How to set an alarm on a Mac
2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026
Open the Clock app, click Alarms at the top of the window and click the Add button. Set the time, choose the days under Repeat, give the alarm a label, pick a sound and click Save. When it rings, click Options on the notification and choose Stop or Snooze. You can also ask Siri to set an alarm.
Macs have had their own Clock app since macOS Ventura, with the same four parts as on the iPhone: World Clock, Alarms, Stopwatch and Timers. That makes the Mac a usable reminder for a meeting, a break or the pizza in the oven while you work.
Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.
Step by step
Open the Clock app
Press Command-Space, type Clock and press Return, or open it from Launchpad or the Applications folder.
Click Alarms
The four sections are listed at the top of the window. Click Alarms.
Click the Add button
Click the plus button to create a new alarm.
Set the time and the options
Enter the time. Under Repeat, choose the days of the week if the alarm should come back. Label gives it a name, such as Water the plants. Sound chooses the tone. Tick Snooze if you want the option of a few more minutes, and choose how long under Snooze Duration.
Click Save
The alarm appears in the list with a switch next to it. The switch shows whether it is on.
Stop or snooze it when it rings
A notification appears in the top right corner with the sound. Click Options on the notification and choose Stop, or Snooze if you switched that on.
Change, switch off or delete an alarm
Click an alarm to change it and click Save. Click its switch to turn it off without deleting it. To remove it, hold the pointer over the alarm and click the Remove button in its top left corner.
Good to know
Siri sets alarms too: say or type "Set an alarm for lunch at noon".
A Mac that is shut down cannot sound an alarm, and a sleeping one may stay silent. For anything you must not miss, such as getting up in the morning, use the phone: an iPhone alarm sounds even in silent mode.
Check the volume before you rely on it: an alarm on a muted Mac or with headphones plugged in is easy to miss.
For a countdown, click Timers in the same app. Related: how to use Focus and Do Not Disturb on a Mac and how to stop a Mac from going to sleep.
In short: Clock app, Alarms, Add button, set the time, Repeat, Label, Sound and Snooze, Save. Options on the notification to stop it. Switch to turn it off, Remove button to delete.
- Clock User Guide for Mac: Set alarms in Clock on Mac
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