How To Keep Spotify Playing When Mac Is Closed

Alright, music lovers! Let's face it: silence is the enemy. Especially when you're trying to vibe to your carefully curated Spotify playlist. So, you want to keep the tunes rolling, even when your Mac wants to take a nap with its screen closed? I hear you!

Luckily, it's not some kind of top-secret ninja skill. In fact, it's so easy, even your grandma could do it (assuming your grandma has a Spotify account and a penchant for banging techno, of course!). Let's dive in!

The Energy Saver Settings: Your New Best Friend

First things first, we need to venture into the hallowed halls of your System Preferences. Think of it as the control panel for your Mac's brain – the place where all the magic happens!

Click on that shiny Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen. A dropdown menu will appear, offering you a variety of options. Now, hunt down the "System Preferences" option and give it a click.

Once inside System Preferences, find the "Battery" icon. It might look like a little battery, or maybe even a lightning bolt. Click that little beauty!

Fine-Tuning the Energy Settings

Now, you'll see a sidebar on the left. Make sure you've selected "Battery" in the sidebar, and look on the right of the settings window.

You should see a box labeled "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off". Go ahead and tick that little box!

It's like telling your Mac, "Hey, I know you think you need a nap, but the party's just getting started!" Or, you know, "My study music has just reached the good part". Either way, your Mac will understand.

If you use your Mac plugged in, then head over to the "Power Adapter" options in the sidebar, and also check "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off" for that mode as well!

A Little Trick For the Road

Now, sometimes, Macs can be a little…stubborn. They might still try to sneak in a nap, even after you've given them the "no sleeping on the job" speech.

Here's a little trick that might help. Before you close your laptop, make sure Spotify is actually playing something. Like, really playing something. Not paused. Not stopped. Full-on head-banging mode.

Some say that this wakes the system up and says "hey I'm doing something" but you'll get varied opinion on this so it may not work for some.

The Command Line: For the Truly Adventurous (Optional!)

Okay, this part is for the brave souls out there, the ones who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty with a little bit of code! If that sounds like you, then buckle up!

Open up Terminal. You can find it in your Applications > Utilities folder. Think of Terminal as the super-secret back door to your Mac's brain.

Type in the following command:

caffeinate -i -s -d

And hit enter. This command essentially tells your Mac, "I am the master of this domain! Do not sleep! Ever!" (Okay, maybe not ever, but at least while Terminal is open.)

To stop it, simply close the Terminal window. Be warned: this will keep your Mac awake even when you’re not playing music, so use it wisely!