Keep your screen on

Pick a time below and this page keeps your screen on while the tab stays open. It works in any modern browser, with nothing to install. The macOS app does it in the background from the menu bar; versions for Windows and Linux are coming soon.

Download How it works

Free. No sign-up, nothing to install.

The site holds the screen only while this tab is open. The app works in the background, from the menu bar.

How long?

You choose in the dropdown. The screen stays on until the time is up, then it sleeps as usual.

Forever Until you switch it off yourself.
15 minutes to 5 hours Presets: 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 5 hours.
Until a set time Say when it should end, in steps of 15 minutes: finish at 23:15.
After sleep If the Mac sleeps and wakes up, the session either goes on or ends. You pick in Settings.

In the menu bar

No Dock icon and no window in the way. One click opens the dropdown.

Lives in the menu bar: One icon. It shows whether the screen is being held: lit when on, grey when the Mac sleeps as usual.
Countdown next to the icon: Turn on the timer in the menu bar and see how much time is left without opening anything.
One shortcut: ⌃⌥⌘K switches keep-awake on and off from any app. You can change it in Settings. It does not need Accessibility access.
Careful with the battery: On battery a session stops by default; one switch lets it go on. Auto-stop turns it off below 10 % or 20 % charge, or never.
Starts at login: Optional and off by default. Turn it on once and the app is already there after a restart.
Lid closedDirect download only: Keeps the Mac awake with the lid shut while a session runs. It needs a small helper that you approve in System Settings. The Mac can run warm; on Apple silicon without an external display it is not guaranteed.
Dim, but don't sleepDirect download only: When you are idle, the built-in display dims instead of staying at full brightness. The first key or mouse move brings it back. Nothing happens on external displays.

How it works

Click the icon

Open the dropdown in the menu bar, or press ⌃⌥⌘K.
Pick how long

Forever, a preset or a finish time. The screen is held from that moment.
Carry on

When the time is up the app lets go by itself and the screen sleeps as usual.

Two editions

The direct download has every feature. The Mac App Store edition keeps the core and leaves out three things that Apple's sandbox does not allow.

Feature	Direct download	Mac App Store
Keeps the screen on	Included	Included
Forever, presets, finish time	Included	Included
Menu-bar icon and countdown	Included	Included
Shortcut from any app	Included	Included
Battery rules	Included	Included
Start at login	Included	Included
Lid closed	Included	Not in this edition
Dim instead of sleep	Included	Not in this edition
Diagnostics report to share	Included	Not in this edition

The Mac App Store edition is not out yet.

Nothing leaves your Mac.

The app has no network code at all. No account, no analytics, no ads.

Read the privacy policy

No network: The app never connects to the internet. A link such as the project page opens in your browser, and only when you click it.
No account: Nothing to sign up for and nothing to log in to.
Settings stay here: Your choices (duration, shortcut, switches) live in the app's preferences on this Mac and nowhere else.
Few permissions: Keeping the screen on needs none. The shortcut needs no Accessibility access. Only the lid-closed helper asks for your approval.
Nothing collected: The app sends no usage data, no crash reports and no identifiers.

Questions and answers

Does it drain my battery?

Holding the display on uses power, just as leaving it on yourself would. That is why a session stops on battery by default, and why you can set auto-stop below 10 % or 20 % charge.

Does it work with the lid closed?

Only in the direct download, and only if you switch it on in Settings. It needs a background helper that you approve in System Settings. The Mac can get warm, and on Apple silicon without an external display Apple does not guarantee that it stays awake.

What permissions does it need?

None for the core feature. The shortcut works without Accessibility access. The lid-closed option asks you to approve a helper in System Settings.

Why are there two editions?

The Mac App Store requires a sandbox. The lid-closed mode, dimming and the diagnostics report use things the sandbox does not allow, so they are only in the direct download.

Is it free?

Yes. You can use the app on your own Macs for personal or work purposes at no charge. The terms page has the details.

Will the screen stay at full brightness?

By default, yes. Switch on “Dim, but don't sleep” (direct download) and the built-in display dims once you are idle, then returns to full brightness at the first key or mouse move.

Does it work on Windows or Linux?

The tool at the top of this page already works in any modern browser on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS, while the tab stays open. A native app for Windows and Linux is not out yet and has no date.

Download ScreenOn: Keep Screen Awake

Free. The macOS app needs macOS 14 or later. Windows and Linux versions are coming soon.

macOS

macOS 14+, .dmg, Size 3.6 MB, Direct download Download for macOS SHA-256 d5b16cf775574675e347910733d5333c4443266701b027e604bd52a7502980b2

Mac App Store

macOS 14+ Coming soon to the App Store

Windows

Coming soon

Linux