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Device guide

Keep your Mac screen awake from a browser tab

Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox can all keep your Mac's display on from a visible tab. In Chrome or Edge, the Mac also does not idle-sleep while the display is held. Closing the lid still sleeps the Mac, unless it runs in clamshell mode with power and an external display.

Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 20263 min readBy Soubhik Biswas
Open AwakeTab

Set it up on your Mac

Four steps. The screenshots are placeholders until real-device captures are recorded.

  1. Step 1: Open AwakeTab in Chrome or Edge and press Start

    Chrome or Edge › awaketab.com

    Safari and Firefox keep the display on too, but Chrome and Edge also stop the Mac idle-sleeping. Wait for the pill to say "Screen awake".

  2. Step 2: Keep the tab visible

    No minimising while it runs

    The window can sit behind another app while part of it stays on screen. Minimise it or switch tabs and the pill changes to "Paused — tab hidden".

  3. Step 3: Check it in Terminal

    Terminal › pmset -g assertions

    Run pmset -g assertions. Look for a PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep or NoDisplaySleep line that names your browser. Hide the tab, run it again, and the line is gone.

  4. Step 4: Optional: change the Mac's own timeout

    Apple menu › System Settings › Lock Screen

    This sets the display-off times for every app, with one for battery and one for the power adapter on a laptop. It stays changed until you set it back.

Which Mac setups keep the screen on

Support claims come from browser documentation and automated tests. Real-device results appear in the matrix once recorded. Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Chrome or Edge 84 or later, tab visibleResult: SupportedWhat to know: Holds a "no display sleep" power assertion, so the Mac does not idle-sleep either.
Safari 16.4 or later, tab visibleResult: SupportedWhat to know: Keeps the display on after one click.
Firefox 126 or later, tab visibleResult: SupportedWhat to know: Refuses at 5 % battery or less when unplugged.
Window partly visible behind another appResult: SupportedWhat to know: The lock holds. A window that is completely covered may count as hidden.
Window minimised or another tab in frontResult: PausesWhat to know: The lock is released until the tab is back in front.
Low Power Mode onResult: Not yet testedWhat to know: Set in System Settings › Battery, it may shorten display timeouts.
Lid closedResult: Not supportedWhat to know: The Mac sleeps. Clamshell mode with power and an external display is the exception.
AwakeTab browser extensionResult: SupportedWhat to know: AwakeTab for Chrome, also for Edge, carries on with the tab hidden or the window minimised.

What turns the screen off anyway

If the screen still goes dark, one of these is usually the reason.

  • Closing the lidThe Mac sleeps, whatever the tab asked for, unless it is in clamshell mode.Keep a Mac awake with the lid closed
  • A work Mac's lock rulesA management profile can lock the screen on its own schedule. That is separate from display sleep, and a tab does not change it.Lock screen versus display sleep
  • A hidden tabA minimised window or a different tab in front lets the display go. Bring the tab back and AwakeTab asks again.
Try it hereTry itStart a session, switch tabs, then come back and watch the pill. Ends at … if you start now.Start a 1-hour session

Questions

Yes, as long as part of the window is still on screen and the AwakeTab tab is the one showing in it. The browser releases the wake lock when the window is minimised or you switch to a different tab in it, and a window that is completely covered may count as hidden too.

Soubhik Biswas · Builds AwakeTab. Sources checked Saturday, 26 September 2026. About AwakeTab