How to Set an Alarm on Mac (with Photos)

Setting an alarm on your Mac doesn‘t have to be difficult, even if Apple makes it less straightforward than on iPhone or iPad. With a few handy tools and tricks, you can easily set alarms, reminders, and timers on your Mac. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through the various methods so you can wake up on time, stay on schedule, and never miss an important deadline again.

Set an Alarm Using the Clock App in macOS Ventura

The easiest way to set an alarm is by using the new Clock app that Apple introduced in macOS Ventura in 2022. Here‘s how to use it:

Step 1: Open the Clock App

The Clock app is located in the Applications folder. Click the Finder icon in your Dock, then click Applications in the sidebar. Scroll down to find the Clock app icon. Double click to open it.

Step 2: Click the Alarm Tab

At the top of the Clock app window, you‘ll see tabs for World Clock, Alarm, Stopwatch, and Timer. Click the Alarm tab.

Step 3: Click the Plus (+) Button

In the bottom left corner of the Alarm tab, click the + button to add a new alarm.

Step 4: Set the Alarm Details

In the panel that pops up, set the time you want the alarm to go off using the scroll wheels. Toggle the repeat days if you want your alarm to recur on specific days of the week.

Give your alarm a descriptive name so you can easily identify it later. Click the Sounds dropdown menu to choose an alarm tone – we recommend picking one of the gentler alarm sounds if you share space with others.

You can also adjust the snooze duration in minutes if you want the option to snooze it.

Step 5: Click Save

Once your alarm details are set, click the Save button in the bottom right corner. Your new alarm will now appear in the list under the tabs.

Step 6: Prevent Your Mac From Sleeping

One important thing to note is that your alarm won‘t sound if your Mac goes to sleep. To prevent this, go to System Preferences > Battery and check the box for "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off" while charging.

And that‘s it! Your alarm is now set and ready on your Mac running Ventura. When it goes off, click the Dismiss button to turn it off or hit Snooze. Enjoy waking up right on time!

Use Calendar Alerts as Alarms

If your Mac isn‘t updated to Ventura yet, don‘t worry – you can still set alarms using the Calendar app. Here‘s how:

Step 1: Open the Calendar App

The Calendar app is located in your Applications folder. Open it up and select the calendar you want or create a new one.

Step 2: Create a New Event

Click on the time slot when you want your alarm to go off and double click to create a new event.

Step 3: Set the Time and Details

Give your event a title like "Wake Up Alarm", then set the time and date. Make sure you set the alarm for AM/PM correctly.

You can add notes or alerts ahead of time if you want a warning before the alarm goes off.

Step 4: Create the Alert

Click Alert > Add Alert. From the dropdown menu, select the time frame for when you want the alert to go off before the event (like 0 minutes before).

Step 5: Pick Your Sound

Click Sound and select an alarm tone from the options. We recommend choosing one of the louder alert sounds.

Step 6: Set Your Mac Not to Sleep

As with the Clock app, you‘ll need to prevent your Mac from sleeping to ensure the alert goes off. Go to System Preferences > Battery and disable automatic sleeping.

Now your alarm is set as a Calendar alert. When the time comes, your Mac will sound the alarm tone until you dismiss the notification. You can snooze or delete the event when finished.

Use Timer Website Alarms

Another option is to use a free online alarm clock or timer website. Here are some top picks:

OnlineClock.net

This simple site lets you set alarms, timers, and stopwatches. To set an alarm:

1. Go to OnlineClock.net in your browser and click Alarm.

2. Enter your alarm time using the number wheels.

3. Select your alarm tone from the dropdown menu.

4. Check "Open web page" to launch the page at alarm time.

5. Click Set Alarm and make sure your Mac volume is up!

TimerTab.com

TimerTab has a clean layout and lets you pick from alarm tones:

1. Go to TimerTab.com and click Alarm.

2. Set the desired time on the wheel.

3. Pick an alarm tone like Wood Block or Siren under Sound.

4. Click Start when ready and the page will open at alarm time.

OnlineStopwatch.com

This site also includes an alarm clock feature:

1. Navigate to OnlineStopwatch.com.

2. Click Alarm Clock on the menu bar.

3. Spin the wheels to set your alarm time.

4. Select an alarm tone from the dropdown menu.

5. Check Auto Start and click Set Alarm.

When using any of these sites, just leave the tab open and make sure your Mac doesn‘t sleep. The page will launch and play your alarm tone when the time comes. Pretty handy!

Use Siri to Set Alarms

If you have Siri enabled on your Mac, you can use voice commands to set alarms. Say "Hey Siri" and say something like:

"Set an alarm for 7am"
"Wake me up at 9am tomorrow"
"Set an alarm called Wake Up for 6:30am every Tuesday and Thursday"

Siri will confirm the alarm details. Your request will show up as a reminder in the Reminders app that will notify you when it goes off.

This isn‘t an actual alarm per se, but it can serve the same purpose of alerting you at a certain time. Just make sure your Mac volume is up so you can hear the reminder sound.

Download a Free Alarm App

If you want an app dedicated specifically to alarms, there are some good free options on the App Store:

Alarm Clock for Me

This highly-rated app has all the alarm features you need:

• Set multiple alarms
• Customize sound, volume, and snooze duration
• Wake to your iTunes music library
• Bedtime reminders for better sleep

Alarmed

Alarmed keeps things simple with these options:

• Create multiple alarms
• Set the alarm sound, volume, and snooze time
• Works in background if app is closed
• Launches at alarm time when Mac wakes

Amaryllis Alarm Clock

Amaryllis offers built-in alarm tones and the ability to:

• Set repeating alarms for certain days
• Name your alarms for easy identification
• Adjust the alarm volume
• Snooze or dismiss alarms

Be sure to allow notifications from the app and prevent sleeping if you use one of these alarm clock apps. They provide an easy way to set alarms without websites or Calendar events.

Use Automator to Create Alarm Notifications

For a more advanced DIY alarm, you can use Automator and Calendar to create scheduled notifications:

1. Open Automator and select "Calendar Alarm" as the document type.

2. Search actions for "Create iCal Alarm" and add it to your workflow.

3. Set the alarm details like time, recurrence, sound, etc.

4. Save the Workflow as an Application or Calendar Event.

5. Then schedule the event in Calendar when you want the alarm to notify you.

When the event occurs, macOS will trigger the alarm workflow you created. This takes more work but lets you customize alarms beyond the basic options.

The Best Ways to Set an Alarm on Mac

While the Mac doesn‘t have a built-in alarm app like iPhone, you have quite a few options for setting alerts and wake-up calls. The Clock app in Ventura makes it wonderfully easy, but Siri, Calendar, websites, and third-party apps get the job done too.

Choose the method that works best for your needs. Just be sure to disable automatic sleeping and adjust volume so you can actually hear the alarm when it sounds. With these tips, you‘ll never miss another important alarm on your Mac!