--- title: Run Plex on a MacBook with the lid closed description: A closed MacBook sleeps, so Plex and Jellyfin go offline. Keep Mac Awake keeps it awake with the lid closed and no display while the media server runs. date: 2026-10-30 kicker: Media server section: The closed lid, explained related: old-macbook-as-server-lid-closed, macbook-lid-closed-heat-and-battery, power-nap-wake-for-network-access --- > **Short answer:** A Plex or Jellyfin server on a MacBook works only while the Mac is awake, and closing the lid puts it to sleep, so your TV and phone apps report the server as unavailable. Plex's own troubleshooting starts with making sure the server "is actually actively running". Idle-sleep settings and Wake for network access do not keep a closed MacBook serving. To run a media server with the lid closed, keep the Mac awake on power; the first choice is Keep Mac Awake, which keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed and no external display for a session you start, then restores normal sleep. ## Can Plex run on a MacBook with the lid closed? Yes, as long as the closed Mac stays awake, and by default it does not. Apple lists "On a Mac laptop, close the display" as one of the ways to put a Mac to sleep ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/put-your-mac-to-sleep-or-wake-it-mh10330/26.0/mac/26.0)). A sleeping Mac runs no server, so Plex Media Server, Jellyfin and anything else you host stop answering until it wakes. Plex's support article on apps that cannot connect lists, among its first steps, "Ensure that Plex Media Server is actually actively running" ([Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/204604227-why-can-t-the-plex-app-find-or-connect-to-my-plex-media-server/), as of October 2026). On macOS, Plex Media Server and Jellyfin both run from an icon in the menu bar ([Plex Support](https://support.plex.tv/articles/204604227-why-can-t-the-plex-app-find-or-connect-to-my-plex-media-server/), [Jellyfin docs](https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/installation/macos/)); the server process is there, but it cannot answer while the Mac sleeps. ## Why does my Plex server go offline when I close the lid? Because the lid is a sleep reason that the usual settings do not cover. "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off", in System Settings > Battery > Options, stops sleep after inactivity on the charger ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-battery-settings-mchlfc3b7879/26/mac/26)). Apps that keep a Mac awake while they work use an idle-sleep assertion, and Apple's developer documentation for it says: "The system may still sleep for lid close, Apple menu, low battery, or other sleep reasons" ([Apple developer docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/iokit/kiopmassertiontypepreventuseridlesystemsleep)). To see which apps hold one right now, run `pmset -g assertions`. ## Doesn't Wake for network access wake the Mac for Plex? Not in a way to rely on. Apple describes Wake for network access as waking a sleeping Mac "briefly so users can access shared services" ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchle41a6ccd/26/mac/26)). Apple does not say it keeps a closed MacBook awake for a film that lasts two hours, or that a third-party server such as Plex or Jellyfin counts as a shared service. More in [what Power Nap and Wake for network access do](/blog/power-nap-wake-for-network-access). ## How do I keep a Plex server running with the lid closed? Start a Keep Mac Awake session on the MacBook before you close it. It keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed and no display, keyboard or mouse: 1. Plug the Mac into power and put it on a hard surface with air around it. 2. Start Plex Media Server or Jellyfin, and check that a client can play something. 3. Start a session from the Keep Mac Awake menu bar app, or in Terminal: `keepmacawake start --hours 8` for an evening, or `keepmacawake start --unlimited` with no time limit (after purchase). 