Nightcap

Getting started

Nightcap is a sleep timer for your computer. Tell it how long you want to stay up, and it slowly dims the screen, turns the volume down, and puts the computer to sleep when time runs out. This page gets it installed and running.

Before you start

Install on a Mac

  1. Download Nightcap for Mac. It works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
  2. Open the file you downloaded. In the window that appears, drag Nightcap into the Applications folder.
  3. Open Nightcap from your Applications folder.

The first time you open it, macOS will say it can't check Nightcap for malicious software. That's because Nightcap isn't registered with Apple's paid developer program, not because anything is wrong with it. To open it anyway:

  1. Close the warning.
  2. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll down and click Open Anyway next to the message about Nightcap.

You only need to do this once.

Install on Windows

  1. Download Nightcap for Windows.
  2. Right-click the downloaded file and choose Extract All. Keep the folder somewhere you'll find it again, such as Documents.
  3. Open the folder and double-click Nightcap.exe.

If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. Windows shows this for apps that haven't paid for a signing certificate.

To open Nightcap more easily next time, right-click Nightcap.exe and choose Pin to Start.

Install on Linux

  1. Download Nightcap for Linux.
  2. Extract it. You'll get a folder called nightcap.
  3. Run the nightcap program inside that folder.

For the tray icon, your desktop needs system tray support. KDE Plasma has it built in. On GNOME, install an AppIndicator extension. Without a tray, Nightcap still works, but closing its window quits it.

Set your first timer

  1. Open Nightcap. You'll see a large countdown ring with a row of lengths underneath.
  2. Pick how long you want. 45 min is chosen the first time you open it.
  3. Check that When finished says Sleep.
  4. Click Start.

The ring starts counting down, and under the time you'll see a small moon and the time your computer will go to sleep. You can close the window now if you like. The timer keeps going.

Then put on your show. A few minutes before the end, the screen and sound will start to fade. What happens at bedtime walks through it minute by minute.