How to Deactivate App Nap in Apple Mavericks (OS 10.9.xx)

Posted by: on Mar 11, 2014

How to Deactivate App Nap in Apple Mavericks (OS 10.9.xx)

Post by Vihang Vasa, Photonics Enterprise in Mubmai, India

One of Apple’s goals with its latest version of OS X is to preserve battery life for MacBook Pro by implementing a number of features that automatically reduce energy usage.

These features include App Nap, which tracks the programs and processes you have in the foreground, and ‘pauses’ any that are hidden from view.

For example, if you are using Capture One Pro, but then move another window/application over Capture One Pro so that it is completely covered, then the Capture One Pro will be paused so that processing power is not unnecessarily dedicated to running while not in view. When this happens, even the power to your device will get cut off and it will require re-connection.

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While great for battery life, there may be times when App Nap could be undesirable. If you have a program that takes advantage of App Nap, but you’d prefer to leave it running at full capacity at all times, then you can disable App Nap for that particular program. 

To do this, locate and select the program file in your ‘Applications’ folder, then get information on the file by pressing ‘Command+i’ or by choosing ‘Get Info’ from the file or contextual menus. 

In the information window that opens, under ‘General,’ you will see several application options you can enable or disable. These include opening the application in 32-bit mode, opening it in low resolution, locking it, and, for programs that support it, an option to prevent App Nap. Check that option, and that particular program will no longer ‘pause’ when it’s in the background or minimized.