How to Schedule and Cancel Automatic Wake or Power-On with pmset on macOS

If you're a Mac user looking to automate when your computer wakes up or powers on, the pmset command is a powerful tool that allows you to schedule such actions. This simple guide will walk you through setting up a recurring wake-up time and canceling it later if needed.

Schedule a Daily Wake-Up

You can use the pmset command to schedule your Mac to wake up or power on at a specific time on certain days. For example, if you want your Mac to wake up every weekday (Monday through Friday) at 8:10 AM, you would use the following command in the Terminal:

sudo pmset repeat wakeorpoweron MTWRF 08:10:00

• wakeorpoweron: Specifies the action—wake up or power on the computer.

• MTWRF: Refers to Monday (M), Tuesday (T), Wednesday (W), Thursday (R), and Friday (F). You can customize this with different combinations of days.

• 08:10:00: The time you want the action to happen (in 24-hour format).

After running this command, your Mac will automatically wake up at 8:10 AM every weekday.

Cancel a Scheduled Wake-Up

If you ever need to cancel the scheduled wake-up (or any other scheduled task), simply run this command:

sudo pmset repeat cancel

This will remove any repeat wake or power-on schedules.

Conclusion

Using pmset is a great way to automate your Mac's wake-up or power-on times, especially if you have a routine or need your computer ready for specific tasks. Whether you're looking to save power or make sure your Mac is always ready for use, these simple commands can help you manage your system's behavior with ease.