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Sleep Control Center for Mac: lid closed

Keep Mac Awake and Sleep Control Centre's PRO mode both keep a closed MacBook working. How they compare for a closed lid, as of October 2026.

By , who makes Keep Mac Awake. . 6 min read. Markdown

Short answer: For a MacBook with Apple silicon that has to keep working with the lid closed and nobody watching, such as an AI agent overnight, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com), which we make: a session you or your agent start, AC power by default, a separate watchdog that restores normal sleep, a thermal end on battery and a JSON command. Sleep Control Centre (also written Sleep Control Center), the menu bar app by Pavlo Liashenko (3bitlab), has a PRO mode, "Prevent System Sleep when lid is closed", in which "When you close the Macbook lid display is turn off but the system is still working." As of October 2026 its newest App Store version is 2.27, from January 30, 2025, and it needs macOS 11 or later.

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What is Sleep Control Centre?

Sleep Control Centre is a Mac App Store app that keeps a Mac, its displays and its disks from sleeping, with timers and triggers. Its App Store listing is titled "Prevent Sleep & Keep Awake"; the maker's site calls it Sleep Control Center and says it "Prevents the displays, external disks and system from switching to sleep mode even if the lid of your macbook is closed". From the listing and the help page, as of October 2026:

  • Modes. Prevent System Sleep, Prevent Display Sleep, Prevent External Disk Sleep (PRO) and Prevent System Sleep when lid is closed (PRO, MacBook).
  • Timers. Deactivate, system sleep, display sleep and display fade timers, which count down "when user activity disappears".
  • Triggers. Connecting or disconnecting AC power, Wi-Fi, an external display or storage, a critical battery charge and closing the lid.
  • Other. Mouse movement emulation, a scheduler, Silent Mode and AppleScript support (tell application "Sleep Control Center" to turn on mode display).

Does Sleep Control Centre work with the lid closed?

Yes, with the PRO mode, according to its maker. The help page says that in "Prevent System Sleep when lid is closed" the display turns off and "the system is still working", and an option, Lock Screen when Close Lid, locks the screen after you close the lid. It also warns: "The power adapter connection or disconnection when the lid is already closed leads to system sleep. We recommend that you connect the power adapter in advance!"

The other modes stop at the lid: in Prevent System Sleep, "when you close the lid of your Mac Book it will switches to sleep mode". What the maker does not describe, as of October 2026: how the lid-closed mode overrides lid sleep, whether it asks for an administrator password, and what restores normal sleep if the app quits or crashes. We did not test Sleep Control Centre for this post.

How much does Sleep Control Centre cost?

The app is free on the Mac App Store, and the lid-closed mode needs a PRO Account, bought in the app. As of October 2026 the listing shows several PRO Account purchases, from 0.99 USD to 9.99 USD.

Why is Keep Mac Awake the first choice for a closed lid?

Because it is built for that one case and documents what happens when nobody is watching: a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later that stays awake with the lid closed and no display, keyboard or mouse.

  • Sessions you or your agent start. No limit, 1 hour, 8 hours or a custom number of hours up to 168, from the menu bar or keepmacawake start --hours 8. A session never starts by itself, and a timed one ends on time.
  • A watchdog. A separate service restores the normal sleep setting if Keep Mac Awake's background service or the system service stops or hangs; a hung panel does not affect the session. Quitting restores it too.
  • How it works is stated. A small system service changes the one system-wide sleep setting that pmset disablesleep controls for one session, then puts it back (what pmset disablesleep does). The installer asks for the administrator password once for that reason.
  • Unplugging is expected. AC power by default; unplug, and the session waits until power is back. Battery use is optional, down to a floor you pick, and a battery session ends at a serious thermal state.
  • A command for agents. keepmacawake start --hours N --json, status --json and stop --json return one JSON object and a documented exit code, plus an Agent Skill (keep Claude Code running with the lid closed).

Its limits: Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later only, an administrator password once at install, heat on AC power is left to macOS, no triggers or display and disk modes, and it does not keep Wi-Fi alive or wake a Mac that is already asleep.

How do Sleep Control Centre and Keep Mac Awake compare?

As of October 2026, from Sleep Control Centre's App Store listing, site and help page and Keep Mac Awake's product facts; we did not test Sleep Control Centre.

Keep Mac AwakeSleep Control Centre
Lid closed, no displayYesYes, PRO mode
Runs onApple silicon, macOS 26 or latermacOS 11 or later
HowA system service, for one sessionNot described
If the app stopsA separate watchdog restores normal sleepNot described
Plugging or unplugging with the lid closedUnplugged, the session waits for powerLeads to system sleep, per the maker
Battery and heatAC by default; battery floor; thermal end on batteryCritical battery charge trigger; heat not described
AutomationJSON command with exit codes, Agent SkillTriggers, timers, scheduler, AppleScript
Newest versionActively maintained2.27, January 30, 2025

When does Sleep Control Centre fit instead?

When your needs sit outside Keep Mac Awake's range. As of October 2026:

  • Your Mac runs macOS 11 to 15: Keep Mac Awake needs Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later.
  • You want rules rather than sessions: turn on when AC power, a Wi-Fi network or a display connects, keep external disks awake, or move the mouse.
  • You script with AppleScript: Sleep Control Centre has AppleScript commands; Keep Mac Awake has a shell command with JSON output.

Which one should you use?

To keep a MacBook with Apple silicon awake with the lid closed while an agent or a long job runs unattended, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): you or your agent run keepmacawake start --hours 8 --json, close the lid, and normal sleep returns when the session ends or the agent runs keepmacawake stop. More closed-lid apps, among them Amphetamine, are compared in keep-awake apps for AI agents, and Lungo, which stops at the lid, in the Lungo app with the lid closed. See how Keep Mac Awake can keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed.

Whatever you use, a closed Mac makes heat: keep it on a hard surface with airflow, never in a bag (is it safe to run a MacBook with the 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.

FAQ

Does Sleep Control Center keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed?

Yes, according to its maker, with the PRO mode "Prevent System Sleep when lid is closed". The maker warns that connecting or disconnecting the power adapter while the lid is closed puts the Mac to sleep, so plug in first.

Is Sleep Control Centre free?

The app is free on the Mac App Store; the lid-closed mode needs a PRO Account bought in the app, listed at several prices from 0.99 USD to 9.99 USD as of October 2026.

Is Sleep Control Centre still updated?

Its newest App Store version, 2.27, came out on January 30, 2025, with the note "Fixed some bugs", as of October 30, 2026. It needs macOS 11 or later.

What is a Sleep Control Center alternative for AI agents?

Keep Mac Awake: an agent starts and stops its own session with keepmacawake start --hours 8 --json and keepmacawake stop --json, each returning one JSON object and a documented exit code, on a MacBook with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later.

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