Mac OS X in a Nutshell

Name

pmset

Synopsis

pmset [-a | -b | -c] action(s)
                  

Modifies the system’s power management settings. pmset is a command-line alternative to the Energy Saver System Preferences (Chapter 5). The settings apply system-wide and across reboots. Therefore, pmset requires root privileges to run.

Options

-a

Use the settings that follow this flag when only the battery is in use and also when the power adapter is plugged in (the default).

-b

Use the settings that follow this flag when only the battery is in use.

-c

Use the settings that follow this flag only when the power adapter is plugged in.

Actions

dim n

Dim the display after n minutes of idle time.

sleep n

Put the computer to sleep after n minutes of idle time.

slower 1 | 0

Set the processor performance setting to “reduced” (1) or “highest” (0).

spindown n

Spin down the hard drive after n minutes of idle time.

womp 1 | 0

Set the wake on magic packet (“wake for network administrator access”) setting to on (1) or off (0).

Examples

Set the system to dim the display after 3 minutes and go to sleep after 10 minutes when using the battery:

                     pmset -b dim 3 sleep 10

Set both the battery-only and power adapter settings at once:

pmset -b dim 3 sleep 10 slower 1 -c dim 20 sleep 60 slower 0