We're all used to setting alarms on our iPhones. But have you ever set an alarm on your Mac? Sounds weird, right? Although your Mac isn't the ideal device to set morning alarms, they are handy for setting alarms while working.

For example, you can set an alarm while working from home to remind yourself to check the oven or to take a small break. Or, you can use it to be more productive with the Pomodoro method.

To help you with this, we've covered different ways to set an alarm on your Mac below.

1. Use the Clock App in macOS Ventura

If you're running macOS Ventura on your Mac, you're in luck because macOS Ventura features a dedicated Clock app, unlike the previous versions of macOS.

The Clock app is similar to the one found on iOS and iPadOS and features a world clock (with different timezones), an alarm, a timer, and a stopwatch.

You can use the Alarm feature in the Clock app to quickly set an alarm on your Mac. If you're not sure where to start, you can follow the instructions below:

  1. Open the Clock app on your Mac and head to the Alarm section from the top menu.
  2. Next, click on the plus (+) icon in the top-right corner to create a new alarm.
  3. You can now set the time, label, and sound for your alarm. You can also choose to repeat the alarm on specific days of the week, similar to the Alarm settings on iOS.
    Set Alarm in Clock app on Mac
  4. Once you've configured the options, click on Done, and the alarm will be set up.

When the alarm rings, you'll hear the sound and see a notification in the top-right corner of your screen. Click on it to close the alarm or snooze it if required.

Alarm Notification on macOS

Setting an alarm on your Mac is easy if you're running macOS Ventura, as it has its own dedicated Clock app. However, if your Mac is running a previous version of macOS, you'll need to use one of the workaround methods described below.

2. Use Siri to Set a Reminder on Your Mac

For any Mac running macOS Monterey or older, the easiest way to set up an "alarm" on your Mac is to use Siri. Since there is no dedicated Clock app on these macOS versions, Siri can't set up an alarm. However, you can use it to set up a reminder to alert you at a specific time. This, in essence, can act as an alarm, as Siri will remind you of the event you set up using a notification.

If you've turned off Siri on your Mac, you'll need to enable it on your Mac before setting up a reminder. To enable Siri on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
  2. Select Siri & Spotlight from the left pane.
  3. Enable the toggle for Ask Siri.
    Enable Ask Siri on Mac
  4. Your Mac will prompt you to reconfirm the action, which you can do by selecting Enable.
  5. You'll see the Siri icon appear on the right side of the macOS menu bar. You can either click it or say Hey Siri to use Siri.
  6. Say aloud what you want to set a reminder for. For example, "Remind me to turn off the oven at 12pm."
    Reminder Set Using Siri

That's it! Siri will create a reminder and alert you at the specified time, acting as an alarm on your Mac.

3. Use the Reminders App

If you prefer not to use Siri, you can set an alarm as a reminder from the Reminders app. The only difference is that you'll need to type in the reminder name, date, and time instead of asking Siri to do it all for you.

To set an alarm from the Reminders app, here's what you need to do:

  1. Open up the Reminders app on your Mac.
  2. Click on the plus (+) button in the top-right corner to set up a new reminder (you can also use keyboard shortcuts in the Reminders app to set one up).
  3. Next, click on the Info (i) icon and type the title of the reminder.
  4. Check the options for On a Day and At a Time next to "remind me," and then specify a date and time. This will serve as an alarm. You can also choose to specify a location to trigger the alert instead.
    Add a Reminder with Specific Date/Time

Once set up, you should see the reminder pop-up as a notification with an audible alert at the time you specified.

4. Use a Third-Party App to Set an Alarm

If you'd prefer to have a dedicated app for your alarms instead of using the Reminders app, consider installing a third-party app. These apps can serve as a proper alarm (or timer) app with customizable audio.

There are loads of options available on the Mac App Store. We'd recommend Wake Up Time which is completely free. It allows you to easily and quickly set up an alarm on your Mac. There are different sounds that you can use for the alarm.

Wake Up Time

Apart from this, there are multiple other free apps available, all with different alarm clock styles to suit your preferences.

Download: Wake Up Time (Free)

Setting an Alarm on Your Mac Isn't Hard Anymore

Prior to macOS Ventura, it was a tad bit difficult to set an alarm on your Mac or view different timezones worldwide due to the absence of a native Clock app. Fortunately, that's not the case anymore, as you can now set an alarm, stopwatch, timer, or view different timezones with the Clock app, just as you would do on your iPhone.

So, if you want the most straightforward way to set an alarm on your Mac, we'd recommend upgrading your Mac to macOS Ventura. Not only will this get you a dedicated Clock app, but you'll also get many other nifty features like Continuity Camera, Stage Manager, and more.