SpinSteady
Support
Need help? Email support@spinsteady.com — please include your macOS version and drive model so we can help faster. (The app's Send Feedback… menu item fills this in for you.)
Frequently asked questions
My drive still spins down after adding it. What now?
A few enclosures reset their idle timer only on writes, not reads. Open the drive's settings in SpinSteady and switch it to Write mode, or shorten the interval. If SpinSteady detected the sleep, it will offer both fixes in a notification.
What is the ".spinsteady" folder on my drive?
It's a single hidden folder containing one tiny keep-alive file — the only thing SpinSteady writes to your drive. Remove the drive from SpinSteady and you can safely delete the folder.
Does SpinSteady keep my whole Mac awake?
No. It only keeps the drives you add busy. Your display and your Mac follow their normal sleep settings, and SpinSteady checks your drives as soon as the Mac wakes.
Will keeping the drive awake damage it?
Read mode, the default, adds no writes. A drive that stays spinning does add running hours. Many people find that a fair trade against spinning up and down dozens of times a day, but it's your call, and you can turn SpinSteady off for any drive. Use write mode only if your enclosure needs it.
How do I get a refund?
The one-time unlock is an App Store purchase, so refunds go through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Which drives and Macs are supported?
SpinSteady runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. I tested it on three USB hard drives: a WD easystore, a WD Elements, and a Seagate Expansion. It should work with any external hard drive that shows up in Finder as a normal volume. SSDs don't spin down, so they don't need it. If your drive doesn't stay awake, email me with the model and I'll look into it.