Control your music
Play, pause, skip and drag the scrubber without leaving the app you are in. A source picker lets you choose which player NotchNook follows.
Make your MacBook notch useful.
The notch holds your Mac's camera, and macOS leaves the space around it empty. In five minutes, you can turn it into the most useful spot on your screen.
5-minute setup·macOS 14.6 or later·Works without a notch too
First, the notch
Why your MacBook has one.
The notch holds the FaceTime camera and its sensors, so the screen can reach almost all the way to the top edge. macOS uses the space on either side for the menu bar and leaves the notch itself blank. That is prime real estate: it sits right where your eyes and pointer already go.
Step 1
Give the notch a job.
- Download NotchNookGet it from the official download page.
- Install itOpen the downloaded file and drag NotchNook into your Applications folder.
- Open itOpen NotchNook from Applications. When macOS asks you to confirm an app downloaded from the internet, click Open.
- Meet the NookMove your pointer to the notch, or swipe down on the trackpad.
Every feature is free for 48 hours, with no card.
Step 2
Put your day at the top.
Recorded in the current app. Click a clip to pause it.
Keep a to-do list
Add tasks as they come up, star the important ones and let finished tasks archive themselves.
Jot things down
A phone number, a reminder, a line for later: write it in the notch, with bold, italic and underline when you need them.
Time anything
Scroll the wheels to set a timer, or click a preset from 1 minute to 1 hour.
Know what is next.
See upcoming events at a glance, and get a live activity before the next one starts. macOS asks for Calendar access the first time.
Check before you join.
One click opens a live camera preview, so you can fix your hair before the call. macOS asks for Camera access the first time.
Step 3
A shelf for your files.
Dragging a file between two windows that never seem to be visible at the same time? Drop it in the Tray first. You can drop several files at once, paste from the clipboard, and send anything with AirDrop straight from the notch.
The Tray keeps your files even after you restart your Mac, so it works as a staging area for the things you are working on this week.
Step 4
Stay posted, quietly.
Battery, Bluetooth, next event.
Turn on live activities and NotchNook shows battery changes, Bluetooth connections and your next calendar event in the notch, then gets out of the way.
Volume and brightness, redone.
Turn on the HUD replacement and volume and brightness changes appear from the notch, not the middle of your screen. macOS asks for Accessibility access to enable it.
Fix it
Menu bar icons behind the notch?
On a crowded menu bar, macOS hides the icons that would fall behind the notch. A few ways to win the space back:
Move what matters right.
Hold Command and drag menu bar icons to move the ones you use most to the right, where they stay visible.
Remove what you do not need.
Many system icons can be turned off in System Settings → Control Center, and most apps have a "show in menu bar" setting.
Let the Nook hold it.
Music controls, your calendar and quick notes do not need a menu bar icon once they live in the Nook.
Scale below the camera.
If an older app's menus end up under the notch, select it in Finder, choose File → Get Info and turn on "Scale to fit below built-in camera".
No notch?
Same Nook, any Mac.
On Macs without a notch, NotchNook shows a slim handle at the top of the screen that opens the same Nook, with the same core features. It also works on every connected display. Learn more about a Dynamic Island for Mac →
What is the MacBook notch for?
The notch holds the FaceTime camera and its sensors, which lets the display reach closer to the top edge of the Mac. macOS leaves the space around it empty, so apps like NotchNook can use it.
How can I make the MacBook notch useful?
Install a notch app such as NotchNook. It turns the notch into a panel that opens when you point at it, with music controls, your calendar, notes, a to-do list, timers, a mirror and a file Tray.
Can I put music controls in the MacBook notch?
Yes. NotchNook shows what is playing on your Mac in the notch, with play, pause, skip, artwork and a scrubber, and a source picker to choose which app it follows.
Can I drag files to the MacBook notch?
Yes. With NotchNook, you can drop files on the notch to keep them in the Tray, paste from the clipboard and send them with AirDrop. The Tray keeps your files across restarts.
Why are some menu bar icons hidden on my MacBook?
When the menu bar is full, macOS hides icons that would fall behind the notch. Reorder icons by holding Command and dragging them, remove the ones you don't need, or move things like music and calendar into the notch with NotchNook.
Can I hide the MacBook notch?
In full-screen apps, macOS fills the top of the screen with black, so the notch blends in. If you would rather make the notch useful than hide it, NotchNook turns it into a panel for music, calendar, notes, tasks, timers and files.
Do I need a MacBook with a notch to use NotchNook?
No. On Macs without a notch, NotchNook shows a slim handle at the top of the screen that opens the same Nook.
Try it free
Your Mac’s notch, actually useful.
Every feature free for 48 hours. No card needed.
Welcome-back prices until October 13. US$2/month, for as long as your subscription stays active, or US$15 for a lifetime license.