Keep a Mac awake for a set time — fixed spans on macOS
„Unlimited" is the most convenient value and the worst default. It moves the work onto a later self who will not think of it.
Why unlimited is the wrong default
A keep-awake with no end is a switch somebody has to turn off eventually. That somebody is the same person who turned it on and then went to do something else.
The consequence shows up in most people's history: a machine that was awake all night, a flat battery in the morning, and no job that benefited from either.
The fixed spans
Five, fifteen and thirty minutes for the short things: an update, a call, something that is nearly done. One, two and five hours for a stretch of work. Twelve and twenty-four hours for anything meant to run overnight.
That ladder is not a matter of taste. It covers the reasons people keep a machine awake, and turns the choice into a click rather than a calculation.
The custom timer
If none of the spans fit, you set your own in hours and minutes. That is the case for the train at 17:40, the backup that reliably takes three hours twenty, the exam that lasts exactly that long.
The span starts when you confirm it. Time remaining and end time then sit in the panel, so you do not have to work out what you meant.
What happens at the end
Toxin releases the assertion and, if it was on, lid mode. Afterwards exactly what is in your energy settings applies again — nothing is left rearranged.
The icon goes from filled to outlined. The state is therefore legible without colour, which keeps the same difference in greyscale print and for colour-blind readers.
Which span for which occasion
- Five to thirty minutes: an update, a call, a short job.
- One to five hours: a stretch of work, a video call, a talk.
- Twelve to twenty-four hours: backup, render, long overnight upload.
- Custom timer: when you know the duration and no span fits.
Common questions
Can I extend a running span?
Yes. A new span replaces the running one; the end time in the panel then shows the new value.
Are the spans part of Pro?
Yes. Free keeps your Mac awake indefinitely; the fixed spans, the custom timer and the time remaining are Pro, a one-time €4.99.
Picking a span takes longer than a permanent switch — exactly one second, and in exchange the remembering goes away. The feature list is on the home page.