4. Close the lid. `keepmacawake stop` ends the session and normal sleep returns. ```sh keepmacawake start --hours 8 # awake with the lid closed for 8 hours keepmacawake status # check the session keepmacawake stop # normal sleep again ``` A few things stay your job. Keep Mac Awake keeps the Mac awake, not the network: it does not keep Wi-Fi or any other connection alive, and it does not wake a Mac that is already asleep. A session never starts by itself, so after a restart, start a new one. A library on an external disk needs that disk connected. Sessions run on AC power by default; if you unplug, the session waits until power is back, and battery use is optional, down to a floor you pick ([on battery](/blog/keep-macbook-awake-lid-closed-on-battery)). ## Is it safe to run a media server on a closed MacBook? Yes, with air around it. Playing a file that a client can read directly is light work; converting video on the fly is heavier, and a closed MacBook still makes heat. Apple says to use a Mac laptop "on a stable work surface that allows for good ventilation" ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102336)). > **Careful:** Never close an awake Mac into a drawer, a bag or a cabinet without airflow. On AC power, heat is left to macOS. For a Mac that stays plugged in for months, Apple's Battery settings offer Optimized Battery Charging and, on some models, Charge Limit. More in [is clamshell mode bad for a MacBook: heat and battery](/blog/macbook-lid-closed-heat-and-battery). ## What to use To run Plex or Jellyfin on a MacBook with the lid closed, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): `keepmacawake start --hours 8` keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed and no display for that time, on AC power by default, then restores normal sleep, with a separate watchdog if anything stops or hangs. See how to [keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed](/). Other options: closed-display mode keeps a closed Mac awake but needs a display, keyboard, mouse and power ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102501)), and the Mac sleeps if the display disconnects. `sudo pmset disablesleep 1` is system-wide, has no timer, battery floor or watchdog, and stays on until `sudo pmset disablesleep 0` ([what it does](/blog/pmset-disablesleep)). With the lid open only, the Battery option above stops sleep after inactivity. For a MacBook that serves files, backups and remote logins too, see [use an old MacBook as a server with the lid closed](/blog/old-macbook-as-server-lid-closed). Every way to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed, with an app or without one, is in [how to close a MacBook without it sleeping](/blog/prevent-macbook-sleep-lid-closed). ## FAQ ### Does Plex work when the computer is asleep? No. A sleeping Mac runs no server, so apps cannot reach Plex Media Server until the Mac wakes. Keep the Mac awake while people watch; with the lid closed, the first choice is a Keep Mac Awake session. ### Can I use my MacBook as a Plex server with the lid closed? Yes, while the Mac stays awake, on power and online. Closing the lid puts it to sleep by default; the first choice to keep it awake with the lid closed and no display is Keep Mac Awake. ### Why does Plex say my server is unavailable when my Mac sleeps? Plex's troubleshooting asks you to make sure Plex Media Server is actively running, and it cannot be while the Mac sleeps. Wake the Mac, or keep it awake while people watch. ### Does Jellyfin work with the MacBook lid closed? The same way as Plex: only while the Mac is awake. Jellyfin runs from its menu bar icon on macOS; keep the closed Mac awake with a Keep Mac Awake session. ### Does Plex keep my Mac awake? Plex documents no setting that keeps a closed Mac awake. Run `pmset -g assertions` to see whether any app holds the Mac awake; even then, an idle-sleep assertion does not stop sleep when the lid closes. ## Sources - [Plex Support: Why can't the Plex app find or connect to my Plex Media Server?](https://support.plex.tv/articles/204604227-why-can-t-the-plex-app-find-or-connect-to-my-plex-media-server/) (read 2026-10-30) - [Jellyfin docs: macOS installation](https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/installation/macos/) (read 2026-10-30) - Apple Mac User Guide for macOS Tahoe 26: [Put your Mac to sleep or wake it](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/put-your-mac-to-sleep-or-wake-it-mh10330/26.0/mac/26.0), [Change Battery settings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-battery-settings-mchlfc3b7879/26/mac/26), [Set sleep and wake settings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchle41a6ccd/26/mac/26) - [Apple developer docs: kIOPMAssertionTypePreventUserIdleSystemSleep](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/iokit/kiopmassertiontypepreventuseridlesystemsleep) - [Apple Support: If your external display is dark or low resolution](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102501) - [Apple Support: Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102336) - man pmset (Apple) - [Keep Mac Awake: command line](https://keepmacawake.com/command-line.md)