# KeepingYouAwake

> Menu bar utility that stops a Mac from going to sleep

KeepingYouAwake is a small open-source menu bar utility that prevents a Mac from entering sleep mode, either for a preset duration or for as long as it is switched on. It is a wrapper around caffeinate, the command line tool Apple ships with macOS, and it can turn itself off when the battery level is low. Its developer, Marcel Dierkes, built it in 2014 as a replacement for the Caffeine app and publishes it under the MIT license.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Marcel Dierkes (since 2014)
- **Website:** https://keepingyouawake.app
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

KeepingYouAwake is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app is open source under the MIT license, downloaded from the website or GitHub or installed with Homebrew. Its pages show no price, purchase step or paid edition.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KeepingYouAwake | $0 | The complete utility with every setting, as a direct download with no account or license key. MIT licensed. |

Read from https://github.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with KeepingYouAwake before buying.

## Key features

- **One-click activation:** One click on the menu bar icon stops the Mac from going to sleep, and it stays that way until the app is deactivated or a chosen duration ends.
- **Activation durations:** Sleep can be blocked for a pre-defined length of time instead of indefinitely, and the list of durations can be customized in the settings.
- **Battery safeguards:** The app can deactivate itself when the battery level is low, and its Battery settings support Low Power Mode on compatible Macs.
- **Automatic activation rules:** Advanced settings activate it when an external display is connected, deactivate it while another user account is active, or quit the app when a duration ends.
- **URL scheme:** Links such as keepingyouawake:///activate and keepingyouawake:///toggle switch it on or off from scripts and other apps.
- **Display sleep and notifications:** An option lets the display sleep while the Mac itself stays awake, and on macOS 11 or newer the app can post notifications.

## Good for

- Mac users who need the computer to stay awake for a set time
- People who used Caffeine and want a maintained replacement
- Anyone who wants a small single-purpose utility at no cost

## Worth knowing

- macOS only. Version 1.6.8 supports macOS 10.13 and newer, and the changelog says the next release, 1.6.9, raises the minimum to macOS 12.
- It does not keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed: it works on desktop Macs and on portable Macs with an open lid.
- It only prevents sleep, by wrapping Apple's caffeinate tool; the developer says it is provided with no guarantee and used at your own risk.

**Tags:** Menu bar app, Open source

## Alternatives

- [Microsoft PowerToys](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys): Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/keepingyouawake-vs-microsoft-powertoys)
- [AlDente](https://toolgpa.com/tools/aldente): Charge limiter and battery care app for MacBooks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aldente-vs-keepingyouawake)
- [Hammerspoon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hammerspoon): Free, open-source macOS automation scripted in Lua. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hammerspoon-vs-keepingyouawake)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://keepingyouawake.app/
- https://github.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake/main/CHANGELOG.md
- https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/keepingyouawake

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/keepingyouawake
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).