A free app for your Mac
The internet is built to take your attention. Take it back.
Focus Shield sits quietly in your Mac's menu bar and blocks YouTube, Netflix, X and Prime Video. When you're tempted to switch it off, it shows you three short ideas from the best books on attention, then asks if you're sure.
- Checked by Apple
- No account, no sign-up
- Nothing leaves your Mac
Quiet. Just you and the thing you meant to do.
Why this exists
Your attention is the product. Here's the evidence.
How long the average person now focuses on one screen before switching. In 2004 it was about two and a half minutes.
Gloria Mark, Attention SpanShare of YouTube watch time driven by its recommendation algorithm. Most of the time, the next video chooses you.
Neal Mohan, YouTube, 2018Social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction: the four harms of a phone-based life.
Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious GenerationHow it works
A pause button with a conscience.
Blocking is easy. The hard moment is when you want to turn the blocker off. That's where Focus Shield does its real work.
- The shield is on by default.Open YouTube, Netflix, X or Prime Video in Chrome or Safari and you'll see a calm page instead.
- Want to pause it? First, three facts.One at a time, drawn from Jonathan Haidt, Johann Hari, Cal Newport, Gloria Mark and others. You never see the same one twice in a row.
- Each fact asks: are you sure?Keep focused with one click, or ask to be convinced further. You have to read each fact for a few seconds before you can continue.
- Still sure? Choose 30 minutes or an hour.When time is up, the shield switches itself back on. No need to remember.
This is a working copy of the real screen. Try it.
Is it safe?
Straight answers, before you download.
You should be careful about what you install. Here is exactly what Focus Shield does, what it doesn't do, and what your Mac will show you along the way.
The app is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized. That means Apple scanned it for malicious software and confirmed who made it.
Focus Shield never connects to the internet. It doesn't record your browsing history, and there are no ads or tracking. The source code is public, so anyone can check.
It never asks for your email, your Apple ID or your Mac password. If anything claiming to be Focus Shield asks for these, don't enter them.
Pause the shield, choose Quit from its menu, then drag Focus Shield from your Applications folder to the Trash. That's all.
The first time you open it
This is normal for any app you download outside the App Store. The line “Apple checked it for malicious software and none was detected” is what you want to see. Click Open.
When it asks about your browser
The wording sounds serious, but here's all it means. Focus Shield looks at the web address of each open tab. If it's a blocked site, it swaps that tab to the calm “shield is on” page. It doesn't read your passwords, messages or anything else, and it doesn't save the addresses anywhere. Click Allow, once for Chrome and once for Safari.
Install in about a minute
Four steps. No technical skills needed.
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Download
Click Download Focus Shield below. A file called FocusShield.dmg goes to your Downloads folder.
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Drag to Applications
Double-click the file. In the window that opens, drag the Focus Shield icon onto the Applications folder.
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Open it
Open Applications and double-click Focus Shield, then click Open. A small shield appears at the top-right of your screen, next to the clock.
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Click Allow
Open Chrome or Safari. When your Mac asks whether Focus Shield may control it, click Allow. You're done.
Version 1.0 · Free · About 2 MB · macOS 13 or newer. The download comes straight from the project's official GitHub page.
Questions
Things people ask.
Is it really free?
Yes. No trial, no subscription, no in-app purchases, and no ads.
Can I still shop on Amazon?
Yes. Only Prime Video is blocked. Regular Amazon shopping pages work normally.
What if I need YouTube for work or school?
Click the shield in your menu bar, choose “Pause the Shield…”, read the three facts, and pick 30 minutes or 1 hour. The shield turns itself back on afterwards. You can also switch it back on early.
Does it work in Firefox, Edge or Arc?
Not yet. Focus Shield currently works in Google Chrome and Safari.
Does it block anything on my iPhone?
No, it only runs on your Mac. On iPhone, you can use Screen Time in Settings to set limits.
I clicked “Don't Allow” by mistake. How do I fix it?
The shield in your menu bar will show a small “!”. Click it and choose “Grant Automation Access…”. That opens the right page in System Settings, where you can switch on Chrome and Safari under Focus Shield.
How do I remove it?
Pause the shield, click the shield icon and choose “Quit Focus Shield”. Then open your Applications folder and drag Focus Shield to the Trash.
“My experience is what I agree to attend to.”Download Focus Shield
The ideas inside come from
- The Anxious Generation · Jonathan Haidt
- Stolen Focus · Johann Hari
- Attention Span · Gloria Mark
- Deep Work · Cal Newport
- Digital Minimalism · Cal Newport
- The Attention Merchants · Tim Wu
- Irresistible · Adam Alter
- Dopamine Nation · Anna Lembke
- Four Thousand Weeks · Oliver Burkeman
- How to Do Nothing · Jenny Odell