PGari Glowee: Mac brightness with window spotlight

How to dim inactive windows on a Mac

Short answer: To dim inactive windows on a Mac, look first at what Apple documents. Apple's settings lists for Desktop & Dock and for Accessibility → Display include no option that dims the windows you are not using, and the window tools in the Mac User Guide work differently: full screen fills the display with one app, Stage Manager arranges your other apps along the left side of the screen, and Option-Command-H hides all other apps. Two apps do dim. HazeOver, the one most people search for by name, "automatically highlights the front window by dimming background windows" and lets you tune how. PGari Glowee does it with one setting on its menu, called Spotlight: Off, Soft or Strong, toggled with ⌃ ⌥ ⌘ S, on any Mac display, and visible in screenshots and screen recordings.

If you came here with the opposite problem, a Mac screen that dims by itself when you stop typing, the section near the end covers three settings Apple documents for that.

What macOS does with the windows you are not using

The window tools Apple describes work by moving the other windows out of the way.

Full screen. Click the green button in the top-left corner of a window, or press Control-Command-F in apps that support it. Apple's description: "an app fills the entire screen—so you can take advantage of every inch of the screen and work without desktop distractions."
Stage Manager. It is meant to "keep the app you're working with front and center," with your recently used apps arranged along the left side of the screen. Turn it on in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Desktop & Stage Manager, or from Control Center.
Hiding the other apps. Apple's shortcut list: "To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Option-Command-H."

Apple's list of Desktop & Dock settings (Dock, Desktop & Stage Manager, Widgets, Windows, Mission Control) and its list of Accessibility → Display settings contain no option for dimming inactive windows. The one dimming option in the first list, Dim widgets on desktop, sets a style for widgets.

That is the right answer when one window is all you need. It is the wrong one when the other windows have to stay in view: the source you are writing from, the chat you glance at, the terminal under the editor. Dimming leaves every window where it is and turns the ones you are not using down.

Two apps that dim inactive windows on a Mac

HazeOver

HazeOver is the name most people type when they search for this. By its own description it "automatically highlights the front window by dimming background windows." Its site lists these controls:

Dimming intensity and animation speed you set yourself, and a dimming color
A keyboard shortcut to toggle the shading, and a gesture to adjust its intensity
Separate dimming settings for the Dark and Light appearance
The Fn key to switch dimming off for a moment while you drag between apps
The desktop is revealed automatically when you use it
Control through the Shortcuts app, Focus filters and AppleScript
With several monitors: "See which screen is active, or highlight windows on each monitor"

The current version requires macOS 12 Monterey or later. There is a free trial, and it is also available on the Mac App Store and through Setapp. HazeOver calls itself a Distraction Dimmer, which is its trademark.

PGari Glowee

Glowee is a menu bar app with a feature called Spotlight. In the words of its own page: "Spotlight dims everything except the window you are in."

Three settings: Off, Soft and Strong. Choose Soft or Strong depending on how busy the screen is.
⌃ ⌥ ⌘ S toggles it from any app, and it comes back at the level you last used.
Click another window and the light follows.
It works on any Mac display, XDR or not, built in or external.
There is no preferences pane. Everything Glowee does is on one menu.

Side by side

	HazeOver	PGari Glowee (Spotlight)
What it does	Highlights the front window by dimming background windows	Dims everything except the window you are in
How much dimming	Intensity, color and animation speed you adjust	Three settings: Off, Soft, Strong
Switching it	Keyboard shortcut; a gesture for intensity; Fn while dragging	⌃ ⌥ ⌘ S, or the menu bar
Light and Dark appearance	Separate settings for each	Nothing to configure beyond the menu
Automation	Shortcuts app, Focus filters, AppleScript	None. You switch it yourself
Displays	"See which screen is active, or highlight windows on each monitor"	Any display, built in or external
Requires	macOS 12 Monterey or later	macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel
Trying and buying	Free trial; Mac App Store; Setapp	Free for 7 days; one-time purchase — one Mac, or three Macs on one key; 30-day refund

Sources: hazeover.com and pgari.com/glowee/, each describing its own app.

