Keep your computer awake on Mac and Windows

Mac and Windows both have power settings designed to reduce energy use and protect your device when it's not being used. That's a reasonable default for most situations. But idle timers don't know the difference between "genuinely doing nothing" and "reading a long document" or "waiting for a process to finish."

The machine sees no mouse or keyboard activity. So it dims the screen, locks, or sleeps. Common culprits:

• Display sleep settings (can be as short as 2 minutes)
• System sleep settings
• Lock screen timers
• Organisation-managed device policies that override your preferences

The fix depends on what you're trying to do and how much control you have over your device. Whether you'd put it as keeping the screen awake, stopping the PC going to sleep or just keeping the laptop on, the options below cover it.

On Windows, power settings are straightforward to adjust.

Power & sleep settings: Settings → System → Power & sleep. Set screen and sleep timers to longer durations or "Never" when plugged in.

PowerToys Awake: Microsoft's free PowerToys suite includes an Awake utility. It keeps your machine awake for a set duration without changing your permanent power settings, useful for temporary sessions.

Limitation: On managed work Windows devices, Group Policy may override these settings. PowerToys may not be installable on locked-down machines. See the Windows auto clicker page for the controlled-clicking option.

Two modes. Wiggle only moves your mouse in a smooth, natural pattern. No setup, nothing gets clicked. Click areas clicks one exact spot you pick, or a random point inside a safe zone you draw, at random intervals. Both pause when you take back control, and both are more flexible than adjusting a power setting you’ll forget to change back.

That's more useful than a mouse jiggler when:

• You need clicks, not just cursor movement
• You want activity inside a specific part of the screen
• You're running a long session on a machine where power settings are locked
• You want the tool to get out of your way the moment you return
• You want randomised timing rather than a mechanical fixed beat

It's a local app. No account. No cloud. Free.

Green Dotter's Scheduler (beta) turns it into a mouse jiggler with a timer, or an auto clicker with a schedule. Pick the days and the start and stop times, and it starts and stops itself. Press Use this on the Weekdays, 9 to 5 card to be up and running in one click.

Make the times a little random if you like, such as starting up to 10 minutes before 9:00 and stopping up to 10 minutes after 5:00. Add a lunch break. The computer has to be on and signed in, and Green Dotter has to be running. In the tray is fine. It can't wake a sleeping computer.

While a session runs, Green Dotter folds down into a small bar. It shows how long is left and the clock time it will stop, like Stops 3:45 pm. Pause and stop buttons sit right beside it.

Set it going, leave it, and the screen stays awake without a big window sitting on your desktop. When you want the full window back, one click on the expand button does it.

On organisation-managed devices, some power and activity settings may be locked. Check what's allowed before changing settings or installing tools. Green Dotter is a local desktop utility. It performs click actions inside the area you configure. Use it for legitimate desktop automation purposes and check your workplace policies if you're unsure.