connected

    Docked at your desk? Stay awake until you unplug.

  • A connection

    While the VPN is connected

    Remote sessions and long transfers stay alive for as long as you're on.

  • A Wi‑Fi network

    On the studio Wi‑Fi

    Awake on one network, like the office, and asleep everywhere else.

  • A schedule

    Weekdays, 9:00 to 17:00

    Working hours, overnight windows, or any days you pick.

  • A calendar event

    During events called “Render”

    Any busy event, or only events with a word in the title.

  • Activity

    While the CPU or network is busy

    Averaged over two minutes, so a spike doesn't start a session and a lull doesn't end one.

  • Power

    When you plug in

    Start a session as the adapter goes in, and end it when it comes out.

03Lid closed Pro

Close the lid.
Keep working.

Keep a MacBook running with the lid shut, on battery, with no display attached. No helper to install, no administrator password.

  • On by default

    Low battery

    Sleeps below 30% battery, so the job never drains it flat.

  • On by default

    Too hot

    Sleeps when macOS reports a serious thermal state.

  • On by default

    In a bag

    Lid shut, on battery, no display and no sound for 10 minutes? It sleeps.

  • On by default

    After 4 hours

    Or 8, or 12. Raise the limit, or turn it off for the long jobs.

It always lets go. When a session ends or you quit Awakly, closing the lid sleeps your Mac again. If Awakly ever crashes, it turns lid sleep back on as soon as it reopens.

04Diagnostics Pro

Why won't my Mac sleep?

See every app and system service keeping your Mac awake, what it prevents and for how long. Even while Awakly is off.

Terminal
pmset -g assertions
Assertion status system-wide:
   PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep    1
   PreventUserIdleSystemSleep     1
   UserIsActive                   1
Listed by owning process:
   pid 93(powerd): [0x00a8f4] 00:12:31 PreventUserIdleSystemSleep
   pid 2210(Final Cut Pro): [0x00b171] 01:32:08 PreventUserIdleSystemSleep
   pid 4120(zoom.us): [0x00b19a] 00:38:44 PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep
   pid 691(backupd): [0x00b1aa] 00:04:12 PreventUserIdleSystemSleep
   pid 381(WindowServer): [0x00b1b0] 00:00:00 UserIsActive
Kernel Assertions: 0x4=USB
   id=500 level=255 0x4=USB owner=AppleUSBHostPort
2 other apps keep your Mac awakeFinal Cut Pro, zoom.us
Hide
Final Cut ProPrevents system sleep
1 hr 32 min
zoom.usPrevents display sleep
38 min
1 system service keeps it awakeTime Machine
Hide
Time MachinePrevents system sleep · backing up
4 min

The same list pmset reads, named and grouped. Click an app to bring it forward.

05Everywhere on your Mac

Fits right into macOS.

One shortcut, anywhere

Press ⌃⌥⌘A in any app to start or stop a session. Record your own in Settings.

Shortcuts and Spotlight

Start, stop and check a session from a shortcut, an automation or Spotlight.

Control Center

Add Awakly to Control Center on macOS 26 and later. It lights up in any session.

Links for scripts and launchers

Start, stop or toggle a session from Raycast, Alfred or a script with awakly:// links.

Battery limits

End a session when the battery runs low, or stay awake only on the power adapter. Both apply to every session.

Your last 30 days Pro

Time awake each day, and what started each session. It never leaves your Mac.

The Focus filter Pro

Add Awakly to a Focus, like Work, to keep your Mac awake whenever it's on.

Light and dark

The drop-down and Settings match your Mac, or pick a side. Go on, try it on this page.

06Settings

Everything else,
in one calm window.

Eight tabs in plain words. These are screenshots of the real app: click a tab in its toolbar to look around.

Awakly Settings, General tab Awakly Settings, General tab Awakly Settings, Sessions tab Awakly Settings, Sessions tab Awakly Settings, Automatic tab Awakly Settings, Automatic tab Awakly Settings, Closed Lid tab Awakly Settings, Closed Lid tab Awakly Settings, Shortcuts tab Awakly Settings, Shortcuts tab Awakly Settings, History tab Awakly Settings, History tab Awakly Settings, Pro tab Awakly Settings, Pro tab Awakly Settings, About tab Awakly Settings, About tab

General. What clicking the sun does and the time beside it, the theme, and what happens at startup.

