Blink and posture reminders
A small orb pops up, blinks at you or nudges you to sit up, then leaves. It never takes focus, and it waits during calls.
Eye breaks that wait for the right moment
Softgaze reminds you to rest your eyes every 20 minutes, and holds off while you're on a call, in a full-screen game or mid-sentence.
Softgaze is a Mac app
Open this page on your Mac to download it, or copy the link for later.
4:20 PM
Soften your gaze Look out of a window or across the room, and blink slowly 00:14
Press esc twice to skip the break
The rule
Simple advice. Easy to forget.
Eye doctors call it the 20-20-20 rule. Softgaze does the remembering, so your eyes get the distance they were built for.
20MINUTESEvery twenty minutes of screen time…
20SECONDS…for twenty seconds…
20FEET · 6 M…look at something far away.
Smart pause
Breaks that don't break your flow
On a call? In a match? Halfway through a sentence? Softgaze holds the break, tells you why in the menu bar, and gives you a fresh heads-up the moment you're free.
- Meetings or calls
- Full-screen games
- Video and presentations
- Typing
00:21 Almost time. Wrap up what you're doing.
Start this break now+1m+5m+15m
Starting break in 3
Everything else
Small details, all the way down
Coffee counts
Step away for five minutes, or close the lid, and Softgaze counts it as a break and restarts the clock.
Your rules
Casual, Balanced or Hardcore. Skip any time, skip after five seconds, or not at all.
One click away
The menu bar shows the next break. Click for quick actions, pause, and today at a glance.
A week you can see
Breaks taken, skipped and held, and a streak for days you kept it up.
Make it yours
Your blurred wallpaper or a sunset gradient behind every break. Your own break messages. A soft sound when a break starts and ends.
Your eyes were made for the horizon. Give them twenty seconds of it.
Privacy
Nothing leaves your Mac
Softgaze only asks macOS whether the camera or microphone is running and how big the front window is. It never sees video, hears sound or reads what's on screen.
- No accountDownload, open, done.
- No analyticsThe app makes no network calls. This site sets no cookies.
- No permission promptsSmart pause works without camera, mic or screen access.
- Your data, your callExport or delete your history from Settings.
Questions
Will it interrupt my Zoom call?
No. While your camera or microphone is on, the break waits. When the call ends you get a 30-second heads-up, then the break.
Why does macOS warn me the first time I open it?
Softgaze isn't notarised by Apple yet. Open it once, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
Which Macs does it run on?
Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Can I make it stricter, or gentler?
Yes. Choose Casual, Balanced or Hardcore in Settings, set a weekly skip budget, or switch to blink reminders only.
Is this medical advice?
No. Softgaze helps you remember to rest your eyes. If your eyes hurt often, see an eye doctor.
Look up from your screen. Softly.
Download Softgaze 1.2.0Softgaze is a Mac app
Open this page on your Mac to download it, or copy the link for later.
Apple silicon · macOS 14+ · 1.9 MB DMG. First launch: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.