Keep Your Mac Awake While Running Handbrake

Why your Mac sleeps while running Handbrake

Handbrake encodes can run for hours, especially for large video files or batch queues. It doesn't prevent macOS from sleeping during encodes.

macOS tracks idle time based on mouse and keyboard input, not CPU or app activity. If you're not actively moving the mouse while Handbrake does its thing, the idle timer counts down and your Mac sleeps.

Keep your Mac awake with Shake It On

Shake It On moves your mouse slightly at regular intervals, resetting the idle timer. It only runs when your conditions are met, so it activates when Handbrake is working and stops when you're done.

Best condition for Handbrake: Only Shake If CPU is above 30% (Handbrake pegs the CPU during encoding)

Quick setup

1. Install Shake It On and grant Accessibility permission
2. Open Settings from the menu bar icon
3. Under "Only Shake If," enable the condition: Only Shake If CPU is above 30% (Handbrake pegs the CPU during encoding)
4. Under "Paused When," enable "On battery" to save power when unplugged
5. For long overnight operations, enable "Allow display to sleep" in the General section so the screen turns off but the system stays awake