Keep Mac awake during a presentation: no black screen on macOS
You have been talking about the same slide for ten minutes, answering a question, pointing at the screen. And then it goes black.
Why it happens mid-talk
When you present, you talk, but you do not type. macOS only counts key presses and mouse movement. Ten minutes on one slide are, to the system, ten minutes in which nobody is at the computer.
Keynote and PowerPoint usually keep the display on themselves in presentation mode. Slides in a browser, a PDF in Preview or a live demo often do not, and that is exactly where it catches you.
What you do not want beforehand
Changing the energy settings just before the talk is the worst fix. You have to change them back afterwards, and you forget, because your head is on the talk, not on System Settings.
Nor do you want to wiggle the mouse during the talk. The audience sees every pointer that suddenly sweeps across the slide.
One span for the length of the talk
With Toxin you choose a span before you start that covers the talk and the questions afterwards, say one or two hours. Display and system stay on for that long, whether or not anyone types.
When the span runs out, whatever System Settings say applies again. There is nothing to change back after the talk.
One glance is enough
Toxin lives in the menu bar and has no window that could slide onto the projector. The icon is filled while the session runs.
The panel shows the time remaining and the end time. One glance tells you whether the span lasts until the end of the questions.
Before the talk
- Start a span that covers the talk and the questions.
- Plug in the power adapter if the talk runs long.
- Silence notifications, for example with a Focus.
- Check once: icon filled, time remaining fits.
Common questions
Do I need Toxin when I present with Keynote?
Usually not, as long as the presentation runs in presentation mode. As soon as you switch to another app or present from a browser, a session is worth it.
Does Toxin keep the projector on too?
Toxin keeps the Mac and its display awake. As long as the Mac sends a picture, the projector gets one too. Toxin cannot change the projector’s own power-saving settings.
A black screen mid-sentence can be avoided without thinking about settings before the talk. Toxin keeps your Mac awake for the span you choose — a menu bar app for macOS, not on the Mac App Store yet.