Maybe you have your Apple TV connected to your laptop or have a large file downloading. If you close your lid while doing anything that needs your laptop to be awake, it will stop when your Mac goes to sleep. Luckily, just because Apple won’t give us the option to keep certain programs running when the lid is down, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t.
NoSleep is a free, simple little menu bar app that makes it possible to close your MacBook lid while keeping your Mac awake. It’s very easy to activate it and use. Turn it on by clicking the menu bar icon, and continue downloading huge files, and watching your favourite movies and TV shows over the network with the lid closed.
However, remember this is not a setting you want on all the time. This is because it will keep your laptop awake even when you’re not using it for anything, and all that will do is drain your battery. You can turn NoSleep on and off by simply clicking the menu bar icon and toggling it on or off.
Get your free copy of NoSleep here: http://code.google.com/p/macosx-nosleep-extension/
NoSleep Options
Thank you, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!
July 11, 2013 at 12:43 amI am a stay home dad and I often stream music off my laptop to the stereo for my kids, but without this app, I would have to leave the lid open. My kids love ‘typing’ on Dad’s computer – which sucks for me, because I own a small business and often have files that I need to leave running for completing later – If the lid is open the kids often finish my work for me.
July 14, 2013 at 4:36 pmI am a college student, and I just wanted to play music on my laptop, but leaving it open would reduce the space on my desk. This app does exactly what is says it does. I thought it wasn’t working because I got no pop up or anything, but that’s just it. A little button appears on the top line, and there you go. You can now press it and close your laptop.
August 27, 2013 at 8:27 amhey there
i am using macbook pro 2008 late edition
i want to use my hd tv for external display while closing my lid
so i downloaded no sleep utility initially it worked properly but after some when connect my dvi wire to hd tv and close lid it gives display only few seconds to tv after that it goes to sleep
while lid is close and no sleep is active.
someone please help
October 29, 2013 at 5:46 amThank you ! Great help !
December 2, 2013 at 2:47 amFab! Exactly what I needed, Thanks.
December 22, 2013 at 8:11 pmOH MY GOD IT WORKS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR A BILLION THANKS!!
March 29, 2014 at 3:44 amI wanted to use my macbook air’s thunderbolt to hdmi to my hdtv to watch tv shows, movies, etc. But when closing my lid it turned off, needed to find a way that would make it stay awake and found this app…. FAIL! it doesn’t work. Checked all settings etc still didnt work. This app just doesn’t work, don’t waste your time.
April 23, 2014 at 9:06 pmI have an important question. I have a project in mind that would require me to close my laptop while I move around with it closed in a back pack. I would have various controllers at my disposal to tell my laptop what to do while it being concealed. WILL THIS WORK??
April 29, 2014 at 3:27 pmYes, the app makes your closed laptop function as if it were open and running. So if your connected devices function while your laptop is open, it should now also function the same way while being closed.
Best way to make sure though, it to give it a try.
April 29, 2014 at 11:39 pmThis saved me – got a Macbook with broken screen, but now I can run it as server, thx!
April 29, 2014 at 4:32 pm