Amphetamine - A Powerful Keep-Awake Tool for Mac

Overview

Amphetamine is a free, powerful “keep-awake” application specifically designed for macOS. It effectively prevents your Mac and display from entering sleep mode, offering flexible trigger conditions and automation scenarios to meet both basic and advanced user needs. The app is completely free, ad-free, without in-app purchases, and does not collect any user data. It is an ideal companion for Mac users performing long-running tasks such as downloads, video encoding, file uploads, and more.

Core Features

1. Instant Wake-Up Sessions

• One-Click Activation: Quickly start a keep-awake session directly from the menu bar.

• Multiple Duration Modes:

  • Unlimited duration.
  • Fixed duration (e.g., 2 hours).
  • Until a specific date and time.
  • Automatically during file downloads.
  • Automatically while a specific application is running.

• Fine-Grained Session Control: During an active session, you can independently control:

  • Display Sleep: Allow or prevent.
  • Screen Saver Activation: Allow or prevent.
  • System Sleep on Lid Close/Display Off: Allow or prevent (for MacBook).
  • Cursor Movement: Periodically move the cursor to prevent system sleep due to idleness.
  • Screen Lock: Automatically lock the screen after a customizable idle period for enhanced security.

2. Advanced Automation Triggers

Amphetamine’s strength lies in its near-omnipotent automation trigger system. You can set conditions to automatically start or stop a keep-awake session:

• Peripheral Connection: When an external display, specific USB, or Bluetooth device is connected.
• Network Status:
  • Connecting to a specific Wi-Fi network.
  • Being at a specific IP address.
  • Connecting to a Cisco AnyConnect VPN.
  • Using a specific DNS server.
• Application Status:
  • When a specific application is running.
  • When a specific application is in the foreground.
• Power & Performance:
  • When the Mac is charging.
  • When battery level is above a specified threshold.
  • When connected or disconnected from the power adapter.
  • When CPU usage reaches a specific level.
• Other Smart Conditions:
  • When the Mac screen is mirroring or casting.
  • When using headphones or other audio output devices.
  • When a specific drive or volume is mounted.
  • When system idle time reaches a specified duration.

3. Additional Practical Features

• Drive Alive: Keeps disk drives awake to prevent them from spinning down during idle.
• Advanced Customization:
  • Customize the menu bar icon.
  • Customize alert sounds.
  • Show remaining session time in the menu (supports 12/24-hour format).
  • Support for global hotkeys to start/end sessions or toggle display sleep.
• AppleScript Support: Enables deeper control and integration via scripting.
• Energy Efficiency & Security:
  • Automatically ends sessions when battery level is too low.
  • Allows screen saver to activate after a customizable idle period, balancing security and convenience.

Unique Advantages

1. Completely Free and Pure:

   • 100% Free: Developed as a gift to users.
   • Ad-Free: Clean interface with no ads.
   • No In-App Purchases or “Pro” Unlock: All advanced features are fully accessible without extra cost.
   • No Data Tracking: Does not collect or transmit any user data, ensuring privacy.
   • No Nuisances: No intrusive rating prompts or links promoting other apps.

2. Powerful and Highly Customizable: From simple one-click activation to complex condition-based automation, Amphetamine caters to both casual users and power users. It is one of the most comprehensive and customizable keep-awake tools on macOS.

3. Intuitive Simplicity with Deep Control: For users who just want to keep the screen on, it’s extremely simple and intuitive. For those with specific requirements, its rich set of triggers offers unparalleled control.

4. Lightweight and Efficient: The application is only about 14.8 MB in size, consumes minimal resources, and runs stably. Fully supports Retina displays and macOS Dark Mode.

5. Solves Real-World Pain Points: Perfectly addresses the frustration of long-running tasks (e.g., file transfers, video rendering, software downloads, online meetings, or studying) being interrupted by automatic system sleep. It frees users to leave their Macs and attend to other matters without worry.

Selected User Reviews

• YarKb (2020/08/06): “Perfect for uploading large files... Now I can confidently go do other things, whether it’s attending a meeting or stepping out. Finally, I’m free.”
• MrBlackF (2020/04/15): “Video encoding takes a long time, and the computer often goes to sleep, causing interruptions. This app has truly solved a major pain point for me. I also appreciate the recent Chinese language support—big thanks to the developer!”
• clfans333 (2023/03/03): “Free, focused, pure... It does only one thing, but it does it exceptionally well, and it doesn’t ask for anything in return.”

System Requirements & Details

• Minimum OS Requirement: macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or later. (Some advanced features may require newer macOS versions.)
• Languages: Supports 10 languages including Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), English, and German.
• Developer: William Gustafson

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Summary: Amphetamine is an essential productivity tool for macOS. With its free, ad-free, comprehensive, and highly automated features, it elegantly solves the problem of Macs sleeping automatically and interrupting background tasks. Whether you're a casual user or a professional seeking ultimate automation, Amphetamine is a reliable partner to enhance your workflow efficiency.