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On its own, On The Go doesn't keep your Mac running in a bag: closing the lid puts the Mac to sleep as usual, so packing it away is as safe as always.

With the optional On The Go Helper, the Mac keeps working with the lid closed, and a working Mac makes heat. On The Go watches for that: it turns the mode off if the Mac gets too hot, and with the lid closed it's stricter and turns off sooner. It also turns off at your battery floor and when your time limit ends, and then the Mac goes to sleep normally.

Those are safety nets, not a cooling system. To be kind to your Mac:

• Use a sleeve or an open bag pocket rather than a closed, padded backpack.
• Don't leave it running in a bag for hours, in a hot car or in the sun.
• Set a time limit that matches the job, and check on the Mac when you arrive.

Where the Mac goes while it's running is up to you, so please keep it somewhere it can breathe.

On a MacBook, closing the lid always means sleep, unless something with administrator rights changes that. Apps from the Mac App Store run in a sandbox that doesn't allow it, so On The Go from the store keeps your Mac awake only while the lid is open.

If you want it to keep running with the lid closed between places, install the free On The Go Helper. It's a separate download because Apple only allows that kind of background service outside the store. It's optional: everything else works without it.

Yes, and you don't need the helper for that. macOS has this built in (Apple calls it closed-display mode): with your Mac connected to power, an external display, and a keyboard and mouse or trackpad, you can close the lid and keep working on the external display.

With On The Go on, the Mac also stays awake when you leave the keyboard, so a long job keeps going. Unplug the display or the power and the Mac goes to sleep, as usual, unless the helper is installed and the mode is on.

Apple's guide: Use your Mac notebook with an external display and the lid closed, in the Mac User Guide.

It's the battery level where On The Go turns itself off so your Mac doesn't run flat. It only applies while the Mac is on battery. The default is 10%; in Settings you can pick 5%, 15%, 20%, or Off.

When it's reached, On The Go turns the mode off and tells you why (a notification, if you allow them, and a sound unless you turned it off). From then on your Mac sleeps as it normally would. The menu shows how long the battery should last before the floor, and Leaving Now warns you when that's shorter than the time you picked.

• When the battery reaches your floor.
• When the Mac gets too hot.
• When the time you picked runs out (1, 2 or 4 hours), unless you chose until I turn it off.
• When you turn it off or quit the app.

Each automatic turn-off sends a notification that says why (if you allow On The Go's notifications) and plays a sound, unless you turn the sound off in Settings.

An iPhone may drop a hotspot connection that sits idle. While the mode is on and your Mac is on your iPhone's Personal Hotspot, On The Go can send a tiny request to Apple's connectivity check every 45 seconds (or 30 or 60) so the link isn't idle. Apple doesn't document how long an iPhone waits, so this is a precaution. The check isn't sent on other networks, and you can turn it off in Settings → Hotspot.

1. Click the On The Go icon in the menu bar and choose Quit On The Go. Your Mac sleeps normally again.
2. Drag On The Go from Applications to the Trash.
3. If you installed On The Go Helper, open it and click Remove, then move it to the Trash.

Advanced: your settings and trip history stay in ~/Library/Containers/dev.onthego.OnTheGo.lite in case you reinstall. Delete that folder to remove them too.

No. On The Go and On The Go Helper need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 Sonoma or later.