CaffeinateKeep your Mac awake.
A tiny menu bar app that stops your Mac from sleeping — for a set time, while an app runs, or even with the lid closed. Battery-aware, notarized, and free.
macOS 13 or later · free
What it does
One-click keep-awake
Flip the menu bar toggle. Your Mac stays awake until you turn it off.
Timed sessions
Keep awake for 15 minutes, 30, an hour, two — or indefinitely.
Closed-lid mode
Optionally keep running with the lid shut. No external display needed.
Battery-aware
Only-on-AC mode and a low-battery cutoff quietly protect your battery.
Heat-aware
Pauses keep-awake if your Mac gets too hot, and resumes when it cools. Strictest with the lid shut on battery.
Let the display sleep
Keep the system awake while still letting the screen turn off.
App triggers
Automatically stay awake while chosen apps are running.
Launch at login
Start with your Mac, optionally already activated.
A little life
A mug in your menu bar with steam that shimmers while it works.
Why Caffeinate
The caffeinate CLI
Built into macOS — but it's a terminal command with no interface, no timers, and no lid support.
Amphetamine / KeepingYouAwake
Capable apps, but Caffeinate folds in a battery-aware safeguard and true closed-lid mode in a simpler package.
Energy Saver settings
Fiddly, global, and easy to forget you changed. Caffeinate is per-session and reverts itself.
FAQ
Is it safe?+
Yes. Caffeinate is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple. Closed-lid mode uses a small helper that always reverts the setting when the app quits or crashes.
Will closed-lid mode overheat my Mac?+
Closed-lid mode is opt-in and per-session, and Caffeinate watches the system's thermal pressure: with the lid shut and running on battery it pauses keep-awake as soon as your Mac runs hot, then resumes when it cools. Plugged into a display it waits for critical pressure, so a docked Mac under load is left alone. The battery safeguards apply too.
Does it drain my battery?+
You can restrict keep-awake to AC power and set a low-battery cutoff that suspends it automatically.
What do I need?+
macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. It's free.
Made by
I'm Robert, a product & brand designer in Brooklyn. Caffeinate is a little thing I made on the side — if it earns a spot in your menu bar, a coffee is always appreciated.