Keep the Mac awake from Terminal
caffeinate stops the Mac from sleeping for as long as you say, or until a command finishes.
Works on: macOS Big Sur 11 and later · checked on macOS Golden Gate 27
Published: · Source: SS64
When a long download, backup or build must not be interrupted by sleep, Terminal has a built-in answer:
caffeinateLeave it running and the Mac will not idle-sleep; press ⌃ + C to stop it. The variants are more useful:
caffeinate -t 3600 # stay awake for one hour
caffeinate -d # keep the display on as well
caffeinate -i make # stay awake until the command finishes
caffeinate -w 1234 # stay awake until process 1234 exitsThe last two are the ones to remember: the Mac stays awake exactly as long as the job needs, and returns to its normal sleep settings by itself when it ends.
-s keeps the whole system awake, but only while the Mac is on power.
man caffeinate lists every option.
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