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HOW-TO
Here’s how to stop your MacBook sleeping
when the lid is closed
Here's what you need to do if you want to stop your MacBook from sleeping when the lid is
closed and even turn on your Mac without opening the lid.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to use a MacBook
with the lid closed
How to stop a
MacBook from sleeping
with the lid closed
How to play music with
your Mac’s lid closed
How to continue a
download with a
MacBook lid closed
How to turn on the
MacBook with the lid
closed
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By Karen Haslam
Editor, Macworld NOV 10, 2023 8:36 AM PST
There are a lot of different reasons why you might want to use your
MacBook with the lid closed. You might want to plug into an external
display and move your MacBook out of the way to free up space on your
desk (although you could always use both screens). Alternatively, you
might want to download a software update or play music from your Mac
and have found that as soon as you close the lid the download or music
will stop.
If you want to stop your Mac from sleeping when you close the lid then
you’ll find out how to do that below.
One related problem you might come across if you are using your Mac
with the lid closed is that when it comes to turning your Mac on it would
seem that you have to open the lid to press the power switch… Luckily
there is a workaround for that scenario that you might find useful. So we
have also included advice about how to turn on your Mac without
opening the lid below.
How to use a MacBook with the lid closed
The good news is that using a MacBook with the lid closed is a lot
simpler than it used to be if you are using a newer Mac and a newer
version of the Mac operating system. In fact, if you are experiencing
issues using your Mac with the lid closed then it is likely that you could
address this by updating your Mac to a recent version of macOS –
assuming your Mac supports it (see our macOS compatibility checker).
The crucial ingredient is an external monitor.
1. Connect an external keyboard (can be wireless).
2. Connect an external mouse (can be wireless).
3. Connect an external monitor.
4. If you are using a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, make sure that
Bluetooth is on and that the peripherals are paired with the Mac.
5. After your Mac notebook’s Desktop appears on the external display,
close the computer’s lid.
6. Your external monitor may flash off for a moment but it will then
show your Desktop (you may need to wake your Mac by pressing a
key on the keyboard or moving the mouse).
7. You may find that your MacBook needs to be plugged in via the
power adaptor for the screen to appear on the external monitor, but
ours didn’t.
You can read more about using a second display with your Mac here.
But even with these settings, if you aren’t attached to an external
monitor closing the lid will cause the Mac to sleep.
What if you don’t want to plug in an external display?
Image: Foundry
How to stop a MacBook from sleeping with
the lid closed
Suppose you don’t want your MacBook to sleep when you close the lid?
Maybe it is busy downloading something and you don’t want it to stop,
but you need to carry it somewhere. Or maybe you’ve left it
downloading an update overnight or syncing your Time Machine
backup, and you’d prefer not to see the backlit keyboard. In another
scenario you might want to play music from the MacBook without having
to have the lid open–something likely to appeal to a few DJs.
The problem is that your Mac will go to sleep when you close the lid if
it’s not plugged in and connected to an external display.
EXPLORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How can I use my MacBook with the lid closed?
What are the steps to prevent my MacBook from sleeping when the lid is
closed?
Is there a way to download software or play music on my MacBook with
the lid closed?
How can I turn on my MacBook without opening the lid?
What is the workaround to press the power switch on a closed MacBook?
Ask your own question... A.I. Search
Prior to the changes that came with macOS Ventura there was an option
to set your Mac never go to sleep in System Preferences (macOS
Monterey or older).
In macOS Monterey and older
1. Open System Preferences.
2. Go to Battery (or Energy Saver).
3. Select ‘Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the
display is off’.
However, if you are running macOS Ventura or Sonoma this is no longer
an option. You could use Terminal to stop your Mac going to sleep
though.
In macOS Ventura, Sonoma and later
Finally, if you are running macOS Ventura or Sonoma you might be
wondering where the energy saver and battery settings are that you
need, and if it is still possible to set your Mac to sleep or wake at a
particular time. We answer those questions below.
1. Open Terminal
2. Enter the following command:
sudo pmset -a disablesleep 1
That should stop your Mac sleeping. However, a better option may be to
use a third-party app, such as Amphetamine or Caffeinated.
Amphetamine is a free download from the Mac App Store here.
Amphetamine keeps your Mac awake by overriding the Energy Saver
settings. We review Amphetamine here. Caffeinated is available on the
Mac App Store here for 99p, this app also overrides the Energy Saver
settings to keep your Mac awake, preventing your Mac from going to
sleep.
How to play music with your Mac’s lid
closed
You can use the free Amphetamine app to keep your Mac awake while
the display is closed, here’s how:
Once installed on a Mac you will find a pill-shaped icon in the menu bar
at the top of the screen. You can choose from options such as Start new
session While File is Downloading or While App is Running.
If you want to keep Music running with the lid closed, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Amphetamine icon in the menu bar.
2. Click on Quick Settings.
3. Beside Session, Defults deselect Allow system sleep when display
is closed.
4. Now choose While App is Running and select Music.
5. You will now be able to shut your Mac’s lid and continue listening to
Music.
Image: Foundry
How to continue a download with a
MacBook lid closed
You could also use Amphetamine if you wanted to download something
with the screen closed, but you can also set your Mac to wake for
network access, which should mean your Mac can still run updates in
the background even if it’s sleeping.
In macOS Ventura, Sonoma and later
1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to Battery.
3. Click on Options.
4. Make sure that ‘Wake for network access’ is set to always.
In macOS Monterey and older
There is a similar setting in Monterey and older you can use to make
sure downloads continue in the background.
1. Open System Preferences.
2. Go to Battery (or Energy Saver).
3. Choose ‘Wake for network access’.
See: How Apple has revamped System Preferences in macOS Ventura.
Image: Foundry
How to turn on the MacBook with the lid
closed
If your setup means your MacBook is attached to a display you will be
able to use it without having the display open–but what about when you
need to turn it on? At that point, you will need to open the lid to press
the Power button right? Not necessarily.
It’s easy to wake your MacBook from sleep without opening the lid – just
click or move the mouse or tap on the keyboard. But what if you want to
start the Mac up without opening the lid to reveal the power button?
Can it be done? It can! (Sort of)
macOS Ventura, Sonoma and later
In older versions of macOS it was possible to set your Mac to switch on
and off at certain times of the day. Unfortunately, this is no longer as
simple to set up.
To schedule your Mac to turn on or off in macOS Ventura or Sonoma you
need to use Terminal. Follow these steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. enter one of the following pmset commands:
pmset -g sched (See the current schedule).
sudo pmset repeat wake M 8:00:00 (Schedule your Mac to wake at
8:00 a.m. every Monday.)
sudo pmset repeat cancel (Cancel the current schedule.)
3. Press Return.
For more advice about how to do this consult Apple’s support page.
We also cover How to schedule your Mac to turn on and off separately
and How to set the power scheduler that disappeared in macOS
Ventura.
macOS Monterey and older:
There is a setting in Monterey and older that lets you set your Mac to
switch on at a particular time.
1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Battery (or Energy Saver in older versions).
3. Click Schedule.
4. Now click beside Start Up or Wake and choose the days and times
you want your Mac to start up. Note that the Mac will only turn on
when it is plugged into power – so you could just leave the Mac
unplugged, and then when you want it to start up, simply plug it in.
Image: Foundry
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the
Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency
prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and
discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and
breathes Apple.
Recent stories by Karen Haslam:
macOS Ventura compatibility: Can your Mac run macOS Ventura?
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