Enable Wake-on-LAN So You Can Wake Your Mac Remotely
Turn on 'wake for network access' from the command line so a sleeping Mac wakes when your wake-on-LAN packet or sharing request arrives.
Run sudo pmset -a womp 1 to enable waking on a network magic packet on all power sources.
01Command
Command
$ sudo pmset -a womp 102What it does
womp stands for 'wake on magic packet' — the standard Wake-on-LAN mechanism. Setting it with -a applies to all power sources (use -c for AC only, -b for battery). Once enabled, tools that send a magic packet to the Mac's MAC address, and even inbound SSH/screen-sharing connections via a Bonjour sleep proxy, can wake the machine. Verify with pmset -g | grep womp.
03Risk
!Warning: Over Wi-Fi this depends on the router supporting Wake on Wireless; a laptop on battery may still refuse to wake to save power.
04Undo
Undo
$ sudo pmset -a womp 005Sources
- pmset - Power Management SettingsEvidence: Lists 'womp' — wake on ethernet magic packet — among the pmset power settings.
- pmset(1) man pageEvidence: Documents the womp setting that enables waking on an Ethernet magic packet, settable separately for AC and battery via -a/-b/-c flags.
Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: System & Settings