I built Screen Break, a free macOS menu bar app for people who keep dismissing normal break timers but still want a healthier rhythm at the computer.
Most break reminders are easy to ignore. They show a notification, I dismiss it, and somehow another hour disappears. Screen Break is my attempt at something gentle in tone but firmer in behavior.
When it is time to pause, the app opens a guided full-screen rest. It includes a countdown, breathing or stretching prompts, and a simple unlock flow. The goal is not to shame the user or turn rest into a productivity game. The goal is just to make the break real enough that you actually step away.
What I cared about while building it:
- It lives quietly in the macOS menu bar.
- The default rhythm is 30 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest.
- Work duration can be adjusted from 30 to 50 minutes.
- If you have already been away from the keyboard long enough, the work timer can reset instead of forcing a break the moment you return.
- If the system looks busy with media, meetings, presentation, or full-screen activity, the app can defer the break.
- Manual restart and temporary quit are intentionally limited, so skipping does not become the main workflow.
- It supports multilingual UI text.
- It is local-first and does not require an account or cloud backend.
This is built for the very specific kind of person who wants help taking breaks but does not want a giant wellness dashboard, subscription, or another app that needs managing.
You can download it here:
https://screen-break-mac.netlify.app/
It is a universal macOS build for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
I would love feedback from other Mac users, especially around the balance between being helpful and being too interruptive. That line is the whole product.
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