Caffeine is a different app depending on your platform. Green Dotter is one app that covers both, and it keeps your status active while it's at it.
Green Dotter is available two official ways: install from the Microsoft Store, or download it directly from green-dotter.com. No account, email address or subscription is required.
There are two well-known Caffeines. On Mac, it's the little coffee cup in the menu bar that stops your screen sleeping. On Windows, it's a tray tool that presses F15 for you every 59 seconds. Both have been around for years, both are free, and both mostly still work.
The Mac one has the same limit as every pure keep-awake tool: no input, so your Slack or Teams dot goes yellow even though the screen is on.
The Windows one does create input, but it's a single invisible keypress on a fixed schedule, and the odd app reacts strangely to F15. You can't see what it's doing or shape when it does it.
Green Dotter does the job with mouse movement you can actually watch, or clicks inside an area you choose. Same result on Mac and Windows, one app, and it pauses itself the moment you touch the mouse.
| Green Dotter | Caffeine (Mac) | Caffeine (Windows) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps your computer awake | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Creates real input | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ F15 keypress |
| Natural mouse movement | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Clicks a safe area you choose | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pauses when you come back | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Mac support | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Both Caffeines are fine at what they do. The difference is control: Green Dotter shows you what it's doing, lets you pick where clicks land, and covers keeping your computer awake on either platform with one download.
One app for both machines. No more coffee cup on the Mac and a different tray tool on the PC. Same modes, same settings, both platforms.
You can see what it's doing. An invisible F15 press is fine until something misbehaves and you can't tell why. Green Dotter's wiggle and clicks are visible, and the dashboard shows every session.
It gets out of your way. Green Dotter pauses automatically when you move the mouse yourself and resumes when you stop. No toggling anything on and off.
Also compared: Amphetamine, Move Mouse and PowerToys Awake.
Green Dotter is available two official ways: install from the Microsoft Store, or download it directly from green-dotter.com. No account, email address or subscription is required.