<blockquote>Note: This post is auto-generated by ChatGPT based on my recent experience while trying to resolve the issue. The information here is for reference only and may not be entirely accurate. You are welcome to add your comments below.</blockquote>If you need to run a scheduled task on your Mac—even when it’s asleep—you’ll quickly find that cron doesn’t wake up the computer by itself. This post covers how to schedule a cron job at 7 AM on macOS and ensure it runs reliably, even if the Mac is sleeping.<figure class="image"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1631885777506-69a414ca3735?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wxNTQwMTB8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw4M3x8c2NoZWR1bGV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQxODk4NjU2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080"><figcaption>Photo by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://unsplash.com/@mk__s?utm_source=DNX&amp;utm_medium=referral">mk. s</a> on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=DNX&amp;utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>1️⃣ Setting Up a Cron JobmacOS still supports cron, although Apple prefers launchd for scheduling tasks. To add a cron job, first, open Terminal and run:<pre><code class="language-css">crontab -e</code></pre>This will open your crontab file for editing. Add the following line to run a script at 7:00 AM daily:<pre><code class="language-css">0 7 * * * /Users/adam/Projects/ss-db/restore.sh</code></pre>Make sure your script is executable:<pre><code class="language-css">chmod +x /Users/adam/Projects/ss-db/restore.sh</code></pre>✅ Does Cron Run When the Mac is Asleep?No. If your Mac is asleep at 7 AM, cron will not run. It only executes jobs when the system is awake.2️⃣ Using pmset to Wake the MacTo ensure your Mac wakes up before running the cron job, schedule a wake event using:<pre><code class="language-css">sudo pmset schedule wakeorpoweron "07:00:00"</code></pre>This tells macOS to wake up at 7:00 AM every day, ensuring that the cron job can run.Checking Scheduled Wake EventsVerify the scheduled wake-up with:<pre><code class="language-css">pmset -g sched</code></pre>3️⃣ Using launchd Instead of CronSince macOS favors launchd over cron, another approach is to create a LaunchAgent or LaunchDaemon.Create a LaunchAgent (~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adam.restoreDB.plist)1. Open Terminal and create the file:<pre><code class="language-css">nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adam.restoreDB.plist</code></pre>2. Add the following XML:<pre><code class="language-css">&lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt;
&lt;!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"&gt;
&lt;plist version="1.0"&gt;
&lt;dict&gt;
 &lt;key&gt;Label&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;string&gt;com.adam.restoreDB&lt;/string&gt;

 &lt;key&gt;ProgramArguments&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;array&gt;
 &lt;string&gt;/Users/adam/Projects/ss-db/restore.sh&lt;/string&gt;
 &lt;/array&gt;

 &lt;key&gt;StartCalendarInterval&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;dict&gt;
 &lt;key&gt;Hour&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;integer&gt;7&lt;/integer&gt;
 &lt;key&gt;Minute&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;integer&gt;0&lt;/integer&gt;
 &lt;/dict&gt;

 &lt;key&gt;WakeSystem&lt;/key&gt;
 &lt;true/&gt;
&lt;/dict&gt;
&lt;/plist&gt;</code></pre>3. Load the job into launchctl:<pre><code class="language-css">launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adam.restoreDB.plist</code></pre>4. To run the job immediately:<pre><code class="language-css">launchctl start com.adam.restoreDB</code></pre>5. To unload the job:<pre><code class="language-css">launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.adam.restoreDB.plist</code></pre>✅ Why Use launchd?• It supports waking up the system (WakeSystem).• It’s more reliable than cron on modern macOS versions.• No need to manually set pmset wake timers.4️⃣ Checking Logs &amp; DebuggingIf the script doesn’t run:1. Check cron logs:<pre><code class="language-css">tail -f /var/log/system.log</code></pre>or:<pre><code class="language-css">grep cron /var/log/system.log</code></pre>2. Check LaunchAgent logs:<pre><code class="language-css">log show --predicate 'subsystem == "com.apple.launchd"' --info --last 10m</code></pre>3. Manually test the script:<pre><code class="language-css">/Users/adam/Projects/ss-db/restore.sh</code></pre>📌 Final ThoughtsWhich Method Should You Use?<figure class="table"><table class="ui table celled"><thead><tr><th>Feature</th><th>Cron</th><th>pmset + Cron</th><th>launchd</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Runs on schedule</td><td>✅</td><td>✅</td><td>✅</td></tr><tr><td>Works if Mac is asleep</td><td>❌</td><td>✅</td><td>✅</td></tr><tr><td>Logs &amp; Debugging</td><td>Limited</td><td>Limited</td><td>Better</td></tr><tr><td>Apple-Recommended</td><td>❌</td><td>❌</td><td>✅</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>If your Mac is always awake at 7 AM, cron is enough.If your Mac sleeps, use pmset + cron or launchd.For Apple’s recommended approach, launchd is the best.🚀 TL;DR✅ To run a cron job at 7 AM, even if your Mac is asleep:• Use pmset to wake the Mac before execution.• Or, use launchd (WakeSystem key) for a more reliable setup.Got questions? Drop them in the comments! 🚀

If you need to run a scheduled task on your Mac—even when it’s asleep—you’ll quickly find that cron doesn’t wake up the computer by itself. This post covers how to schedule a cron job at 7 AM on macOS and ensure it runs reliably, even if the Mac is sleeping.

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