Power settings: Power Nap, Low Power Mode and wake behaviour
Below the Power cards in Browse all are switches for macOS power-management settings — the kind normally changed with the pmset command. Each carries ADMIN because it changes a system-wide setting.
The switches
| Switch | What it does | pmset setting when on |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Power Nap | Stops background work (mail, backups, updates) during sleep. | powernap 0 (off: 1) |
| Low Power Mode | Trims performance to stretch your battery further. | lowpowermode 1 (off: 0) |
| Don't wake for network access ADVANCED | Keeps the Mac asleep instead of waking for incoming network requests. | womp 0 (off: 1) |
| Stop network keep-alive in sleep ADVANCED | Lets the network fully sleep (no push or Find My). | tcpkeepalive 0 (off: 1) |
| Wake when power is connected ADVANCED | Wakes the Mac the moment you plug in the charger. | acwake 1 (off: 0) |
The ADVANCED ones appear once you switch on Advanced at the top of Browse all.
Use them
- Flip a switch. With the helper Mainspring's installer sets up, the change is made at once, with no prompt.
- Without the helper, macOS asks for your administrator password. Cancel, and nothing changes — a banner tells you the change didn't happen.
A switch shows on whenever your Mac's current setting matches, however it was set. If you'd already turned Power Nap off in System Settings, Disable Power Nap already shows as on.
What each one trades off
- Disable Power Nap — saves power while asleep; mail, backups and updates wait until you wake the Mac.
- Low Power Mode — longer battery life in exchange for some performance.
- Don't wake for network access — the Mac stays asleep instead of waking when something on the network tries to reach it.
- Stop network keep-alive in sleep — the network sleeps fully, which means no push notifications or Find My while the Mac is asleep.
- Wake when power is connected — plugging in the charger wakes the Mac.
Stars, On now and scenes
Each switch has a ☆ to pin it to Favorites and the menu bar, and switches that are on appear in On now. A scene can turn them on — but switching scenes never turns a power setting off, so that you're never surprised by a password prompt. Turn it off here.
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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