Music Reactive
Turn system audio into light in real time. Tune reaction, fade, and sensitivity until the movement feels exactly right.
Free & open source for macOS
Your music,
around every edge.
Turn your Mac's display into an ambient light that moves with your music. Native, private, and processed entirely on your device.
Requires macOS 14.2+ · Apple silicon recommended
MacGlow
AfterglowMacGlow preview
MacGlow Four edges. Infinite atmosphere.
Swift + MetalMIT licensedNo telemetrymacOS 14.2+
SEE IT MOVE
Sound becomes atmosphere.
Shape the glow below. This visual demo never accesses your system audio.
AfterglowLocal signal · MacGlow
Live preview
Artwork palette
Visual demo only — no audio access
NATIVE BY DESIGN
Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.
Precise control when you want it. A quiet menu bar companion when you don't.
Album Artwork Colors
Read the current Spotify or Apple Music track and extract its palette locally, then let the artwork color every edge.
Every display, considered
Enable displays individually, keep overlays click-through, and draw cleanly around the MacBook notch.
Presets & full control
Start with 12 palettes or set each edge yourself. Adjust width and intensity, then import or export custom presets as JSON.
Native performance
Built with Swift, AppKit and SwiftUI, Metal, and CoreAudio for a responsive experience that feels at home on macOS.
Lifecycle automation
Launch at login and hide the glow while your Mac is idle, asleep, or optionally running a full-screen app.
A QUIET MAC COMPANION
Powerful when opened.
Invisible when not.
Everything is close at hand in a focused native interface, without turning your menu bar into a control room.
AppearanceShape the glow
01 · Appearance
Shape the glow
Tune every edge, width, intensity, and palette from one focused control surface.
AudioMove with music
02 · Audio
Move with music
Control reaction, fade, and sensitivity while the live signal stays entirely on your Mac.
DisplaysChoose each display
03 · Displays
Choose each display
Keep the glow exactly where you want it across your complete Mac setup.
12 BUILT-IN PRESETS
A mood for every track.
Choose a starting point, then make every edge your own.
PRIVACY BY DESIGN
Your audio stays
where it belongs.
On your Mac. MacGlow analyzes only the audio signal it needs to drive the glow. Nothing is recorded, uploaded, or tracked.
× No microphone access× No analytics or tracking⌁ Public Apple APIs only◇ Open source, always
System AudioLive signal
On-device AnalysisNever recorded
GlowMetal rendered
No network requestAudio never leaves this boundary
OPEN FROM EDGE TO EDGE
Built in the open.
Made for the Mac.
Explore every line, suggest an improvement, or build something new. MacGlow is free software released under the MIT License.
SwiftAppKit / SwiftUIMetalCoreAudio
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
Does MacGlow record my audio?
No. Raw audio is never recorded, stored, or sent anywhere. MacGlow only analyzes system audio levels on your Mac.
Why does it need System Audio Recording permission?
macOS uses this permission for access to system audio. MacGlow needs it only to analyze audio levels on-device and make the light react.
Does it support Spotify and Apple Music?
Yes. Optional metadata support can read the current track and use album artwork colors. Automation permission is requested only when you enable this feature.
Does it work with multiple displays?
Yes. You can enable or disable the glow for each connected display independently.
What macOS version is required?
MacGlow requires macOS 14.2 or later. Apple silicon is the primary target; Intel support is best-effort.
Is MacGlow free and open source?
Yes. The complete source is available on GitHub under the permissive MIT License.
Why might macOS show a security warning?
Current development and pre-alpha builds are not yet signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized. macOS may therefore show a warning when you open the app.
Make every edge
part of the music.
Free, open source, and built natively for macOS.
Current builds may show a macOS security warning. Learn why