Staylit
Staylit app icon

Keep your Mac awake.

A cup of coffee for your Mac. One click in the menu bar keeps it from sleeping for as long as you need, and not a minute longer.

Download on the Mac App StoreRequires macOS 14.6 or later

Go on, click the cup.

A Mac desktop with the Staylit menu open under the cup icon, showing 59 minutes remaining.

Features

Small app. Strong coffee.

Everything you need to keep your Mac awake, and nothing you don’t.

  • One click

    Click the cup in your menu bar to keep your Mac awake. Click again and it sleeps as usual.

  • Timers with a countdown

    Stay awake for 5 minutes up to 8 hours, or indefinitely, with the time left right in the menu bar.

  • Your own durations

    Add the times you actually use. Staylit remembers the one you picked last.

  • Let the display sleep

    Keep a download or build running while the screen turns off as usual.

  • Battery-aware

    Turns itself off when your battery drops below a level you choose.

  • Low Power Mode

    Steps aside the moment Low Power Mode turns on.

  • Launch at login

    Ready when your Mac is, and optionally switched on from the start.

  • Notifications

    An optional heads-up when Staylit turns on or off, and why.

  • Automation

    staylit:// links work with Shortcuts, scripts and your favourite launcher.

A closer look

Settings that stay out of your way.

Staylit Durations settings listing 5 minutes to 8 hours, with a field to add a new duration.
Pick your timesKeep the durations you use, add your own.
Staylit Battery settings: deactivate below 20% battery and when Low Power Mode turns on.
Smart about powerSteps aside on low battery or Low Power Mode.
Staylit General settings: launch at login, activate on launch, remember last duration, display sleep and notifications.
Set it onceStart active, remember your last pick, and more.
A Staylit notification: Staylit is off, battery dropped below 20%.
Always in the loopOptional notifications tell you when, and why.

Automation

Wake it from anywhere.

Staylit understands simple links, so Shortcuts, scripts, Raycast or Alfred can switch it on before a long job and off when it’s done.

# Stay awake for 30 minutes
open "staylit://activate?minutes=30"

# Also: seconds=… or hours=…, or no time for indefinitely
open "staylit://activate?hours=2"

# Turn it off, or flip it
open "staylit://deactivate"
open "staylit://toggle"

Private by design.

No accounts, no analytics, no network connections. Staylit collects no data at all. Read the privacy policy.

Questions

Good to know.

Will my screen stay on?

Yes, by default. If you only need your Mac to keep working, turn on “Allow display to sleep” in Settings and the screen will turn off as usual while Staylit keeps the Mac awake.

What happens when I close my MacBook’s lid?

Staylit prevents idle sleep, the kind that happens when you step away. Closing the lid still puts a MacBook to sleep as macOS normally does.

Does it drain my battery?

Staylit itself uses almost no energy, but keeping a Mac awake does use more battery than letting it sleep. That’s why Staylit can switch itself off below a battery level you choose, or when Low Power Mode turns on.

Where are Settings and Quit?

Right-click (or Control-click) the cup in your menu bar to open the menu with timers, Settings, About and Quit.

What data does Staylit collect?

None. Staylit has no accounts, no analytics and never connects to the internet. Your settings stay on your Mac.

Your Mac, wide awake.

Download on the Mac App StoreRequires macOS 14.6 or later