The Mac Expert • Macintosh Support

I have a Macbook Pro 17" that I bought back in 2007, and I still use it when I'm at home or away from my 27" iMac at the office.  It runs just fine (aside from being way too big to use on an airplane). However, it has one annoying problem that's bugged me for most of the time I've owned it:  It will wake up whenever it darned well pleases.  

Well, not exactly.  To be specific, it will often wake up after I've put it in my bag to take it somewhere.  Then when I pull it out to use it, it's almost too hot to touch and the battery is almost dead.

Apparently, some of these earlier Macbooks with magnetic latches brielfly lose contact when they are jostled around, resulting in the laptop's sensors getting confused and not knowing whether the computer is asleep or awake.  Alas, Laptop Insomnia.

Interestingly, Apple provides a solution built right into the operating system.  You can reprogram the computer to ignore the lid being opened and stay asleep.

The problem is, you can't access it from the graphic interface.  You need to open the Terminal utility and type in the appropriate command (correctly) in the UNIX shell.  Not a big deal for people that enjoy fishing around in the command line, but pretty intimidating for the everyday user.

Rather than have to keep looking up this command, or explain the details of how to enter UNiX commands to my clients, I've created a couple of simple AppleScripts to turn the "lidwake" function off and on.

You can download the scripts here:

Simply download the file and double-click on it if it doesn't unzip automatically.  You'll see a folder that contains two scripts:  one to turn off the Lid Awake setting, and one to turn it back on in case you change your mind.  Just double-click on the "Stop Laptop Lid Insomia!" script, enter your administrative password, and you're done!

Once you've disabled the Lid Awake option, you can bring your Macbook out of sleep by pressing any key on your keyboard (just like a desktop Mac).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through my contact form.

This is totally safe… however, if your laptop heats up to 900 degrees and explode in a firey mushroom cloud, I am officially not liable.  In other words, use at your own risk!