IT Energy at MIT Initiative - Configuring the Energy Saver for Mac OS

IS&T recommends energy saver configuration settings that you can use when your machine is plugged into a power adapter or when you are using your laptop battery.

1. From the Apple menu, go to System Preferences.
   Locate the the Hardware section, and click on the Energy Saver icon.
   
   Results for: Desktop | Laptop

Desktop Settings

IS&T recommends that you configure the Sleep settings for a desktop computer as follows:

• Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive for: 1 hour.
• Put the display to sleep when it is inactive for: 10 minutes.
• Check the box for Put the hard disk to sleep when possible.
  

Laptop Settings

IS&T recommends different settings for Power Adapter and Battery.

Settings for Power Adapter

IS&T recommends configuring the Sleep settings when using a power adapter with your laptop as follows:

• Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive for: 1 hour.
• Put the display to sleep when it is inactive for: 10 minutes.
• Check the box for Put the hard disk to sleep when possible.
  

Settings for Battery

IS&T recommends configuring the Sleep settings when using a battery with your laptop as follows:

• Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive for: 15 minutes.
• Put the display to sleep when it is inactive for: 3 minutes.
• Check the box for Put the hard disk to sleep when possible.
  

Related Links

MIT Energy Initiative
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