Only the apps you approve stay visible.
Pick the two or three apps that a job needs. Blinders covers every other app that you can see. It quits nothing and closes nothing. Your music continues.
- 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.
It is strict about what you see. It changes nothing else.
You switch off a focus app that makes your work difficult. With Blinders, you never do your work more quickly when you turn it off.
Your music continues
Blinders never changes sound. A video on a second screen continues. You made the decision not to look at it.
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.
It cannot trap you
System Settings, Spotlight, Control Center, and the login window always get through. A click or the Escape key clears the screen immediately.
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.
Silence notifications at the same time
Blinders turns a macOS Focus on with the blinders, so your notifications wait until you finish. Three steps, once.
- 1
Make a shortcut
Open the Shortcuts app and make a new shortcut with the name "Blinders On". Add the "Set Focus" action. Set it to turn a Focus on. Make a second shortcut that turns the Focus off.
- 2
Choose what the Focus allows
Open System Settings, then Focus. Allow the same apps that your Blinders profile approves. Notifications from every other app then wait until you finish.
- 3
Point Blinders at it
Open Blinders settings, then Notifications. Enter the name of each shortcut. Blinders runs them when the blinders go on and off. A test button beside each one checks your work.
You can also work the other way. Attach Blinders to a Focus as a Focus Filter. The Focus then chooses the Blinders profile, and one switch controls both.
Free to start. Buy it once, or not at all.
Two profiles are free and stay free. That is enough to work in, and enough to see what the app does. There is no subscription, no account, and no time limit.
Free
Everything the app does, with two profiles.
- Two profiles, with no time limit
- Covered windows on every screen
- Desktop blackout
- Indefinite and pomodoro modes
- Global shortcut
- Focus and Shortcuts setup
$9.99once
Buy it inside the app, when you want a third profile.
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
- 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.
Will it clean up my Command Tab switcher?
No. You need this information before you buy. To remove an app from the switcher, an app needs accessibility access. No App Store app can have it. A blocked app still appears in the switcher. 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 permissions does it need?
None. Blinders needs no accessibility access, no screen recording, and no input monitoring. It runs inside the App Sandbox. It works only from what macOS gives an ordinary app.
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, both modes, the shortcut, and the Focus setup are all free, and they stay free. Two profiles is enough to work in and enough to see what the app does.
Is there a subscription?
No. Unlimited profiles cost $9.99 one time, bought inside the app, and updates are free. There is no account to make, and you never log in.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.