Getting Started with Owly

How to install and start using Owly to prevent your Mac from sleeping

What is Owly?

Owly is a lightweight menu bar utility for Mac that prevents your computer from going to sleep. It stops your Mac from sleeping, dimming the display, or activating the screensaver. Owly is free on the Mac App Store.

How to Get Owly

Download Owly for free from the Mac App Store: https://fiplab.com/apps/owly-for-mac

Check the download page for the current minimum macOS version requirement.

Owly lives in your Mac's menu bar. Click the Owly icon to open the control panel, which shows:

  • The current status (active or inactive)
  • A countdown of time remaining when a duration is set
  • The duration grid for selecting how long to keep your Mac awake
  • The sleep mode selector
  • Quick actions for starting the screensaver and disabling Owly
  • Access to Settings and Quit

Activating and Deactivating

To activate Owly, click its menu bar icon and select a duration from the grid. Owly will immediately begin preventing your Mac from sleeping. The menu bar icon changes to indicate that sleep prevention is active, and a live countdown appears showing the time remaining.

To deactivate Owly, click the menu bar icon and select Disable. You can also use a global hotkey if you have one configured in Settings.

Common Use Cases

  • Downloads and uploads -- Keep your Mac awake while large files transfer.
  • Presentations -- Prevent the screen from dimming or sleeping during a presentation or demo.
  • Long-running tasks -- Ensure disk scans, backups, renders, or compilations complete without interruption.
  • Overnight processes -- Use indefinite mode or an 8-hour duration for tasks that run through the night.
  • Development and testing -- Keep your Mac awake during long build or test cycles.