Never sleep: keep your Mac awake with the lid closed
Normally a MacBook sleeps the moment you close the lid. Never sleep keeps it running — handy when it's docked to a display, finishing a download, or sharing files. It stays on until you switch it off.
Turn it on
Two controls change the same setting — use whichever is closer:
- Home — the Never sleep card (“Stay awake with the lid closed”) at the end of the recipe grid. Click Apply; the card's status changes from Off to On.
- Browse all › Power — Keep awake with the lid closed ADMIN: “Your Mac keeps running when you shut the lid — ideal docked to a display.” Flip the switch.
Star it to put it in the menu bar, or include it in a scene.
Turn it off
Hover over Applied on the Never sleep card and click Revert, or flip the switch in Browse all › Power. While it's on, it's listed in On now.
What it changes
It sets macOS's disablesleep power setting to 1, and switching off sets it back to 0.
That stops the whole Mac from sleeping, not only when you close the lid — though your display can still
turn off on its usual timer.
It's a system-wide setting, hence the ADMIN chip. The helper Mainspring's installer sets up makes the change without a password prompt. If the helper isn't there, macOS asks for your administrator password instead; cancel, and nothing changes.
Never sleep or Keep awake?
Never sleep is a lasting setting — it stays on until you turn it off, and needs admin rights. Keep awake is a timer: it holds off sleep for 30 minutes, an hour, two hours or a time you choose, then ends by itself, with no admin rights needed.
Everything in this guide is in Mainspring's free trial — no account needed, and every change can be undone in one click.
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