# Amphetamine Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Keep your Mac awake Category: System Utilities · Free · Replaces Caffeinated ($3.99) · [Official website](https://apps.apple.com) ## Install from the official site Mac App Store exclusive — Apple does not allow Homebrew distribution. [Download from the official site](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704) ## Quick take Amphetamine remains the best general-purpose keep-awake utility for macOS in August 2026, and it is still free. Triggers, display-sleep control, Power Protect, and Drive Alive cover real workflows from clamshell desks to overnight AI agents. Newer specialist tools exist, but none displace Amphetamine for most Mac users. The only friction is learning multi-condition triggers; once configured, it disappears into the background. Best for: Anyone who needs their Mac awake during long tasks, Clamshell desk setups and media servers, Developers running overnight builds or AI coding agents ## What is Amphetamine? Amphetamine is a free keep-awake utility for macOS made by William Gustafson. It prevents your Mac from sleeping, dimming the screen, or starting the screen saver when you need it to stay on. Download a large file overnight? Start an Amphetamine session. Running a presentation? Start a session. Monitoring a long build, or an AI coding agent that must keep working with the lid closed? Start a session. As of August 2026 the Mac App Store still lists Amphetamine as completely free (no in-app purchases, ads, or tracking). Softonic and third-party catalogs show the current line as version 5.3.2 with updates into early 2026; the developer continues to maintain it as a passion project. The pill-shaped menu bar icon (filled when active, empty when inactive) remains the primary UI. On Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.x it behaves as a lightweight native utility, no Electron shell, no subscription, no telemetry. What still separates Amphetamine from the built-in `caffeinate` command and simpler toggles like KeepingYouAwake is its trigger system. Instead of only flipping sleep on or off, Amphetamine can automatically keep your Mac awake based on conditions: when a specific app is running, when connected to a particular Wi-Fi network, when an external display is connected, when battery is above a threshold, when a file is being downloaded, when CPU load is high, or based on time schedules. You set up triggers once and forget about them. In mid-2026 Amphetamine got a second life among AI-agent users. Developers running Claude Code, Cursor agents, or Codex overnight commonly recommend pairing those tools with Amphetamine so lid-closed MacBooks do not sleep mid-task. Community posts on X still call out that `caffeinate` covers the power assertion, while Amphetamine's value is deciding *when* to hold that assertion without writing scripts. Newer niche tools such as Adrafinil target agent-only keep-awake; Amphetamine remains the general-purpose default. Amphetamine also handles edge cases simpler tools miss. It can keep your Mac awake while the display sleeps (useful for media servers and downloads), prevent sleep when the lid is closed with an external display (closed-display / clamshell mode), and protect against accidental sleep during critical operations. Power Protect automatically ends sessions if battery drops below a safe level. Drive Alive periodically touches selected volumes so external drives do not spin down mid-backup. AppleScript support and custom menu bar icons remain available for power users. ## Features - **Session Types.** Amphetamine supports timed sessions (keep awake for 30 minutes, 2 hours, or a custom duration), indefinite sessions (stay awake until you end them), and triggered sessions (activate automatically from conditions). You can also end a session when a specific app quits, start a session while Handbrake encodes or while an agent CLI runs, and it ends when that process finishes. During a session you choose whether to prevent system sleep, display sleep, screen saver activation, lid-closed sleep, automatic cursor movement, or screen locking. The menu bar pill shows active vs inactive state at a glance. - **Custom Triggers.** Triggers are conditions that start or end sessions without manual clicks. Available conditions include: a specific app is running (or frontmost), external display connected or mirrored, USB or Bluetooth device connected, battery charging and/or above a threshold, power adapter connected or disconnected, specific Wi-Fi network, IP address or DNS configuration, Cisco AnyConnect VPN, headphones/audio output in use, specific drive mounted, CPU utilization above a threshold, and idle-time schedules. Triggers can combine conditions with AND/OR logic, for example keep awake on Office Wi-Fi with an external display only on weekdays 9-18. - **Allow Display Sleep.** Most keep-awake tools prevent both system sleep and display sleep. Amphetamine lets the display sleep while the system keeps running. That matters for overnight downloads, Time Machine backups, torrent seeding, Plex/Jellyfin hosts, and long AI agent jobs: the panel turns off to save energy and reduce OLED burn-in risk, while the Mac stays fully operational on network and disk. - **Closed-Display Mode.** MacBooks normally sleep when you close the lid. Amphetamine can keep the system running with the lid closed when an external display, keyboard, and mouse/trackpad meet Apple's closed-clamshell requirements. Desk setups that park a MacBook in a vertical dock rely on this. In 2026 many remote workers also use it so coding agents keep running while the laptop is closed in a bag next to a power bank, still pair with Power Protect on battery. - **Power Protect.** An indefinite session on battery can drain a MacBook to zero. Power Protect monitors battery during sessions and automatically ends the session (allowing sleep) when charge drops below a configurable threshold (commonly around 10%). You can warn before ending so you have time to plug in or save work. For agent-driven overnight jobs on battery, timed sessions plus Power Protect are the safe default. - **Drive Alive and Automation Hooks.