Even though it is neither a common feature nor a suggested practice, wanting to keep your MacBook awake even when the lid is closed still is not a strange idea. However, this article suggests a few effective workarounds that can help your MacBook stays awake even when you have closed the lid. If you are curious to know effective tricks and troubleshooting methods to prevent your MacBook from falling asleep with a closed lid, this article is for you.
What Does Make Your MacBook Sleep When You Close the Lid?
There can be several reasons causing your MacBook gets to sleep when you close the lid. However, things become different when you try to get the desired situation with or without plugging in.
- When your MacBook is plugged in, a closed lid propels the Mac to fall asleep and helps in:
- Conserving energy
- Quick charging
- When you close the lid of your MacBook without plugging it in, it will fall asleep without conserving energy and will not charge quickly
- The reason for this sleeping pattern is because of the default setting you have already set. Furthermore, in the Setting app, you have turned off the display, and it makes the MacBook falls asleep whenever the system senses that the lid is closed
- Another possibility for your MacBook’s sleep is the use of an external monitor and keyboard
Is It Practically Possible to Keep Your MacBook Awake Even When You Close the Lid?
Yes, it is possible with a third-party app when you do not connect a monitor to the MacBook. Now, you need to create a desktop Mac when you connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to your MacBook.
How Can You Do It?
Now, you need to make some adjustments in the settings apps that can help your MacBook from falling asleep with the lid closed. Furthermore, you need to initiate a process by establishing a connection between the keyboard and your MacBook.
- Find the Apple icon in the upper left corner
- Click the Apple icon
- It will highlight a Mac
- Find the option, System Preferences
- Tap on it
- It will highlight System Preferences on a Mac
- Battery highlighted in MacBook System Preferences
- Click Power Adapter
- Move to MacBook battery settings
- It will highlight Power Adapter
- Click the slider
- Move it to Never
- You will see a check box indicating the display is off
- Click the Prevent Computer from sleeping
- It will highlight the prevent computer from sleeping in MacBook battery settings
- Additionally, plug your MacBook into the power
- Now, connect your MacBook to an external monitor with the help of an Adapter if needed
- Congrats! Now, you can easily close your MacBook without bothering about the external display turning off
If you are happy with the current configuration and want to continue in the future, then using a Mac sleep scheduler can be a good idea. Because it will let your MacBook sleep at night and stays awake in the morning working hours.
What Are the Upsides and Downsides of Disabling Sleep Mode?
Disabling the sleep mode saves battery life and improves the functional performance of your MacBook. It means:
- The lid is closed
- MacBook is still awake
- Did not go into a power-saving sleep mode
Here a few upsides and downsides of disabling Sleep Mode are mentioned. Let’s take a look:
Upsides of Disabling Sleep Mode
- When the system is in a running phase, it assures you that background tasks are working uninterruptedly. It can be helpful when you are downloading any app and it is going on in the background
- You don’t need to invest your precious early morning seconds waiting for your MacBook to wake up, as it is always running
Downsides of Disabling Sleep Mode
- When your MacBook remains continuously awake and running, it can drain its battery life. However, it depends on how frequently you are using it. Moreover, if you continue using your MacBook in the same manner, the possibilities are higher that it can shut down your laptop anytime by completely depleting its battery.
How Can You Re-Enable Sleep Mode?
It is for users who do not want to compromise on their MacBook battery’s health. Here is a step-by-step guide provided to re-enable sleep mode and run a macOS on your MacBook:
- Find the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen
- Open System Preferences
- Click on “Energy Saver”
- Untick the box next to “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off”
- Now, Click the lock icon; it will be in the bottom left corner of the window
- Enter your password to save and apply the changes
Also check: Fix The “Safari Can’t Find The Server” Error On Mac
How You Can Keep Your MacBook Awake With the Closed Lid Without a Monitor?
When you are not interested to plug in an external monitor, the only option you have left is to install a third-party app to stop your MacBook from sleeping with a closed lid.
Here are the simple steps to get the job done quickly and efficiently:
- Open the Apple menu
- Find the Apple logo at the top extreme of your screen
- Click on it
- It will open a drop-down menu
- Select “System Preferences
- Find the “Battery” icon,
- Click the green colored Battery icon near the bottom of your screen
- It will let you switch the “Power Adapter” tab
- Click on it to make adjustments in the settings
- Slide the “Turn display off after” to “Never”
- Alternatively, you can check the box that says “Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off” to prevent it from sleeping when you close the lid
Now, you can sleep anytime, keeping your Mac stays awake even with a closed lid where some downloading is going on in the background. However, if you do not want to keep it going, you can make changes to the preferences by selecting “Sleep”
Take an Alternative Route: Install an App to Prevent Your MacBook’s Sleep
It is another option you can try. You can avail of this option when you are no longer interested in using the trick of keeping your MacBook awake while connecting with an external monitor. Now, the other route you can try is, installing an app that prevents your MacBook from falling asleep when you might be sleeping. It is not always about downloading the apps in the background; it can be listening to music in the absence of a flashy display. So, if your preferences align with this approach, an app might be your best option.
Here are your best options that will not prevent your Mac from entering sleep mode when the lid is close. They are highly-rated apps and are free to use:
- Insomniac
- Caffeinated
- Amphetamine
Also check: How To Clear Cache Of Safari Browser On Macbook
Final Words
Hopefully, this document will have helped you in deciding your move regarding your preference and available options. The useful information provided in this article aims to meet your customized needs. Choosing the sleep function is good for your MacBook’s battery health; however, if you are still determined to keep it awake and running even when you are idle, then you can use the options provided above. You can use an external monitor to help with the purpose or can install the app specifically designed to meet the user’s personalized needs and requirements. You can also use a few built-in options in macOS that allow you to disable sleep when the lid is close.