Sessions. The sun’s length, the heads-up before a session ends, the display, and the screen saver.

Automatic. Every rule in one list: what it waits for, and whether the display stays on. Then plugging in, the Focus filter and the safety limits.

Closed Lid. Closed-lid mode and its four safety limits, all on by default. Pro

Shortcuts. Record the keyboard shortcut, and copy the awakly:// links for scripts and launchers.

History. Thirty days of sessions, what started each one, and the battery it used. It never leaves your Mac. Pro

Pro. What Pro adds, acted out with Awakly’s own parts. One purchase, on every Mac you use.

About. The version, a way to rate Awakly, and who made it.

Calm by design.

Awakly does one job, quietly, and gets out of the way.

0fake clicks

Never fakes activity

Awakly holds the same power assertions as caffeinate. It never moves the mouse or presses keys, so it won't keep a chat status green.

0trackers

Private

No account, no analytics, no tracking. Your session history stays on your Mac.

0pop-ups

Quiet

No nagging, no cross-selling, no ads. Near-zero CPU while idle.

14+

Native

Built in Swift for macOS 14 Sonoma and later, native on Apple Silicon.

Pricing

Free. Pro once,
not monthly.

Free
$0

Everything you need to keep your Mac awake by hand, and one rule to do it for you.

  • Sessions from 15 minutes to 8 hours, or until a time
  • Display on, or let the screen sleep
  • Time left in the menu bar, and a heads-up before the end
  • Shortcut, Shortcuts, Spotlight and Control Center
  • Battery limits and plugging in
  • One automatic rule
Awakly Pro One-time
$9.99once

Everything in Free, plus the depth. Not a subscription, and yours on every Mac signed in to your Apple Account.

  • Every automatic rule
  • Closed-lid mode, with safety limits
  • The apps keeping your Mac awake
  • 30 days of session history
  • The Focus filter

Prices shown are for the U.S. Mac App Store and may vary by country or region.

Download on theMac App Store

Free to download. Unlock Pro in Awakly's Settings.

Questions, answered.

It keeps your Mac awake the same reliable way, with the same power assertions. Then it adds what Terminal can't: a sun in the menu bar, timers, rules that start and end sessions for you, a heads-up before the end, and a view of everything else keeping your Mac awake.

No. Awakly keeps your Mac awake, but it never fakes mouse or keyboard activity, so other apps can still tell you've stepped away.

Closed-lid mode comes with four limits, all on by default: your Mac sleeps below 30% battery, when it runs too hot, when it seems to be in a bag, and after 4 hours. When a session ends or you quit Awakly, closing the lid sleeps your Mac again. If Awakly ever crashes, it turns lid sleep back on as soon as it reopens.

Only as much as an awake Mac uses. Sessions end when the battery falls below 20% by default, and you can keep the Mac awake only on the power adapter. While idle, Awakly itself uses next to no CPU.

No. Awakly Pro is a single $9.99 purchase. It unlocks Pro on every Mac signed in to your Apple Account; on another Mac, open Settings › Pro and click Restore Purchases.

Everything in the menu bar: every session length, display or system mode, the time left, the heads-up before the end, the keyboard shortcut, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Control Center, awakly:// links, battery limits, plugging in and one automatic rule. Without Pro, Awakly still counts the other apps keeping your Mac awake.

Yes. Start Awakly Session, Stop Awakly Session and Get Awakly Status work in Shortcuts and Spotlight. There's also a Control Center control on macOS 26 and later, and awakly:// links for Raycast, Alfred and scripts.

Any Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, natively on Apple Silicon. Closed-lid mode needs a MacBook, and the battery limits show only on Macs with a battery.

No. There's no account, no analytics and no tracking. Your session history stays on your Mac, and Settings › History can clear it. Read the Privacy Policy for the details.

Keep it awake.
Then let it rest.

Free · Pro is $9.99, once · macOS 14 or later