How to Stop Your Mac From Sleeping When the Display is Off - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

How to Stop Your Mac From Sleeping When the Display is Off

by

As a Mac user, you may have noticed that your Mac goes to sleep after a while whenever the display is off. This is default behavior in macOS, but you can prevent it from happening. Keep reading to learn how.

apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature blue
There are occasions when you might want your Mac to keep running with the display turned off. Maybe you want a large download to progress while you're away from your desk, or perhaps you have a program compiling, so you turn the brightness all the way down to zero to save energy.

Whatever the reason, you'll need to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep. Fortunately, you can do this pretty easily in macOS by following the steps below.

  1. Click the Apple () symbol in the top-left corner of your Mac's menu bar, then click System Settings....
  2. Using the sidebar, scroll down and select Displays.
  3. Click the Advanced... button.
    settings

  4. In the "Battery & Energy" section, toggle on the switch next to Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.
  5. Click Done.
    settings

Note that if you're using macOS Monterey or earlier, the same setting can be found in the Energy Saver panel of System Preferences.

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....