Mainspring Guides

Step-by-step help for every part of Mainspring — each screen, button and switch in the main window, plus the menu bar. Every guide is checked against the app itself (version 3.3.1), so what you read is what you'll see.

Start here Recipes Power-ups Power & sleep Network Mac settings with their own controls Scenes & automations Account & help

Start here

Install Mainspring, find your way around, and make it yours.

Getting started with Mainspring Install, start the free trial, and make your first reversible change. A tour of the main window The sidebar, search, the “on” counter and everything else on screen. Personalize Mainspring Three questions that decide which recipes and power-ups are suggested. Sidebar › Personalize Search every power-up Find any recipe, power-up or tool by describing what you want. Top bar › Search Favorites and pinning to the menu bar Star what you use most — it's pinned to Favorites and the menu bar. Sidebar › Favorites On now: see and undo everything you've changed Everything you've turned on, on one screen, ready to undo. Sidebar › On now

Recipes

Bundles of power-ups you apply with one click and undo with another.

Apply and revert a recipe Apply a bundle of power-ups in one click — and undo it just as fast. Sidebar › Home › Tune your Mac Every recipe, and exactly what it changes All 9 recipes and the exact power-ups inside each one. Sidebar › Home Suggested for you and the Suggested card Why Mainspring suggests what it does, and how to act on it. Sidebar › Suggested

Power-ups

The individual switches and sliders behind every recipe.

Browse all: every power-up, filters and Advanced Every power-up and tool, with filter chips and the Advanced switch. Sidebar › LIBRARY › Browse all Use power-up switches What flipping a switch does — and the Run and Allow… buttons. Sidebar › Browse all Power-up reference: every setting Mainspring can change Every power-up, slider and power setting, with the macOS setting behind it. Sidebar › Browse all Use the sliders Dock size, magnification, and pointer speeds past Apple's maximum. Browse all › Dock · Finder · Trackpad

Power & sleep

Keep your Mac awake, lock it for cleaning, and tune power settings.

Never sleep: keep your Mac awake with the lid closed Keep a MacBook running with the lid shut, until you switch it off. Home › Never sleep Keep awake: stop your Mac sleeping for a set time A timer that keeps your Mac and screen awake, then lets go. Browse all › Power › Keep awake Clean Mode: lock the keyboard and trackpad to wipe your Mac Lock keyboard and trackpad for a timed wipe-down. Hold Esc to exit. Browse all › Power › Clean Mode Turn the display off after: set your screen's sleep timer Pick how long before your screen turns off — 1 minute to never. Browse all › Power › Turn the display off after Power settings: Power Nap, Low Power Mode and wake behaviour Power Nap, Low Power Mode and three wake settings, as switches. Browse all › Power

Network

Test, repair and steady your connection.

Check your Wi-Fi and test your speed Signal and noise at a glance, plus Apple's built-in speed test. Browse all › Network Fix My Internet: the classic repair sequence in one click Flush DNS, renew DHCP and restart Wi-Fi — step by step. Browse all › Network › Fix My Internet Hotspot mode: keep a tethered connection from dropping Stop your iPhone hotspot idling out while you work. Browse all › Network › Hotspot mode Faster DNS: switch to Cloudflare or Google DNS and back Cloudflare or Google DNS in one click — and back to yours after. Browse all › Network › Faster DNS Low-latency Wi-Fi: stop ping spikes on calls and games Stop periodic lag spikes by pausing AirDrop's side-channel. Browse all › Network › Low-latency Wi-Fi

Mac settings with their own controls

Dark Mode, Hot Corners, screenshots, hidden folders, the lock screen and window tidying.

Switch Dark Mode on and off Flip the whole system between light and dark. Browse all › Display › Dark Mode Set up Hot Corners Pick an action for each corner of your screen. Browse all › Mission Control › Hot Corners Change where screenshots are saved Save screenshots to any folder instead of the Desktop. Browse all › Screenshots › Screenshot folder Show the hidden Library folder Make ~/Library visible in Finder — and hide it again later. Browse all › Finder › Show the Library folder Private folders: hide folders from Spotlight and Finder Keep chosen folders out of Spotlight, Recents and sight. Browse all › Finder › Private folders Add a lock-screen message: “If found, call…” Put an “If found, call…” note on the login and lock screen. Browse all › Privacy › Lock-screen message Tidy windows for a call Minimize everything but what you're presenting — then restore it. Browse all › Privacy › Tidy windows for a call

Scenes & automations

Save whole setups and let Mainspring switch between them for you.

Scenes: save a setup and switch your whole Mac in one click Save a whole setup as a scene and switch to it with one click. Sidebar › SCENES Automations: switch scenes automatically Switch scenes when you plug in, open an app, or at a set time. Sidebar › Automations

Account & help

Your trial and licence, the menu bar, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Free trial, buying and activating your licence The one-day trial, the $29 licence, and activating on up to 3 Macs. Top bar › Unlock — $29 The Mainspring menu bar panel Favorites, recipes and quick tools, one click from the menu bar. Menu bar › Mainspring icon Troubleshooting: messages, permissions and undo Warning banners, permissions, undoing changes, and getting help. Top of the window › Warning banner

Everything here is in the free trial

Download Mainspring and follow any of these guides on your own Mac. The free trial unlocks everything, with no account needed.

Try Mainspring free →

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