Timers
A countdown you can actually see
Notchy runs a countdown timer and a stopwatch on your MacBook notch — a live readout above every window, started from one tap.
One tap to start
Preset lengths sit on the timer tab — tap one and it's running. Add a minute mid-timer, pause it, or reset it without leaving whatever you were doing.
Visible from every app
The remaining time collapses onto the notch as a compact readout. It sits above full-screen apps, so a timer behind a Keynote deck stops being a problem.
Stopwatch on the same surface
Count up when you need to — timing a run, a call, a build. Same island, same controls, no second app.
Or run full Pomodoro sessions
The same timer engine drives structured work and break cycles with their own lengths, if a plain countdown isn't the shape of your focus.
Everything Notchy does, for free
- Fluid Dynamic Island animations on the Mac notch
- Command palette (⌃⌥K) — every action one keystroke away
- Knock — double-tap a modifier key to open the notch
- AI usage tracker (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot)
- Detach any tab into a menu-bar popover
- Now Playing music controls (Apple Music & Spotify)
- Time-synced karaoke lyrics under the notch
- Mac clipboard history shelf (password-manager safe)
- Searchable clipboard — filter by text, file name, or OCR'd words
- On-device OCR — copy a screenshot, get its text (Apple Vision)
- Window snapping — drag a window to the notch to tile it
- App Launcher — pin apps to the notch, open with one tap
- Text snippets — TextExpander-style pastes from the ⌘K palette
- One-tap screen capture to clipboard + shelf
- Color eyedropper — sample any pixel, hex auto-copied
- System-wide mic mute for every meeting app at once
- Keystroke HUD for demos & screencasts (secure-input safe)
- Keyboard cleaning lock with countdown island (⌘⎋ unlocks)
- Menu-bar icon hiding — Bartender-style separator & chevron
- Live CPU / memory / network stats flyout
- Open GitHub PR count in the notch (Keychain-stored token)
- iPhone-style call island — Answer/Decline FaceTime on the notch
- Notch Terminal — real VT100/xterm shell in a PTY, its own tab
- Privacy Indicator — pill when any app's camera or mic goes live
- Caps Lock HUD — brief island on every toggle
- Full Charge island with adjustable threshold + low-battery sound
- Alt HUD styles — edge-pinned bar or circular gauge off the notch
- Audio-reactive Now Playing visualizer (real FFT of system audio)
- Custom closed-notch idle animation — drop in your own Lottie JSON
- Drag-and-drop file drop shelf — persists across relaunches
- Zip & unzip files right from the shelf
- Image converter (HEIC, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF) + video → GIF
- Run Apple Shortcuts with one tap
- Screenshots auto-staged on the shelf, ready to drag
- Download finished alerts with Reveal in Finder
- USB drive mount island with one-tap Eject
- Apple Reminders quick capture & due list
- macOS Pomodoro notch timer & stopwatch — streaks + 7-day chart
- Resizable expanded panel (width & height, live preview)
- System HUDs (volume, brightness, battery)
- Audio output switcher (speakers, AirPods, monitor)
- AirPods connection manager & battery
- Magic Mouse, Keyboard & Trackpad battery + low-battery alerts
- Quick notes & Calendar widgets
- Camera Mirror (check your appearance)
- Keep Awake (caffeine toggle)
- Teleprompter (Cuely) for Zoom calls
- Focus-aware alerts & native haptic feedback
- Lock screen widgets & hide-the-notch mode
- 133 languages, fully localized
- Native SwiftUI, tuned for Apple Silicon
Mac countdown timer — FAQ
Does macOS have a built-in countdown timer?
The Clock app can run one, but it hides behind whatever window you're working in and the alert is easy to miss. Notchy keeps the countdown on the notch, where it stays visible no matter which app is in front.
Can I start a timer without opening an app?
Yes. Tap the notch and pick a preset length, or assign a keyboard shortcut. There's no window to open and no menu bar icon to find first.
Is there a stopwatch too?
Yes. The same surface runs a stopwatch when you need to count up instead of down — start, pause and reset from the notch.
What's the difference between this and the Pomodoro timer?
The Pomodoro timer runs structured work and break cycles with its own defaults. The countdown timer is a plain one-shot timer for anything else — laundry, a meeting hard stop, a kettle. They share the same island, so you learn one interface.
Will I notice when it finishes?
The notch expands with a finish island and an optional sound, so the end of the timer arrives where you're already looking rather than in a notification you scrolled past.