Nightjar

Nightjar Lid, the closed-lid helper

Keeping it awake with the lid closed

Closing the lid is an explicit instruction to sleep, and no app from the App Store can override it. This small free helper can. It is a separate download because Apple does not allow an App Store app to install a privileged helper — not because it costs anything.

It is built to fail safe: the permission is time-limited, renewed every few seconds, and withdrawn if Nightjar stops, the battery drops, the charger comes out, or eight hours pass. Nothing keeps a Mac awake by accident.

Download Nightjar Lid macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel · free · all versions

How to install it

Four steps. One, the downloaded Nightjar-Lid.zip in the Downloads folder. Two, the same folder after double-clicking the zip, now holding the Nightjar Lid app. Three, Nightjar Lid open, with an Install button. Four, Nightjar's Settings showing closed-lid support working.
  1. Unzip the download and open Nightjar Lid.
  2. Click Install and enter your password. It is asked for once, by macOS, to put a small background service in place.
  3. In Nightjar, open Settings › General and switch on Keep awake with the lid closed.

To remove it later, open Nightjar Lid from your Applications folder and click Remove. It clears the override before it uninstalls, so a Mac is never left unable to sleep.