When I upgraded to macOS Ventura last year, I discovered Apple had quietly removed a feature I’d been using for years - the ability to schedule when my Mac goes to sleep. The Energy Saver preference pane used to let you set a sleep timer, perfect for those times when you wanted to let a download finish or a backup complete before your Mac went to sleep automatically. Apple’s decision to remove this in Ventura and Sonoma left many users frustrated, searching System Preferences for something that simply wasn’t there anymore.
Sleepr brings that functionality back through a simple menu bar app. Developer Mathieu Santostefano clearly understood the gap Apple created, building a straightforward solution that does exactly what the name suggests - it helps your Mac sleep on schedule.
The core functionality is simple. Click the Sleepr icon in your menu bar and set a timer for how long you want your Mac to stay awake. When the timer expires, your Mac goes to sleep automatically. You can set custom durations to match whatever task you’re completing - whether that’s a 30-minute backup or a 3-hour render.
What makes Sleepr particularly thoughtful is the notification system. Ten minutes before your Mac is scheduled to sleep, you get a warning notification. If you need more time, you can extend the timer directly from that notification without opening the app. This prevents the frustration of having your Mac sleep in the middle of something important because you lost track of time.
I’ve been using Sleepr on my Mac Mini M4 for the past couple weeks, primarily for overnight tasks. I’ll often start large file transfers or system maintenance before bed, and Sleepr ensures my Mac doesn’t stay awake all night consuming power unnecessarily. The app uses minimal resources - I measured roughly 1% CPU usage and around 80MB of memory during normal operation.
The settings are straightforward without being limited. You can customize notification preferences, choose whether to show the timer in the menu bar, and even hide the dock icon if you prefer a cleaner desktop. The app supports both dark and light modes, adapting to your system preferences automatically.
System requirements are reasonable. Sleepr works on macOS 13 Ventura and newer, including Sonoma and the current Sequoia release. The developer notes that upcoming support for macOS Tahoe is planned. The app is available in English and French, showing Santostefano’s attention to internationalization.
The App Store listing shows version 2.1 as the current release, with recent updates focused on bug fixes for timer extension, improvements to French translations, and UI enhancements. The regular updates suggest active maintenance, which matters for a utility that needs to work reliably with system-level sleep functions.
Sleepr is completely free with no ads, no tracking, and no in-app purchases. It solves a specific problem that Apple created, and it solves it well. The App Store reviews reflect this - users consistently praise it for restoring functionality they depended on and thought they’d lost forever.
One limitation worth noting: Sleepr is specifically designed for scheduling sleep timers, not preventing sleep like Amphetamine or Caffeine. If you need to keep your Mac awake indefinitely, you’ll want a different tool. But if your use case is “put my Mac to sleep after X minutes,” this app is exactly what you need.
For anyone who misses the sleep scheduling feature from earlier macOS versions, Sleepr provides a clean solution. It’s not trying to be a comprehensive power management suite - it’s focused on doing one thing well, and the free price point makes it worth trying for anyone who schedules sleep timers regularly.
