Pick a Time. The Rest Closes.

Focus Lock is a Mac app for studying. Press Start and every app that isn’t on your allow list is closed until the timer runs out. Open Discord mid-session and it’s gone again within a second.

Download formacOS

Version 1.1 · 1.6 MB · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel

It isn’t notarized by Apple yet, so the first time it’s blocked: open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway.

DemoRulesSettingsInstallFAQkostis.wtf
Google ChromeTerminalSpotifyNotionMicrosoft TeamsClaude

Press Start, and for the next 45 minutes only the apps on your list can open. Everything else is gone within a second.

How a session runs
  1. 00:00

    Start

    Anything open that your rules don’t allow gets 15 seconds to save.

  2. 00:15

    Locked

    Those apps are forced closed, and blocked Chrome tabs go to the blocked page.

  3. Any time

    Holding

    Open something that isn’t allowed and it’s closed within a second. Each block is logged.

  4. 45:00

    Time’s up

    A chime plays and the lock lifts. Your apps and sites are yours again.

Demo

Try it here. It’s the real window.

This is the Focus Lock window, rebuilt for the browser. It won’t close anything on your Mac and the blocks are pretend, but the timer is real and survives a reload, the way the app survives a restart.

Things to try0 of 7

  • Drag the dial
  • Tap a preset
  • Click the number and type one
  • Change something in Settings
  • Turn on Strict
  • Press Start
  • Reload the page mid-session
/Focus lock
Timer

Focus

Pick a time. Only what you need stays open.

minutes45 min from now
Rules
Stays openGoogle ChromeTerminalSpotifyNotionMicrosoft TeamsClaudeiN
Blockedinstagram.comdiscord.com
Full screenTimer over everything
StrictNo giving up until it ends

Closes Discord, Mail +2· 15s to save

Rules

Your list stays open. Everything else waits.

Pick a time and these rules hold until it runs out. You set them in Settings beforehand, and nothing can loosen them once the timer starts.

Allow list

Only what you study with

Out of the box that’s Chrome, Terminal, Spotify, Notion, Teams, Claude, iTerm and Notion Calendar. Finder always stays, and menu bar apps and background helpers are left alone.

Apps

Closed within a second

Open something your rules don’t allow and it’s closed again straight away, and the window comes forward to say so. It keeps a log of everything it stopped.

Sites

Any site, off in Chrome

Instagram and Discord to start, plus anything you add in Settings, subdomains included. Their tabs are sent to a blocked page with the time left.

Grace

Time to save first

Apps that were already open when you press Start get 15 seconds to save your work, then they’re forced closed. Make it 0, 5, 30 seconds or a minute in Settings.

Quit

Quitting doesn’t reset it

⌘Q does nothing while the timer runs. Quit or restart anyway and the lock picks up again the next time Focus Lock opens.

Strict

No giving up

Strict mode removes Give up. Focus Lock reopens by itself at login until the timer ends, so restarting your Mac doesn’t get you out.

Settings

Your rules. Set before you start.

Open Settings from the gear in the window, or press ⌘, between sessions. It saves as you go and locks while a session runs, so a running lock can’t be loosened.

Apps

Allow list or block list

Keep only the apps you list open, or flip it and close only the ones you list. Add what’s open right now or anything in Applications.

Sites

Block any site

Type a site or paste a link. It’s blocked in Chrome along with its subdomains, so youtube.com covers m.youtube.com too.

Save time

Your grace period

Apps that were already open get 0, 5, 15 or 30 seconds, or a full minute, to save before they’re forced closed.

Session

Chime and pop up

A sound when time’s up, and the window comes forward whenever an app gets blocked. Both start on, and either turns off.

What you change there shapes the demo session.
Install

Set up once. Then it’s just Start.

Four steps, and the last two only happen the first time.

  1. Focus-Lock-1.1.dmg1.6 MB · Apple silicon and Intel
    Step 1

    Download the .dmg

    One file for every Mac on macOS 14 or later.

  2. Step 2

    Drag it into Applications

    Open the .dmg and drop Focus Lock on the Applications folder next to it.

  3. Step 3

    Open Anyway, once

    It isn’t notarized yet, so macOS blocks the first launch. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway.

  4. Step 4

    Allow Chrome, once

    Your first session asks to control Chrome, so it can send Instagram and Discord tabs away. Click Allow.

Specs

The fine print. Nothing hidden.

What it needs, what it touches and what it leaves alone.

Version
1.11.6 MB download
Requires
macOS 14 or laterApple silicon and Intel
Sessions
1 min to 10 hoursThe dial goes to 3 hours, type for more
Presets
25 · 45 · 60 · 90 · 120Minutes, one tap each
Apps
Allow or block listFinder always stays open
Sites
Google ChromeSubdomains included
Save time
0s to 1m15s out of the box
Strict
OptionalReopens at login until it ends
Permissions
Just oneControl of Google Chrome
Account
NoneNo sign-in, nothing to sync
Data
Stays on your MacNothing is sent anywhere
Made in
Athens, GreeceBy blxr
FAQ

Questions. Short answers.

Something else? Email me

Can I pick which apps stay open?

Yes. Open Settings from the gear, or press ⌘, between sessions. Keep an allow list, where only those apps stay open, or switch to a block list, where only those close. Add what’s open right now or anything in Applications.

Can I change the rules mid-session?

No. Settings only opens between sessions, so a running lock can’t be loosened. Change what you need before you press Start.

How long can a session be?

Anywhere from 1 minute to 10 hours. The dial goes up to 3 hours, and you can type a number for anything longer. The presets are 25, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes.

What happens to apps I already have open?

When you press Start they get 15 seconds to save, then they’re forced closed. Settings can make that 0, 5 or 30 seconds, or a minute. Menu bar apps like Raycast and background helpers are left alone.

Does it block sites in Safari or Arc?

Site blocking is Chrome only, for any site you add. On the default allow list other browsers aren’t included, so they’re closed for the whole session. On a block list, add them to it.

Can I get out of a session early?

Without Strict, Give up ends it after a confirmation. With Strict there’s no button, and it reopens at login until the timer ends. It’s a commitment device rather than a cage: while Terminal is allowed you can still stop it from there, you just have to really mean it.

What happens when the timer ends?

A chime plays, unless you’ve turned it off, and the lock lifts. Blocked sites load again and every app opens like normal. Settings unlocks for the next session.

Why does macOS say it can’t be opened?

Focus Lock isn’t notarized by Apple yet. The first time, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway. After that it opens like any other app.

What permissions does it need?

Just one: control of Google Chrome, so it can send blocked tabs to the blocked page. No Accessibility and no Screen Recording.

Does it need an account?

No. There’s no account and no sign-in, and it doesn’t send anything anywhere. Your sessions and settings stay on your Mac.

Does it work offline?

Yes. It doesn’t talk to a server for anything, so it works the same with Wi-Fi off.

Which Macs does it run on?

Any Mac on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. It’s one download for both.

Start the next session. The rest can wait.

Pick a time, press Start and get the work done.

Download formacOS

Version 1.1 · 1.6 MB · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel

  • No account
  • Nothing leaves your Mac
  • One permission