Timer & stopwatch for macOS
Focus Clock for Mac The always-visible timer.
Focus Clock puts a timer at the top centre of your screen, as a small pill in the middle of the menu bar, where you can always see it. It stays in view over full-screen apps. Hover to open it, pick a length and get back to work; when time’s up, it opens by itself and chimes softly. A small menu-bar app from d24, one-time purchase.
One-time purchase · No permissions to grant · Notarized by Apple · From d24, not the App Store
How it works
Glance up. It’s there.
Hover the top centre
The time sits at the top centre of your screen. Move the pointer there and a small card opens — no click needed.
Pick a length
Click a preset — 3, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes — and it starts. Or set the time with − and + (or by scrolling over the card) and press Start. From any app, ⌃⌥T starts and pauses it.
Get back to work
Move away and the card closes; the time stays in plain sight, over full-screen apps too. A thin gold line along its lower edge shortens toward the centre as the time runs down.
Features
Small, and done carefully.
Always at the top centre
A small pill with just the time, in the middle of the menu bar. On every display by default, or only the ones you choose. (MacBooks with a notch haven’t been checked yet — see Compatibility.)
Visible over full-screen apps
Full-screen video, slides and documents don’t hide it. It opens on hover there too, once the pointer pauses — so reaching for the menu bar doesn’t open it by accident.
Everything in one card
Start and pause, ±1 minute, presets from 3 to 60 minutes, +5 and +10, and Reset — right where you’re already looking.
Timer and stopwatch
A Timer | Stopwatch switch sits in the card’s top-left corner. Switch back, and your last timer length is still there.
⌃⌥T from any app
Start and pause without reaching for the mouse: Control-Option-T. You can turn the shortcut off in Settings.
A gentle finish
When time’s up it opens by itself, chimes softly a few times and glows until you stop it. Overtime counts up, and +1, +5 or Again are one click away.
Quiet when you present
Presentation Mode turns the finish into a single silent glow and hides the timer on your other displays. When your display is mirrored, the finish goes quiet by itself — the timer stays in view, since both screens show the same picture.
No permissions, no network
It asks for no Accessibility, Screen Recording or Input Monitoring access, makes no network connections and collects no data. Notarized by Apple.
Details
When time’s up — and the settings it respects
When time’s up
Focus Clock opens by itself on the display you’re using, chimes a few times and glows until you stop it — it doesn’t ring on forever. The time keeps counting as overtime (+0:12), and you can stop it, add 1 or 5 minutes, or run the same length again, right there.
The sound follows your Mac
The chime is a soft system alert sound, so your Mac’s own settings decide: it plays at the Alert volume and through the device chosen under Play sound effects through in System Settings → Sound, and it stays silent while your Mac is muted — the glow at the top of the screen tells you instead. You can also turn the sound off in Focus Clock’s settings.
While you present
Before a talk or a screen share, turn on Presentation Mode in the Focus Clock menu: the finish goes quiet — no sound, no card, a single glow — and the timer stays on the screen you turned it on from, hidden on your other displays. So to keep it off a projector, use the projector as a separate (extended) display and turn Presentation Mode on from your own screen.
When your display is mirrored, the finish goes quiet by itself, but the timer stays in view: both screens show the same picture, so the audience sees it too. Screen sharing in apps such as Zoom can’t be detected, so use the menu item there; the finish is then quiet, but if you share the screen the timer is on, viewers see the timer.
Your Mac stays awake during a countdown
So that the alert arrives on time, a running countdown keeps your Mac from going to sleep (the display can still turn off). With the stopwatch, or when nothing is running, your Mac sleeps as usual.
Getting started
Two minutes, start to finish.
Buy — on your Mac or your phone
Checkout is handled by Lemon Squeezy. The download link arrives by email straight away; if you bought on your phone, open that email on your Mac. There’s no licence key to enter.
Drag it to Applications, then open it
Open the disk image, drag Focus Clock into the Applications folder, and open it from there. macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the Internet — click Open. You’ll see that question once.
