How To Set An Alarm On A Macbook

Steve Larner June 12, 2022

Setting alarms on your Macbook isn’t as easy as it sounds. Maybe you’re trying to time yourself to calculate your words per minute, setting up reminders for your daily schedule, or even timing the food in the oven. Unfortunately, unlike your iPhone and iPad, Apple’s built-in Clock app is nowhere to be found on the Macbook. That means you can’t easily set alarms on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or even something as portable as the MacBook.

So, how do you set up an alarm on MacBook then? There are a couple of ways that you can do it. This article shows you how to use all the methods available to you. Here’s the scoop.

Option #1: Ask Siri to Set a Reminder on Your MacBook

If you have any MacBook model with macOS Sierra or higher, you can ask Siri to perform specific tasks for you. Siri cannot set alarms because there is no clock app for them, but she can set reminders through the Reminders app. The app won’t act as a timer, but it will remind you of the event you set up, using a notification when the set time occurs. First, you’ll need to ensure that Siri is enabled on your MacBook. Here’s how to add Siri.

Open System Preferences.
Click on the “Siri” icon.
On the left side of the window, check the box that reads “Enable Ask Siri.”
A pop-up window will appear, asking if you’re sure. Just press the Enable button when it appears.
Now that Siri is enabled, you can press the Siri icon at the top-right corner of the menu bar. You can also say “Hey Siri” on compatible devices.
Say aloud what you want a reminder for and when. For example: “Remind me to pick up John at 3 PM.”
To remove a reminder, say, “Delete [reminder title] reminder. In the example above, we’d say, “Delete Pick up John reminder.” Siri will confirm it and require you to say Yes.

Option #2: Set Up an Alarm Online

As an alternative to the Reminders app and Siri, you can use an online web app to set yourself a reminder. Remember that you’ll need to ensure that your MacBook isn’t muted for this to work, as web apps generally do not have control over the system itself. One free option is vclock.com.

Once you land on the website, click on the Set Alarm button, and a window will pop up for you to fill out details. Go through the hours and minutes tab to select what time of day you want your alarm to go off. When you finish setting up the details, click on the Start button.

As long as your MacBook isn’t muted and you keep the tab open, the alarm will go off. The web app has options for Timer, Stopwatch, and World Clock on the left navigation bar.

The incredibly simple design makes it easy to set an alarm. Unfortunately, this won’t work for you if your computer goes to sleep. But, if you regularly need a timer while working, it’s a great tool to add to your bookmarks bar.

Option #3: Use Google Timer

If you’re looking for a reliable way to set a timer, Google might be the answer. Open up Google, and search for “online timer.” Google has a built-in web app that appears within the search results. You can set up a timer to go off in a specific amount of minutes or hours.

Once you’ve set that up, press the Start button, and the timer will countdown, alerting you when it reaches zero. You’ll need to keep the tab open and your MacBook unmuted!

Option #4: Use a Third-Party App

The final alternative you have is to download an alarm app to your MacBook. Open the App Store, and search for ” alarm ” in the search bar.” You can choose one that is the most appealing to you, but this article uses Wake Up Time – Alarm Clock.

Once the app is downloaded to your MacBook, open it and set the alarm. It’s fairly straightforward, as it works similarly to any alarm or timer app. When you set it up, you’ll see an orange display box under the current time, which displays when your alarm will go off. One of the neat things about Wake Up Time is that there are several different sounds to choose from within the app’s Settings. You can even select different LED clock styles if you so choose!

As you can see, setting up an alarm on your MacBook is a little more complicated than it should be without that Clock app on your device. Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to set up an alarm or timer, albeit none of them are the most convenient. Google’s free timer is probably the best way to go for your alarm needs, as it means you don’t have to navigate to any odd-looking or flaky websites, though you could download an Alarm from the Mac’s App Store as well if you don’t mind taking up some of your laptop’s space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to more of your questions about setting alarms on your Macbook.

Can I set an alarm that works when my Macbook is asleep?

Based on our tests in June of 2022, the alarms were inconsistent after the Macbook went to sleep. Therefore, it isn’t a great idea to let your Macbook fall asleep while waiting on an important alarm.

It’s for this reason we don’t recommend manually putting your Macbook to sleep or closing the lid with an active alarm. But, letting the Macbook fall asleep also produced inconsistent results.

However, you can change the settings on your Macbook to keep your system awake longer. Head over to System Preferences and click on Battery. In the new menu, use the slider to increase the time your Macbooks stays awake. You can even select Never to keep it awake.

Do keep in mind if you choose to keep your Macbook awake for long periods of time you’ll need to leave it plugged in or risk the battery dying before your alarm sounds.