** Drive Alive periodically writes a tiny file to selected volumes so external drives do not spin down or eject during long transfers and backups. AppleScript support lets Shortcuts and shell workflows start, end, or query sessions. Hot keys toggle sessions and display-sleep policy without opening the menu. Optional Amphetamine Enhancer (separate GitHub helper) expands process monitoring beyond App Store sandbox limits for daemon-style tools. ## How to Install Amphetamine on Mac Amphetamine: Mac App Store exclusive; Apple does not allow Homebrew distribution. Download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704 1. **Install from the Mac App Store.** Search for Amphetamine in the Mac App Store and install the free app from William Gustafson. 2. **Launch and Configure.** Open Amphetamine. The pill icon appears in the menu bar. Click to start a quick session, or use the full menu for timed, indefinite, or triggered sessions. 3. **Set Up Triggers.** Open Preferences → Triggers. Start with common scenarios: external display connected for desk mode, or specific app running for long builds and AI agents. 4. **Enable Launch at Login.** Preferences → General → Launch at Login. Triggers only fire while Amphetamine is running, so login launch is essential for desk and server use. ## Pros - Completely free with no ads, IAPs, or telemetry - Trigger system automates keep-awake based on apps, displays, networks, battery, and schedules - Allow Display Sleep saves energy during overnight and agent tasks - Power Protect prevents battery drain to unsafe levels - Drive Alive keeps external volumes mounted during long operations - Native menu bar utility that remains reliable on Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe - Community default for lid-closed AI agent and long-build workflows in 2026 ## Cons - macOS only, no Windows or Linux version - Complex multi-condition triggers have a learning curve - The name still confuses newcomers and once drew App Store policy scrutiny (resolved years ago) - Menu bar pill is subtle, easy to forget a session is active unless you enable time-remaining display - Requires Launch at Login for unattended triggers after reboot ## Mac Sleep Prevention in the Agent Era Why keep-awake tools matter more on modern MacBooks and how Amphetamine fits. ## FAQ ### Why is it called Amphetamine? The name is a tongue-in-cheek play on the stimulant, it keeps your Mac "awake." Apple briefly flagged the branding during a 2021 App Store review; after community support and the developer's appeal, the name stayed. Functionally it is a power-management utility, not a medical product. ### Is Amphetamine better than the built-in caffeinate command? For interactive desktop use, yes: GUI, persistent sessions, triggers, Power Protect, and Drive Alive. For CI scripts and one-off shell jobs, caffeinate is more appropriate because it is installed with macOS and needs no GUI. Many people use both. ### Can Amphetamine keep my Mac awake with the lid closed? Yes when Apple's closed-display requirements are met (external display plus input devices for classic clamshell). Amphetamine's closed-display options make that reliable for desk docks. On battery, always enable Power Protect. ### Does it work on Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe? Yes. Amphetamine is a native macOS app used daily on Apple Silicon (M-series) and Intel Macs. Users report normal operation on current macOS releases including Tahoe 26.x; install from the Mac App Store for the current build. ### Will it drain my battery? If you run an indefinite session on battery, yes, because the Mac will not sleep. Use timed sessions and Power Protect so the session ends before critical battery levels. For overnight work, plug in. ### Is it really free in 2026? Yes. The Mac App Store listing remains Free with no in-app purchases. The developer has kept the full feature set free for years and still accepts only optional donations. ### How does it compare to newer agent-only keep-awake apps? Tools like Adrafinil auto-activate only while AI coding agents run. Amphetamine is broader: any app, network, display, or schedule can be a trigger. If you already use Amphetamine for desk mode and downloads, it covers agent jobs too. ## Sources - [Amphetamine on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704) - [Amphetamine for Mac, Softonic listing (version notes)](https://amphetamine.en.softonic.com/mac) - [Save Amphetamine, developer context and history](https://github.com/x74353/SaveAmphetamine) - [Business Insider, Apple keeps Amphetamine in the App Store](https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-reverses-decision-ban-amphetamine-app-from-the-app-store-2021-01) - [William Gustafson developer page on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/hr/developer/william-gustafson/id634210022?platform=mac) - [X, Amphetamine free keep-awake recommendation (Aug 2026)](https://x.com/thesupermanmx/status/2086442599007838287) - [X, Amphetamine with Codex for lid-closed Mac](https://x.com/NickADobos/status/2055037902305001962) ## Related - [Maccy](https://bundl.run/apps/maccy) - [Stats](https://bundl.run/apps/stats) - [SuperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/superwhisper) - [MacWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/macwhisper) - [HyperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/hyperwhisper) - [Aqua Voice](https://bundl.run/apps/aqua-voice) - [Amphetamine vs Napless](https://bundl.run/compare/napless-vs-amphetamine) - [Amphetamine vs Caffeine](https://bundl.run/compare/amphetamine-vs-caffeine) - [Amphetamine vs Caffeinate](https://bundl.run/compare/caffeinate-vs-amphetamine) - [Free alternative to Caffeinated](https://bundl.run/https:/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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