One window at a time.
Foreground is a small menu bar app for the Mac. It dims everything except the window you’re working in, and lets you reach any app with a keystroke.
Download for Mac
Before
With Foreground
Same Mac, same Finder window. Drag to compare.
Why it helps
Your attention goes where your eyes go.
A screen full of headlines, badges and old files keeps asking to be looked at. Foreground doesn’t make you focus. It removes some of what competes for your attention, so focusing takes a little less effort.
01
Less to ignore.
Everything on screen competes for the same limited attention, even things that have nothing to do with your task.
02
Fewer reasons to switch.
Every switch costs a little time, and part of your mind stays behind on whatever you just left.
03
Keys that become habit.
When M always means Mail, getting there stops being a search and becomes a reflex.
What it does
A few quiet tools.
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Focus dimming
Everything behind the active window disappears under a calm wallpaper, such as Apple’s Big Sur and Catalina landscapes, one per screen if you like.
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App switcher
Press ⌘ Space, then one or two keys you picked for each app. Or start typing to search.
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Other screens
Screens where the active app has no window can be fully covered too, so a second display doesn’t pull you in.
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Window switcher
Jump between the windows of the app you’re in, straight from the keyboard.
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Window sizes
Your own size presets, snap to left or right half, and move a window to the next display.
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Quiet menu bar
Dim the menu bar so its icons and badges fade, and close apps you haven’t used in a while in one go.
Foreground asks for Accessibility access, to switch and move windows, and Screen Recording, only to read window titles for the window switcher. The only thing it sends is a daily update check with the app version and a random install ID, which I count to know how many people use Foreground. No account, no analytics.
Who made this
Hi, I’m Andreas.
I’m a licensed psychologist (leg. psykolog) and software developer in Sweden. Foreground started as a tool for my own Mac, built around what I know about attention, and grew from there.
It’s part of brainfriendly.app: small tools that start from how a brain actually works. Follow along on X.