For people who change roles all day
See only the apps that this piece of work needs.
Make a profile for each kind of work. Turn one on, and Blinders covers every other app on the screen. Everything stays open, exactly where you left it.
- Free
- Two profiles, with no time limit.
- 0 permissions
- No accessibility, no screen recording.
- macOS 14+
- Apple silicon and Intel.
It controls what you see. It changes nothing else.
Other tools quit your apps and close your tabs. Then they need an override for the moment that you need one of them. Blinders removes nothing. It controls only what you see.
A profile for each kind of work
Development needs an editor and a terminal. Marketing needs a document and an analytics page. Neither needs the other. Keep a set of apps for each kind of work, and change the set from the menu bar. The change applies at once to the app in front of you.
Blinders covers Slack
It returns you to Editor
The app stays open
If you open an app that you did not approve, the screen goes black for a moment. Blinders then returns you to your last approved app. The other app stays open. Blinders quits nothing, and you lose no unsaved work.
Blinders covers all that you can see
You can read a window beside the one that you work in. A rule about the front position alone does nothing. Blinders covers every part of a blocked app that you can see. This includes the small part behind another window.
Clear the view, not your workspace.
Blinders covers the apps outside the profile. It does not quit them, close their windows, or change what they hold. Come back in an hour and your work is where you left it.
Your music continues
Blinders never changes sound. A video on a second screen keeps playing, and keeps its audio. Only the picture goes.
One shortcut
Control, Option, Command, B turns Blinders on and off in any app. You do not find a window first.
An optional timer
Indefinite mode keeps Blinders on until you turn it off. Pomodoro mode turns it on for the work interval. It turns it off for the break.
The desktop also goes black
Black covers the wallpaper and the desktop icons on every screen. Your windows stay in front of the black.
You stay in control
System Settings, Spotlight, Control Center, and the login window always get through. A click or the Escape key clears the screen at once.
No permissions to grant
Blinders needs no accessibility access, no screen recording, and no input monitoring. It runs in the App Sandbox. It reads nothing about you.
Thirty seconds, one screen
One key covers everything outside the profile. A change of profile moves the cover to the other apps. Nothing closes at any point.
The Development profile approves the editor and the terminal, so the browser goes dark. Halfway through, the profile changes to Marketing, and the cover moves to the editor instead.
The notifications wait too
Blinders can turn a macOS Focus on at the same time, so the apps you shut out cannot reach you through a banner either. You set it up one time, and the three steps are on the support page.
Two profiles free. Unlimited for $9.99 once.
Two profiles are free and stay free, with no time limit and no account. Buy the rest when you want a third, or never. Prices are in United States dollars.
Free
Everything the app does, with two profiles.
- Two profiles, with no time limit
- Covered windows on every screen
- Desktop blackout
- Indefinite, pomodoro, and daily plan
- Brown noise
- Global shortcut
- Focus and Shortcuts setup
$9.99once
Buy it inside the app, when you want a third profile or the extra sounds.
Most people want one profile for each hat they wear. Buy this when you reach the third one, and not before.
- As many profiles as you want
- Rain, pink, white, and tones
- Every future update
Frequently asked questions
This list includes the two things that Blinders cannot do. You need that information here, not after you buy.
Does it quit my apps?
No. Blinders quits nothing, hides nothing, mutes nothing, and closes nothing. It takes the front position from an app. It then covers the part that you can see. Your unsaved work is never at risk.
Why do blocked apps stay in the Command Tab switcher?
To take an app out of the switcher, an app needs accessibility access. Blinders does not use accessibility access, so a blocked app still appears there. If you pick it, Blinders returns you immediately.
Can it block websites and browser tabs?
Not yet. A profile approves whole apps. If you approve your browser, you approve every site in it. Control at the level of the tab is the next feature to build, and it follows the same rule. A blocked site in a background window stays as it is.
Does it stop notifications?
Yes, with a macOS Focus. Blinders turns the Focus on at the same time as the blinders, and the Focus holds your notifications. Make a shortcut with the "Set Focus" action, then name that shortcut in Blinders. The three steps are above.
What can it see?
Blinders uses no accessibility access, no screen recording, and no input monitoring. It asks macOS which app is in front and where the windows are, and it keeps neither answer. It reads no window contents, no documents, no keystrokes, and no browsing history.
Does it work with more than one screen?
Yes. The cover and the desktop blackout apply to every screen that you have. Blinders never changes sound. A video on a second screen continues, and loses only its picture.
Can it lock me out of my Mac?
No. System Settings, Spotlight, Control Center, Finder, and the login window always get through, whatever your profile says. A click or the Escape key clears the screen immediately. The menu bar item is always available.
What does the free version do?
Everything, with two profiles. The cover, the desktop blackout, all three modes, and the daily plan stay free. So do brown noise, the shortcut, and the Focus setup. Two profiles is enough to try the app.
Is there a subscription?
No. Unlimited profiles cost $9.99 one time, bought inside the app. That also opens rain, pink, white, and tones. Updates are free. There is no account.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.