ShakeToFocus - when you need to dim the background apps and you like the traditional settings window, not a sidebar
I've been learning Korean for a while now. Daily Anki sessions, trying to stay consistent.The problem: I'd open Anki, see a browser tab in the background, and that was it. Not even a notification: just the visual presence of something else being there. Five minutes of Korean turned into thirty minutes of whatever that tab was.I like Anki small and tight in the corner. Full screen is not an option.I built ShakeToFocus. Shake your mouse → dark overlay covers everything except the window you're in. Switch apps → it follows. Shake again to turn it off.Sohttps://reddit.com/link/1tje8c6/video/6fgstp76bg2h1/playerNow I open Anki, shake, and there's literally nothing else on screen to look at.Comparison with other apps:
- Monocle: plain dim overlay, no blur rendering, so near-zero CPU, zero GPU overhead at idle. Price the same.
- HazeOver: HazeOver hasn't shipped since 2019, plus shake trigger and multi-monitor support.
- blurred (free OSS): effectively abandoned. No Screen Recording, no Accessibility permissions — nothing. Built in Swift.Who am I:
I'm a solo dev, trying my best to finally pass Korean exam and playing with stuff around. Wanted to try to write something on MacOS for a long time already, so here it is.

Submitted May 21, 2026 at 10:32AM by ProfessionalFace8916
on r/macapps via https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1tje8c6/shaketofocus_when_you_need_to_dim_the_background/?utm_source=iftttAn @AppleStyleOfficial project