README.md

June 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

MacTools logo

A free and open-source collection of native macOS menu bar tools

[中文] [English]

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MacTools brings frequently used system actions together in a lightweight, fast, and unobtrusive menu bar app. Built with SwiftUI + AppKit for macOS 14.0 and later.

Screenshots

MacTools menu bar panels in dark mode

Features

FeatureDescription
Display ResolutionView connected displays and switch each display to an available resolution.
Display BrightnessQuickly adjust built-in and DDC/CI external display brightness, with per-display shortcut increments and Gamma/Shade fallbacks.
True ToneAutomatically adapt display colors to ambient light on MacBooks and compatible displays.
Display SleepPut all displays to sleep immediately, then wake them with mouse movement or keyboard input.
Dark ModeToggle the system light and dark appearances, with live state sync when the system theme changes.
Night ShiftToggle Night Shift to reduce blue light and warm the screen colors at night.
Prevent SleepKeep the system awake while idle, with automatic stop options after 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 5 hours.
Clean ModeShow a full-screen black overlay and temporarily disable input for cleaning the screen, keyboard, or trackpad.
Middle ClickTrigger middle click with a three-finger trackpad tap by converting system events through a CGEvent tap, without affecting other gestures or left click.
Hide NotchMask the top notch area on built-in notch displays without modifying the original wallpaper.
Hide Menu Bar IconsHide icons to the left of a menu bar divider, with drag-based layout for visible, hidden, and always-hidden areas.
Auto Hide Menu BarAutomatically hide the menu bar to make more screen space available.
Auto Hide DockAutomatically hide the Dock for a cleaner desktop.
Stage ManagerToggle Stage Manager to focus the current window and place other windows on the side.
System MuteMute or restore system audio output through CoreAudio on the default output device, with automatic restoration when the plugin is disabled.
Microphone MuteMute or restore the default microphone input through CoreAudio without requesting recording permission.
Disk CleanupScan caches, developer caches, and browser caches, with path safety checks and sensitive data protection before deletion.
Xcode CleanupScan DerivedData, device support files, archives, simulators, and preview caches by category; deletion is disabled while Xcode is running and only runs inside allowlisted roots.
Eject DisksEject all removable disks in one click, automatically skipping system volumes and reporting when no disk can be ejected.
Empty TrashShow the number of Trash items and empty Trash through Finder; the action is disabled when Trash is empty.
Clear ClipboardClear the current clipboard content to protect privacy and avoid accidental paste.
IP CheckView public IPv4/IPv6, local LAN IP, location, ISP, ASN, and timezone, with copy support for single fields or the full result.
TranslatorTranslate the currently selected text with a global shortcut; the first version supports OpenAI-compatible services and automatic language selection.
App ShortcutsBind global shortcuts to common apps; pressing a shortcut opens or activates the app, and hides it if it is already frontmost.
LaunchpadSummon an app grid in fullscreen or a compact window, with instant search, horizontal paging, keyboard navigation, drag-to-stack folders with inline rename (click an open folder's title, or right-click a folder to rename/dissolve), an adjustable glass background (clear/standard/deep presets or a custom material + dimming, with a live preview in settings), adjustable appearance (icon size 48–96 pt with rows/columns adapting, optional icons-only mode that hides app names, label appearance presets (color: automatic/light/dark/accent, weight, and a size tier that scales with the icon — shared by app names and the open-folder title), and a compact-window size slider — the compact panel now scales with the screen instead of capping at 960×680, so any display whose usable area exceeds ~1333×829 pt renders a larger panel than before, including modern built-in laptop screens (~13% on a 14″ MacBook Pro); all previewed live by a layout thumbnail in settings that mirrors the real grid math), a global shortcut, and IME-composition safety.
Lock ScreenLock the screen immediately, equivalent to Cmd+Ctrl+Q.
Launch ItemsBrowse LaunchAgent/LaunchDaemon entries with search, field explanations, and user-level enable/disable controls.
Calendar WidgetView a monthly calendar, lunar calendar data, holidays, and today's events in the component panel.
System StatusShow CPU, memory, disk, battery, network throughput, and high-usage processes.
Activity StatsTrack keyboard, mouse, scroll, and foreground app usage, with manual hooks for Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex activity.
Device BatteryAggregate battery levels for the Mac, Bluetooth peripherals, AirPods/Beats split batteries and charging state, and Rapoo VT series mice, with multiple widget layouts.
Fan ControlManage fan speed presets with automatic, full-speed, and custom fixed-RPM modes; installs the bundled helper and requests administrator authorization on first control.
Battery Charge LimitLimit battery charging to a chosen cap, defaulting to 80%; charging stops at the cap and does not automatically resume below it unless the user chooses to continue or force discharge.
Fix Damaged AppsRemove quarantine attributes to resolve "damaged and can't be opened" prompts by selecting a .app in a file panel and running the fix with administrator privileges.
Quit AppsSelect and quit running apps, or quit all at once; reverse selection helps quickly choose the target set.
zsh ConfigView and edit zsh configuration files such as .zshrc and .zshenv inside the app, with syntax highlighting, common snippets, and automatic backup before saving.
Plugins & SettingsInstall, update, and batch-update plugins in the plugin marketplace, and manage permissions, shortcuts, and plugin-specific settings.
Menu Bar Icon CustomizationUse local images or lightweight GIF/MP4 animations as the menu bar icon, download animated icons from the online gallery, remove backgrounds, adjust playback speed, and restore the default icon.
LocalizationFollow the system language by default, or choose a fixed app language in Settings > General > Appearance.

Install

brew install --cask mactools

Upgrade

brew update
brew upgrade --cask --greedy mactools

If Homebrew still reports that the cask is already up to date, check the locally resolved cask version first:

brew info --cask mactools

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, testing, plugin development, and release workflows.

License

MacTools is open source under the Apache License 2.0.

Acknowledgements