If you want to tune the shade, tint it, or have it change with Dark Mode or with a Focus, HazeOver's site lists controls for each of those. If you want one switch and nothing to set up, that is Glowee. Glowee also does a second thing, which matters if your Mac has an XDR display.

On an XDR display: darker around the window, brighter inside it

Dimming makes the background darker. It does not make the window you are reading any brighter. On a MacBook Pro 14″ or 16″ from 2021 or later, a Pro Display XDR or another EDR display, Glowee can do both at once. Set Boost Area to Active Window and the window you are in is lifted past the brightness slider's maximum, by a factor of 1.20, 1.38 or 1.50 at Low, Medium and Max, within the headroom the display has. Add Spotlight, and the lit window gets brighter while the rest steps back.

This part depends on the panel. The extra brightness needs an EDR display, so a MacBook Air and ordinary external monitors cannot be boosted. Spotlight still works on them, because it is plain dimming. The details are in the MacBook Pro brightness guide.

Dimmed windows in recordings and shared screens

Glowee's Spotlight is an on-screen layer, so screenshots and screen recordings capture it like any window. If you present from an ordinary window or record a tutorial, the people watching see the same thing you do: one window lit, the rest turned down, and nothing to mask in the edit. The brightness boost is the opposite. It is left out of captures, so a recording of a boosted screen looks normal.

More on that use: Spotlight in screen recordings and highlighting the active window.

If you meant a Mac screen that dims when it is inactive

Most of the related questions Google shows for this search are about the display, not the windows: a screen that dims or turns off when the Mac is left alone. Apple documents three settings to check.

The display turns off too soon. Open System Settings → Lock Screen. Turn display off on battery when inactive and Turn display off on power adapter when inactive each take a time. Choose a longer one.
The screen is dimmer on battery. In System Settings → Battery, under Additional Options, Apple lists Slightly dim the display on battery: "Conserve energy by dimming the display when your Mac is not plugged in."
Brightness changes on its own. On a Mac with an ambient light sensor, System Settings → Displays has Automatically adjust brightness. Apple notes that turning it off "may affect battery life, energy consumption, and long-term display performance."

Questions people ask

Is there an application to dim all windows except the active one?

Yes, at least two. HazeOver dims background windows with adjustable intensity, color and automation. PGari Glowee dims everything except the window you are in, with three fixed settings and the shortcut ⌃ ⌥ ⌘ S, and can also brighten that window on an XDR display.

Can macOS dim inactive windows without an app?

Apple's documentation describes no such option. Its settings lists for Desktop & Dock and for Accessibility → Display do not include one. Full screen fills the screen with one app, Stage Manager arranges the other apps along the left side, and Option-Command-H hides them.

How do I stop my Mac from dimming so quickly?

Apple documents two places to look. In System Settings → Lock Screen, the two Turn display off … when inactive settings each take a time, which you can raise. In System Settings → Battery, under Additional Options, you can switch off Slightly dim the display on battery.

How do I stop my Mac from automatically adjusting brightness?

Switch off Automatically adjust brightness in System Settings → Displays. The option appears only on Macs with an ambient light sensor.

Does window dimming work on a MacBook Air or an external monitor?

Glowee's Spotlight works on any display, built in or external, because it is plain dimming. Only the extra brightness needs an XDR or other EDR display.

What is the best focus app for Mac?

It depends on what pulls you away. Notifications are handled by Focus, which is built into macOS. A busy screen is what a window dimmer is for. The differences are laid out in focusing on one window on a Mac.

Is there a free way to try it?

Glowee is free for 7 days with every feature unlocked and no account. After that it is a one-time purchase — one Mac, or three Macs on one key, with a 30-day refund. HazeOver offers a free trial of its own.

Try it on your own screen

PGari Glowee is one menu bar app, under 2 MB, for macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. It installs no kernel extensions and no background helpers; quit it and the display returns to normal.

Download the 7-day trial See how Glowee works