Hover the top of your screen
The first time, Focus Clock opens by itself with a short hint. After that, hover the top centre to open it. Right-click it — or use its menu-bar icon — for settings. From now on it starts at login; you can turn that off in Settings.
Pricing
One price. No subscription.
One-time purchase, tax included · Free updates for version 1 · 14-day refund if it doesn’t work on your Mac
Compatibility
Tested: macOS 26 on Apple silicon Macs without a notch. Not yet verified: MacBooks with a notch, macOS 27, macOS 13–15 and Intel Macs — this line is updated as each one is checked. Won’t open on macOS 12 or earlier. Needs no special permissions. In English and Japanese. Mac only — not for Windows or iPad. If it doesn’t work on your Mac, you get a full refund within 14 days.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the Focus Clock from the App Store?
No. The Focus Clock on the App Store is by another developer and isn’t related to this one. Focus Clock by d24 is sold here on d24.tokyo, not on the App Store. To find it again, search for “d24 Focus Clock”.
Where exactly does it appear?
At the top centre of each display, as a small pill in the middle of the menu bar. When no timer is running it tucks away — hover the top centre to open it. Choose which displays it uses in Settings. MacBooks with a notch haven’t been checked yet; see Compatibility.
Does it need any permissions?
No. It doesn’t ask for Accessibility, Screen Recording or Input Monitoring access.
Does it connect to the internet or collect data?
No. It makes no network connections — not even to check for updates — and collects nothing. To tell when an app is full screen or you’re presenting, it looks at where other apps’ windows are, how they’re stacked and which app they belong to, on your Mac only; it never reads their titles or contents. Details are in our privacy policy.
How loud is the chime?
It’s a soft system alert sound, so your Mac decides: it follows the Alert volume and output device in System Settings → Sound, and stays silent while your Mac is muted — the glow at the top of the screen tells you instead. You can also turn the sound off in Settings.
Will my Mac go to sleep during a timer?
Not during a countdown: Focus Clock keeps your Mac awake so the alert arrives on time, though the display can still turn off. With the stopwatch, or when nothing is running, your Mac sleeps as usual.
Can I use it while presenting or sharing my screen?
Yes — turn on Presentation Mode in its menu first. The finish then goes quiet (no sound, no card, one glow), and the timer stays on the screen you turned it on from, hidden on your other displays. When your display is mirrored, the finish goes quiet by itself, but the timer stays in view — both screens show the same picture, so the audience sees it. To keep it off a projector, use the projector as a separate display rather than mirroring. Screen sharing in apps such as Zoom can’t be detected, so use the menu item there; the finish is then quiet, but viewers see the timer if you share the screen it’s on.
Is it connected to macOS Focus modes?
No. Despite the name, it’s a timer: it doesn’t read or change your Focus or Do Not Disturb settings.
Can I set a timer in seconds?
Not in this version. Timers are set in whole minutes, from 1 minute up to just under 24 hours.
macOS says “Focus Clock” can’t be opened. What do I do?
Focus Clock is notarized by Apple, so normally macOS just asks once whether to open an app downloaded from the Internet — click Open. If it says the app can’t be opened or was blocked, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom and click Open Anyway (the button appears for about an hour after you tried to open the app). More on the Support page.
How do I update or uninstall it?
To update, choose Quit from its menu, then drag the app from the new disk image into Applications, replacing the old one. To uninstall, turn off Launch at login in Settings, quit, and move the app to the Trash. To remove its settings as well, run defaults delete tokyo.d24.focusclock in Terminal.
Does it work on Windows or iPad?
No. Focus Clock is a macOS app. It doesn’t run on Windows, Boot Camp or iPadOS.
How much does it cost, and can I get a refund?
It’s a one-time purchase with free updates for version 1. If it doesn’t work on your Mac, tell us within 14 days for a full refund, processed by Lemon Squeezy — see our refund policy.
A timer you can always see.
Hover, pick a length, get back to work. One-time purchase, no permissions, notarized by Apple.