# Closed-lid mode for Mac (beta): Close the lid. Keep it running.

> Keep your MacBook running with the lid closed, no external display needed. Or turn the screen off with a countdown and wake it with the mouse. Battery and heat cutoffs built in.

A MacBook sleeps the moment its lid closes, unless a monitor, keyboard and power are all plugged in. Keep-awake apps can't change that: macOS ignores them when the lid shuts. So the big download stalls, the render pauses and the SSH session drops the moment you close it to walk away.

ctrlhq's Keep Awake has two ways around it. Turn the screen off: the notch counts down, the display goes dark, and your Mac carries on until you move the mouse. Or turn on closed-lid mode and shut the lid: a small helper, added once with your approval, keeps the Mac running until Keep Awake ends.

## What you get

- **Screen off, Mac on.** Pick Turn screen off, keep running, press ⌃⌥⇧K or say "turn off the screen". A countdown in the notch gives you time to let go of the mouse, then the display sleeps.
- **Wake it like normal.** Move the mouse or press a key and the screen is back, with Keep Awake still on. The notch offers to let your Mac sleep again.
- **Lid closed, no monitor.** Closed-lid mode holds sleep off while Keep Awake is on, on battery or plugged in. Your MacBook keeps running with the lid shut, no external display needed.
- **Stops when it should.** It stands down on low battery (10% by default, or only when plugged in) and if your Mac gets critically hot. Then closing the lid sleeps it as usual.
- **Never left switched off.** The helper only holds sleep off while ctrlhq keeps asking. If ctrlhq quits, crashes or hangs, sleep goes back to normal within two minutes, often at once.
- **One small helper.** It does exactly one thing, runs the system's own pmset, and only answers the ctrlhq app signed by us. Turn the mode off and the helper is removed.

## How it works

1. Open the Keep Awake menu in the notch (the moon or sun beside the notch).
2. Pick Keep running with the lid closed. The first time, allow ctrlhq in System Settings › General › Login Items.
3. Close the lid. Your Mac keeps going until Keep Awake ends.
4. Or just turn the screen off: Turn screen off, keep running, or ⌃⌥⇧K.

Shortcut: ⌃⌥⇧K

## Other closed-lid mode apps for Mac

| App | What it is | Price | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ctrlhq | Notch app | $24.99 once | Closed-lid mode, built into a notch app that also runs your tasks, timers, recordings and clipboard. |
| [Amphetamine](https://apps.apple.com/app/amphetamine/id937984704) | Menu bar app | Free | Triggers, schedules and per-app rules [ctrlhq vs Amphetamine](https://ctrlhq.app/compare/amphetamine) |
| [caffeinate](https://ss64.com/mac/caffeinate.html) | Built-in Terminal command | Free | Scripts. It can't keep a Mac running with the lid closed |
| [Insomnia](https://github.com/krishhgg/Insomnia) | Open-source menu bar app | Free | Lid-closed sessions, if you're happy to add a sudoers rule |

Prices from each maker's website, checked October 2026.

## FAQ

### Why is it in beta?

Turning the screen off is solid. Keeping a Mac running with the lid shut works, but it's the kind of thing we want more hours on, across more Macs, before we call it done.

### Why does it need a helper and my approval?

macOS sleeps on lid close no matter what apps ask. The only switch that changes that is pmset's disablesleep setting, and only an administrator process can flip it. The helper is that process. macOS asks you to approve it once in Login Items, and you can switch it off there at any time.

### Is it safe to put my MacBook in a bag?

Not while it's working hard. A closed MacBook in a bag can't cool itself. ctrlhq stops the mode at critical heat and on low battery, but use this on a desk, a shelf or under a monitor, not zipped away.

### What if ctrlhq crashes?

Sleep goes back to normal on its own. The helper only holds sleep off while ctrlhq keeps renewing it, and lets go the moment ctrlhq's connection drops. It also resets everything when your Mac starts up.

### Will waking the screen ask for my password?

If you've set your Mac to require a password after the screen turns off, yes. That's macOS keeping your Mac locked while you're away.

### Does the screen-off countdown work on external monitors?

Yes. Every display goes dark, and any of them wakes with the mouse or keyboard.

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Part of ctrlhq, the productivity app in your Mac's notch: $24.99 once (launch price, regular $29), no subscription. Native, about 16 MB. Download: https://ctrlhq.app/download · All features: https://ctrlhq.app/features