Hands-On Mac 137

In this episode of Hands-On Mac, Mikah Sargent tackles the challenge of preventing your Mac from falling asleep during critical tasks. He begins by introducing the built-in "caffeinate" command in macOS, providing a step-by-step guide on how to use it to keep your Mac awake. Mikah explains the limitations of "caffeinate," such as its inconsistent performance and lack of advanced features. He then introduces Amphetamine, a robust third-party application available for free on the Mac App Store.

Mikah provides a detailed walkthrough of Amphetamine's features, including its ability to start sessions that prevent sleep based on various criteria: indefinitely, for a set time, while specific apps are running, or during downloads. He explores the app's customization options, such as quick settings, session defaults, triggers, and hotkeys, highlighting how these features offer more control and flexibility compared to the "caffeinate" command. Mikah discusses practical use cases for Amphetamine, like ensuring your Mac stays awake during long downloads, presentations, or video calls. The episode concludes with Mikah emphasizing the benefits of using Amphetamine to manage your Mac's sleep behavior more effectively and encouraging listeners to try the app for themselves.

Amphetamine - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704?mt=12

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• Transcripts: Hands-On Mac 137 transcript