How to Turn Off Sleep Mode on MacBook Pro

Macbook Pro in auto sleep mode

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Sleep mode on your MacBook Pro helps extend the length of its charge when running on battery. But sometimes, sleep mode gets in the way of tasks and productivity. In that case, disabling sleep mode is necessary. 

You can turn sleep mode off on your MacBook Pro permanently by toggling it in your Battery settings or temporarily with the “caffeinate” command in Mac Terminal. 

I’m Jon, an avid Apple tech geek, and owner of a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro. I’m always learning new tips and tricks on my Mac. So, I put together this guide on turning off sleep mode to make the process easier for you. 

So, let’s learn how to keep your MacBook Pro awake!

How to Disable Sleep Mode Completely

If you want to disable sleep mode on your MacBook Pro altogether, follow the steps below. 

Step 1: Click The Apple Logo

Locate the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen. Click on the logo to open the menu—select System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above), which is the second option down. 

. Click on system preferences

Alternatively, you can open System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) from your dock (or Launchpad). It is the gear icon. 

Click to open system preferences

Step 2: Open Battery 

Once the System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) window opens, find the Battery option. It should be near the bottom of the screen with a green battery logo in the bottom row. Click on the battery to open the window. 

Click on the battery

Step 3: Adjust The Settings

When the Battery settings open, locate the “Turn Off Display After:” slider near the top.

Turn Off Display After

Slide the selector to “Never” to prevent your Mac from sleeping permanently. Below the slider, there are a few helpful settings to look at. 

Depending on your Mac’s hardware specifications, you may or may not have all these options. You can toggle these to further optimize your battery life or performance. 

  • Put hard disks to sleep when possible: This setting will power down your hard drive when you’re not using the files stored there. 
  • Slightly dim the display while on battery power: dims the display when your MacBook Pro is unplugged. 
  • Enable power naps while on battery power: This setting enables your Mac to periodically wake up from sleep to perform specific tasks, like checking for new emails. 
  • Automatic graphics switching: Your MacBook chooses the best graphics mode to optimize battery life. 
  • Optimized video streaming while on battery: Your MacBook chooses the best video resolution while streaming to optimize battery life. 
  • Low power mode: The Mac reduces energy usage. 

How to Temporarily Turn Off Sleep Mode

If you want to temporarily disable sleep mode on your Mac, use the Terminal command “caffeinate.” As long as you have the Terminal window open and the caffeinate process running, sleep mode on your Mac is disabled. 

Step 1: Open Applications

Start by opening Launchpad. Once the window opens, click on Utilities. With the Utilities window open, find the Terminal app. Or, simply type “terminal” into the search in Launchpad. 

 Terminal app

Open the app to change the settings. 

Step 2: Adjust The Settings

In the Terminal app, type in “caffeinate” and press Enter. Your cursor will jump to a new line, and “caffeinate” will appear in the Terminal window title, next to your username. 

type in caffeinate

Once you’re ready to disable the running process “caffeinate,” simply close the Terminal window. When you attempt to close the window, a warning notification will pop up, asking you if you’d like to close the window. 

Click Terminate to disable the temporary sleep mode settings

Click Terminate to disable the temporary sleep mode settings. Once you close the Terminal window, your Mac will revert to sleep settings according to your Energy Saver settings in System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above). 

How to Schedule Sleep Mode

In some cases, it may make more sense to schedule sleep mode on your MacBook Pro. 

Step 1: Open The Apple Menu

Find the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen. Click on the logo to open the Apple menu. Select System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above). 

Step 2: Open Battery

Once the System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) window opens, find the Battery (green battery in the bottom row).

Step 3: Change The Settings

In Battery, click Schedule near the bottom left corner of the screen. After you click Schedule, you will be able to schedule your Mac to sleep at certain times. There will be two checkboxes: “Start up or wake” and “Sleep.” 

Check the box “Start up or wake.” Then, adjust the settings according to when you want to wake your Mac.

Click on start or wake up

And to schedule when to put it to sleep, check the box next to “Sleep” and toggle the day and time selections. 

click schedule

Once you change the settings to meet your needs, click Apply

 click apply

Now, your Mac will wake or sleep on the designated days and the specific times you selected. 

Conclusion

While you should leave sleep mode on most of the time, as it helps conserve your battery charge and increase its lifespan, you may want to disable this setting for multiple reasons. 

Whether you want to turn off sleep mode for specific times throughout the week, temporarily, or permanently, all it takes is a few minutes of your time. 

Why did you disable the Sleep mode on your MacBook Pro? Do you use the “caffeinate” command? Let us know in the comments below!

About Jonathon Jachura
Jonathon is a mechanical engineer with over ten years of experience. He is an Apple fan who currently holds a Macbook Pro (512 GB, 16GB RAM), iPad Pro 12.9", iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple Watch 3, and 4x Acer 23" monitors.

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