Sessions and Everyday Use
A session is a period during which Project Awake keeps your Mac from sleeping automatically.
Open the controls
Click the sun icon in your Mac's menu bar. The controls show whether Project Awake is OFF, ON, or PAUSED, along with the session timer and duration buttons.
If you enabled Toggle with a left-click in Settings, right-click or Control-click the icon to open the controls instead.
Start a timed session
Click a duration button to start immediately:
| Duration | Availability |
|---|---|
| 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes | Free |
| 1 hour | Free |
| 2, 3, 4, 8, or 12 hours | Pro |
You can also click Stay awake to use your default duration. The button shows the duration it will start. The initial default is one hour; change it in Settings → General → Default duration.
Choosing a duration while a session is running starts a new session with that duration. It replaces the current timer rather than adding time to it.
Choose a custom duration
Requires Pro.
- Open the menu bar controls.
- Click Custom….
- Choose the number of hours and minutes.
- Click Start session.
The total must be greater than zero and no longer than seven days. The session ends automatically when the timer runs out.
Stay awake until you turn it off
Requires Pro.
Click Until off for a session without a timer. End it manually when you no longer need it. Quitting Project Awake also ends the session, and enabled battery or user-switch settings still apply.
Read the session status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OFF | No Project Awake session is running. Your Mac follows its normal sleep settings. |
| ON | A session is running. Timed sessions show the remaining time. |
| PAUSED | A session is paused because you switched to another macOS user with user-switch pausing enabled. |
The progress bar shows how much of a timed session has elapsed. Pro can also show the remaining time beside the menu bar icon; enable Show remaining time in General settings.
During a user-switch pause, the timer freezes and Project Awake stops preventing sleep. Returning to your user session resumes it. There is no separate manual pause button.
Stop a session
Open the controls and click End session. A timed session also stops automatically at the end of its countdown.
Ending a session allows normal sleep behavior to resume. It does not force the Mac to sleep immediately; macOS settings and other running apps can still keep it awake.
Toggle from the menu bar
By default, right-clicking or Control-clicking the sun icon toggles the session:
- When no session is running, it starts the default duration.
- When a session is running, it ends that session.
To make an ordinary click perform this action, enable Toggle with a left-click in Settings → Controls. Right-clicking then opens the controls.
Close the controls or quit
Clicking outside the controls dismisses them and leaves your session running. Closing the Settings window also leaves the app running.
To quit completely, open the menu bar controls and click Quit. Quitting ends the session and removes the sun icon. An old session is not restored when you reopen the app. With Pro, automatic start at launch can begin a new session using your default duration.
Sleep and the timer
Project Awake does not override choosing Sleep or closing a MacBook lid. Time spent in system sleep still counts toward a timed session unless that session was paused by user-switch pausing. A timer that expires while the Mac sleeps is finished when the app handles the wake.
Next: Settings and controls