The problem is simple: you want to know how long until something (a deadline, an exam, a trip) without opening an app to check. The number should just be there when you look up.
That’s harder on a Mac than it sounds, because almost every part of the screen gets covered by something. This article looks at the problem from the other direction: not “which app?”, but “where on the screen stays visible, and when?”
Why countdowns disappear
Whatever you use, one of these usually hides it:
- Windows. Anything on the desktop, including widgets, is underneath every window you open.
- Full-screen apps. Full screen hides the Dock and, by default, the menu bar.
- Extra desktops (Spaces). A window you left on Desktop 1 isn’t on Desktop 2.
- Tabs. A countdown in a browser tab is one of many, and it’s gone as soon as you switch.
- A crowded menu bar. On MacBooks with a notch, menu bar items that don’t fit are hidden.
So the useful question is: what survives all of these?
Where each kind of countdown stays visible
| Normal windows | Full-screen apps | Every desktop | Needs an app | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser tab | Only when in front | No | No | No |
| Web app in the Dock (Safari) | When not covered | No | No | No |
| Desktop widget | No, it’s under windows | No | Yes | Yes |
| Menu bar | Yes | Only if set to stay visible | Yes | Usually |
| Notch app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The approaches
A pinned tab or web app (free, nothing to install)
A web countdown is the fastest start: our deadline countdown takes a name, a date, and a time, and every other occasion has one too. To keep it closer at hand, pin the tab (Window › Pin Tab in Safari, or right-click the tab and choose Pin in Chrome), or in Safari choose File › Add to Dock to give it its own window.
It’s the right choice when you only need to check occasionally. It’s not really “visible”, though: you still have to switch to it.
macOS has no built-in way to keep an ordinary window on top of the others, so a small countdown window won’t float above your work.
A desktop widget
Widgets look great and are easy to glance at when the desktop is showing. If you use a large external display with room to spare, or Stage Manager (which can show widgets beside your windows), a widget may be all you need. On a laptop with maximized windows, you’ll rarely see it. More in our article on countdown widgets for Mac.
The menu bar
The menu bar is on every desktop and above every normal window, which makes it the most reliable built-in spot. There are two things to set up:
- Keep it in full screen. Open System Settings, search for “Automatically hide and show the menu bar”, and choose Never.
- Keep it short. On a MacBook with a notch, a long countdown label is the first thing to get hidden when the menu bar fills up.
Our menu bar countdown how-to covers three ways to do it, including a free one with a short script.
The notch
On a MacBook with a notch, the dark strip beside the camera is visible over every window, on every desktop, and in full-screen apps, and nothing else uses it. That makes it a natural home for a countdown.
That’s the idea behind Notchiko, which we make. Each countdown gets a small animated character (a Chiko) by the notch, with the days left underneath, and hovering over the notch shows a card for every countdown. It stays in place on every desktop and over full-screen apps. On Macs without a notch it becomes a small floating pill you can place at the top, sides, or bottom of the screen, clear of the menu bar and Dock.
Special cases
Several displays
The menu bar can appear on every display (it does by default). A notch exists only on a MacBook’s built-in screen: Notchiko shows there while the laptop is open. If you work with the lid closed on an external display, it switches to the floating pill on that display.
Presenting or screen sharing
Anything in the menu bar or around the notch can show up when you share your whole screen. Share a single window instead if you’d rather keep your countdowns private. In Notchiko you can also hide it for a moment from its menu bar icon, or with a keyboard shortcut you set in Settings › General.
Focus and distraction
A countdown you see all day should be calm. A number that changes once a day is easy to ignore until you want it; a ticking seconds display in the corner of your eye is not. For all-day visibility, days are enough. Save the second-by-second view for the last hours, like the exact time left on our deadline countdown.
Which should you choose?
- Checking once a day or less: a pinned tab or a web app in the Dock.
- A roomy screen where the desktop is often visible: a desktop widget.
- Visible all day, with a menu bar that has room: a menu bar countdown.
- Visible all day on a MacBook, including in full-screen apps: a notch app.
The easiest way to find out what you need is to start free: make a countdown on the web, like an event, an exam, or a deadline, and notice how often you go looking for it. For the step-by-step setup of widgets, Shortcuts, and web apps, see how to put a countdown on your Mac desktop.
