Keep Your Mac Awake on macOS Sonoma

On macOS Sonoma (14), sleep settings are in System Settings > Energy Saver on desktops or System Settings > Battery > Options on laptops. Changing them to "Never" works but is all-or-nothing. Shake It On keeps your Mac awake with smart conditions so it only stays on when you need it.

Where to find sleep settings on macOS Sonoma

On desktop Macs (iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro), go to System Settings > Energy Saver. You'll find a slider for "Turn display off after" which controls how long your Mac waits before dimming and sleeping.

On MacBooks, go to System Settings > Battery > Options. Laptops have separate settings for battery and power adapter behavior.

What's different about macOS Sonoma

Sonoma is the minimum macOS version required by Shake It On. Sleep settings are in the same location as Sequoia. Lock Screen settings moved to their own section in System Settings.

Why changing settings isn't enough

You can set the display timeout to "Never" on macOS Sonoma, but that's a global change. Your Mac won't sleep on its own until you change it back. On a laptop, that means draining your battery if you forget. And if your IT department manages your Mac, these settings may be locked.

Shake It On on macOS Sonoma

Shake It On keeps your Mac awake on macOS Sonoma by moving the mouse at regular intervals. It works regardless of your Energy Saver settings, including on managed Macs where those settings are locked.

Smart conditions let you control when it runs: only during work hours, only when plugged in, only when a specific app is open. Set it up once and it handles the rest.

Tip
Shake It On requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. It runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
Keep your Mac awake on macOS Sonoma with smart conditions. $9.99 one-time. Get Shake It On for $9.99
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Shake It On lives in your menu bar and uses organic mouse movement to prevent sleep. Set it once and forget it.
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