ButtiNotch
ButtiNotch is a free, open-source app that turns the MacBook notch into something useful: media player, calendar, file shelf, shortcuts, timer, and a watcher that warns you when someone is looking at your screen. It never goes online and it does not update itself.
Requirements
- ·macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
- ·MacBook with a notch in the display
- ·Apple Silicon or Intel
Download
Verify the file
e13dad77302116a1f138710dc12f93eb9ceb7fbcc2a7cfa0c554b6035ec2bcc4shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/ButtiNotch.pkgCompare the result with the SHA-256 above. If it does not match, do not install it.
Why macOS says it cannot be opened
Because ButtiNotch is not signed with an Apple developer account, which costs 99 € a year. The app is ad-hoc signed: macOS can verify that the package has not been modified since it was built, but it cannot certify who built it, so it shows the warning by default. It does not mean the app is malicious. The source is open and you can review it before installing anything.
How to install it
- 1Download the installer and open it with a double click.
- 2macOS will say it cannot be opened because it is not from an identified developer.
- 3Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the ButtiNotch notice and click “Open Anyway”.
- 4Open the installer again and follow the steps. When it finishes, ButtiNotch is in Applications and the installer deletes itself.
Using the Terminal
This command does the same thing in one go: it removes the quarantine flag from the installer and runs it. It will ask for your password.
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/Downloads/ButtiNotch.pkg && sudo installer -pkg ~/Downloads/ButtiNotch.pkg -target /License and source code
ButtiNotch is free software under GPL-3.0, building on the work of boring.notch. You may use, study, modify and redistribute it, as long as whatever you publish keeps the same license and also offers the source.
Frequently asked questions
A macOS app that turns the MacBook notch into a useful panel: media controls, calendar, a shelf to drag files onto, shortcuts, a timer, and an alert when someone else is looking at your screen.
Nothing. It is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. There are no in-app purchases and no paid tier.
Because the app is not signed with an Apple developer account. It is ad-hoc signed, so macOS can verify the package has not been altered but cannot certify who created it. The install section has the steps to open it anyway.
No. ButtiNotch does not connect to the internet: no telemetry, no accounts, no automatic updates. Everything it does happens on your Mac.
A MacBook with a notch in the display, running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. It works on both Apple Silicon and Intel.
On GitHub, and also as a direct download next to the installer. The GPL-3.0 license requires offering the source alongside the binary, so it will always be available.