How to set an alarm on your MacBook

We all know that sitting down in front of a computer is bad for us and that we should get up and walk around regularly. That’s particularly true if you’re hunched over a MacBook or any other laptop. But when you get caught up in work or playing games, it can be difficult to remember to take breaks. One way to remind yourself to do it is to set an alarm to go off at regular intervals on your MacBook. There are lots of other reasons you might want to set an alarm on your MacBook, like waking you up after a nap, for example. Whatever your reason, we’ll show you how to set an alarm on your MacBook in this article.

How to set an alarm on Mac

Below we describe three main ways to set an alarm on a Mac: Siri, the Clock app, and Shortcuts.

1. Siri

The quickest and easiest way to set an alarm on your MacBook is to use Siri:

1. Click on the Siri icon in the menu bar or say ‘Hey, Siri’ if you have that enabled on your Mac.
2. Say ‘Set an alarm for’ and then specify the time and day you want the alarm to go off.
3. If you need to cancel the alarm, just activate Siri and say ‘Cancel the alarm’ followed by the day and time of the alarm.

2. The Clock app

Another way to set an alarm on your Mac is to use the Clock app. Here’s how:

1. Go to your Applications folder and double-click the Clock app to open it.
2. Select the Alarms tab at the top of the window and lick the ‘+’ at the top right corner of the window.
3. Type in the time for the alarm in the clock box. If you want the alarm to repeat, choose the days on which you want it to sound.
4. Type a name for the alarm in the ‘Label’ box and select an option from the Sound menu. If you want to allow yourself to snooze the alarm, select the Snooze box and also choose the Snooth duration.
5. Click Save to save the alarm.

Tip: Scan your Mac for problems

If you want to give the alarms you set or Shortcuts you create the best chance of working properly, it’s a good idea to make sure your Mac is free from junk files and malware and is running optimally. By far, the easiest way to do that is to use CleanMyMac’s Smart Care feature. 

With a couple of clicks, it will scan your Mac looking for junk files, malware, and opportunities to improve its performance. It will also install vital app updates and let you remove duplicate downloads. After the sca, just click Run. Or you can review what CleanMyMac has found. Best of all, CleanMyMac is free to test — get your free trial here. So why not give it a go?

3. Shortcuts

You can also create alarms via the Shortcuts app and then set them by using a keyboard shortcut or clicking an item in the menu bar. Here’s how to add a new shortcut:

1. Go to your Applications folder and open Shortcuts.
2. In the sidebar on the right, click on the ‘+’ to view the Action Library, then choose Applications.
3. Type Alarm and double-click Add Alarm. Click ‘Time’ and type a time in 24-hour format. If you want to give the alarm a name, click Alarm and type it.
4. Click Show more. If you want the alarm to repeat, click Choose and select the days you want it to sound.
5. When you trigger the alarm, it will create an alarm in the Clock app for the time you specified.

If you’d rather set an alarm to go off in a set amount of time from when you trigger it, you can use the Start Timer action instead of Add Alarm and specify how many minutes after you trigger it you want the alarm to go off.

As you can see, there are lots of different ways to set an alarm on your Mac, and that’s before we get to all the third-party apps that do it. There are lots of those, especially if you want a Pomodoro timer to remind you to take a break every 30 minutes. Choose whichever option above works best for you and follow the steps to create your alarm.