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Every Monday we show you how to do something quick and cool using built-in OS X utilities such as Terminal, Apple’s command line application. These easy hacks can make life better and simpler, and don’t require any knowledge of coding — all you need is a keyboard to type ’em out!
In OS X Mavericks, Apple introduced a new feature called App Nap. This feature was designed to cut CPU and other computer resources to power-hungry applications when those applications are not currently in use. It’s one of several OS X features that has helped increase the battery life on Mac portables, but unfortunately, this feature isn’t without downsides. If you’re noticing that applications don’t complete their tasks in a reasonable amount of time, then it could be due to resources for those apps being cut when they are backgrounded or left unattended. Following this guide will show you how to disable App Nap when these issues arise.
Disable App Nap on a Per-app basis
If you’re noticing that only one application is having difficulties with App Nap, then you can easily disable it by locating the application in question and pressing Command + I (or choose “Get Info” from the contextual menu). In the Get Info window, check the option to “Prevent App Nap” and you’re done. App Nap will no longer affect this application. (Not all applications offer this option.)
Disable App Nap system-wide
If issues still persist with your applications and App Nap, or you don’t worry about system resources being utilized resulting in battery life issues (such as on a desktop Mac), then you may want to disable App Nap system wide on your Mac.
To disable App Nap on your Mac completely, simply open the Terminal application (located in /Applications/Utilities) and type in the following command followed by the enter key:
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAppSleepDisabled -bool YES
To completely disable this feature, you will need to log out of your account, then restart your Mac.
Re-enabling App Nap system-wide
If you realize that you want App Nap again on your system, open the Terminal application again, then type in the following command, followed by the enter key:
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAppSleepDisabled -bool NO
To re-enable this feature, you will need to log out of your account, then restart your Mac.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article’s author on Twitter.
