Blackout any screen
Hide one display with its switch, or every display at once. A stray mouse bump won't wake them.
Put your screens to sleep.
Keep your Mac awake.
Screen Nap lives in your menu bar. One click covers every display in black while your Mac keeps working underneath. Press ⌘Esc and everything comes back.
Download for MacTry Screen Nap
Screen Nap
A little rest for your screens.
All screens visible. Blackout keeps your Mac awake.
Your screens
Keep Mac awake
Keep working through a screen break
Blackout ⌃⌥⌘B · Restore ⌘Esc
Screens are resting. Press ⌘ Esc
Click the little monitor in the menu bar.
How it works
One click to rest.
One shortcut to wake.
Nothing to set up. Screen Nap waits in the menu bar until you need a dark screen and a Mac that stays on.
Your Mac keeps going
No idle sleep while screens are dark, so builds, downloads and calls carry on. Turn it on by itself any time.
One shortcut back
Press ⌘Esc to restore everything. If another app owns it, ⌃⌥⌘N works too.
Dims the backlight, too
On the built-in display and some Dell monitors over USB-C, it turns brightness down and puts it back after.
Small on purpose.
Everything Screen Nap does fits in one popover.
- under 1 MB, smaller than a single photo
- lives in the menu bar, never in your Dock
- blackout one screen, or all of them
- your Mac stays awake underneath
- change the blackout shortcut to anything you like
- covers Sidecar and full-screen apps
- opens at login, if you want it to
- no account, no tracking
One thing it won't do: lock your Mac. Blackout hides what's on screen but doesn't block the keyboard. Use ⌃⌘Q to lock.
FAQ
Questions
Which Macs does it run on?
Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs aren't supported yet.
Is my screen really off?
It's covered in black. The built-in display and some Dell monitors also have their brightness turned down. Other monitors keep their backlight on behind the cover, because macOS doesn't let apps switch them off.
Does it work with Sidecar and full-screen apps?
Yes. Some macOS controls, such as the Sidecar sidebar, can still appear on top of the cover.
Does it track me?
No. There are no accounts and no analytics in the app. Once automatic updates arrive, the app will check for a new version about once a day. We count those checks to know roughly how many people use Screen Nap, and nothing identifies you.
How do I uninstall it?
Choose Quit from the gear menu first so any dimmed brightness is put back, then drag Screen Nap from Applications to the Trash.
Give your screens a nap
Open the download, drag Screen Nap to Applications, then click the little monitor in your menu bar.
Download for Mac