I want the screen to go to sleep (which I realise is set in System Preferences -> Energy Saver) but I want the rest of the system to stay active, so that background processes I have running will continue. I can't seem to find how to set when the system goes sleep.
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9)
In the Energy Saver section for Power Adapter move the slider for Computer Sleep all the way to the right, Never.
That will not stop the system from asking for a password when the screen comes back to life.
Thanks - but in my System Preferences, the slider in the Power Adapter tab in Energy Saver is marked "Turn display off after:". I had assumed this applied only to the display and didn't control when the computer itself went to sleep? I would like the display to go to sleep, and for the system to remain active.
There is another option "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off", but this is not available under the Battery tab. I am guessing that may achieve what I need, but only when the MacBook is plugged in, and so there is no way to prevent the computer from sleeping when it is running from the battery and the screen is off. Is that correct?
I can't find any description of these options in the Help Centre for Energy Saver preferences.
There should be 2 sliders in there - "Computer Sleep" and "Display Sleep" - I keep my "computer sleep" on never and "display sleep" after 20 min and I've never had an issue - does exactly what you're wanting.
That does sound exactly like what I'm wanting. However, I don't have two sliders. Under both the Battery and Power Adapter tabs there is just one slider called "Turn display off after:". (This is in the System Preferences app in OS X Mavericks (10.9) on a late 2013 MacBook Pro Retina.)
Please post a screen shot of the energy saver window the security & privacy window with the general tab shown and users and groups "login options".
Like these.
As requested:
Try turning off the Power Nap feature and reboot the system.
I've just tried this and, unfortunately, no change - there's still just the one slider (as in the screenshots) in the Battery and Power Adapter tabs. (Thanks for the suggestion though.)
Sorry I don't know what to tell you. Seems like either Apple has removed that option, which is just like Apple to make those decisions for the user, or you have a corrupted install of Mavericks.
There is still ways to prevent the system from going to sleep but you have to use terminal. I don't have those commands but a google search would turn them up.
No worries - thank you for trying though.
As it's a new MacBook, with hardly anything on it yet expect Apple apps, I suspect it's more likely that it is a change that Apple has made to the System Preferences.
It would be interesting to hear if any other owners of late 2013 MacBook Pros (wRD) are also missing the "Computer Sleep" slider.
I wonder if this change to the power saver options is related in any way to the new Mavericks feature that checks for movement (using the ambient light sensor) to determine when to go into sleep mode. e.g. as reported by MacRumors.
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/01/os-x-mavericks-taps-ambient-light-sensors-to -detect-motion-and-prevent-system-sleep/
I've just noticed that the Apple Support page, OS X Mavericks: Put your Mac to sleep states:
"If it’s available, adjust the Computer sleep slider to specify a period of inactivity before your Mac goes to sleep."
This seems to indicate that the Computer sleep slider is not always available (but no indication of why, or how to control computer sleep when it is not available).
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14105
well since you say there isn't much on it the first thing I would do is reinstall Mavericks after doing a complete erase, actually a repartition to One Partition, of the hard drive.
I just received my "Late 2013 MBPr 15". It also only has the display sleep slider, so I'm assuming this is "correct".
I was using (and still use) a little menubar app called "Espresso" from the MAS, which has indepedant options for display and system, with an adjustable time length. I'm not sure if it works with the lid closed, but does allow the display to sleep according to the energy preferences setting, while still keeping the system running.
I'm still trying to find out exactly what the "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off" does, since this option wasn't on my old system.
A free app called "Caffeine" also should do the job, just so people know
How to prevent a MacBook (the system, not the screen) from going to sleep?
