Sleep timer for mac how to#

RELATED: How to Figure Out What's Preventing Your Mac From Sleeping After Sleep Comes StandbyДЄfter some time in Sleep mode, your Mac will enter вЂњstandby.вЂќ It works like hibernation mode on Windows PCs. ThereвЂ™s also a way to dig deeper into what may be preventing your Mac from sleeping using the Terminal application and a command-line program called pmset, but it requires more inside knowledge of how the Mac works under the hood than the Activity Monitor method listed above. You can either wait for the task to complete, quit the process, or Force Quit the process if it is not responding.

If any item in the list says вЂњYes,вЂќ then your Mac will not automatically sleep while that process is running. Look for the column labeled вЂњPreventing Sleep.вЂќ Open вЂњActivity MonitorвЂќ and click the вЂњEnergyвЂќ tab. One way to check for an active process that may be preventing sleep is by using macOSвЂ™s built-in Activity Monitor utility. If your Mac doesnвЂ™t go to sleep after the time you specified in Energy Saver preferences, then it is possible that network activity or an active process (such as an application or system background task) is keeping it awake. Click вЂњOK.вЂќДЄs a third possibility, if you never want your display to turn off-and you never want your Mac to sleep-set the вЂњTurn display offвЂќ slider to вЂњNever.вЂќ What to Do If Your Mac Refuses to Sleep Automatically Once you choose the вЂњPrevent SleepвЂќ setting, macOS will warn you that your computer вЂњmay use more energyвЂќ in a pop-up dialog. This is what keeps your computer from sleeping when the display is off. If you want your MacвЂ™s display to turn off after a period of time, but you donвЂ™t want your computer to go to sleep, use the вЂњTurn display off afterвЂќ slider.ДЄnd hereвЂ™s the key part: Make sure the вЂњPrevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is offвЂќ option is enabled by placing a check mark beside it. How to Automatically Turn Off Your MacвЂ™s Display without Sleeping

In that case, see the section on troubleshooting below. After the period of time you selected, the display will go dark, and the Mac should go into sleep mode soon afterward-unless something is holding up the process. Also, make sure that вЂњPrevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is offвЂќ option is not checked. If you want your Mac to automatically go to sleep after a certain period of time, locate the slider labeled вЂњTurn display off afterвЂќ in Energy Saver preferences.Дrag the slider to match your desired sleep time. Set your Mac to Automatically Sleep After a Period of Time What you do next in Energy Saver preferences depends on whether you want your computer to sleep or not to sleep after a certain period of time. Unfortunately, in more recent versions of macOS (such as macOS 10.15 Catalina), it is no longer immediately obvious how to get your Mac to sleep after a certain period of time.Д«ut fear not weвЂ™ll sort it out.

At some point, Apple combined these sliders into one to encourage people to let their computers sleep by default, thereby theoretically helping to conserve energy. Earlier versions of macOS included two sliders in this preference pane: one to set when the display turns off, and one to set when the computer goes to sleep. When trying to configure your Mac to automatically sleep, confusion often arises because the option isnвЂ™t spelled out in Energy Saver preferences. In System Preferences, click вЂњEnergy Saver.вЂќ If youвЂ™re looking for a way to configure when your Mac sleeps after a certain period of time, you need to visit the вЂњEnergy SaverвЂќ panel in вЂњSystem Preferences.вЂќ Click the вЂњAppleвЂќ logo in the upper-left corner of the screen and select вЂњSystem Preferences.вЂќ RELATED: How to Keep Your MacBook Awake While Closed For Automatic Sleep on a Timer, Visit Energy Saver If youвЂ™d like your MacBook to stay awake while closed, youвЂ™ll need to plug in an external display or use a third-party utility. Unfortunately, there is no setting in System Preferences to change this. Mac laptops automatically sleep when you close the lid to conserve battery life.

Sleep timer for mac