HazeOver 1.9.8 — Mac version

A cluttered desktop pulls your eyes in too many directions. HazeOver fixes that by fading everything except the window you're using right now. It's a simple idea that quietly keeps you on track.

Staying in control with keys and voice

This update puts keyboard navigation and screen reader support front and centre, so moving through apps feels snappier for everyone. You can also assign quick keys to actions and tweak settings straight from Spotlight without opening the main panel.

Getting the look right day and night

Separate dimming levels for Light and Dark Mode mean the fade looks natural however you work. Multi-monitor folk get a visual clue about which screen is active.

Keeping things tidy under the hood

Dialing the dimming down with separate sliders

Most hiccups come down to a few things. If the dimming feels too aggressive, slide the intensity down in preferences — the separate Dark and Light sliders are your friends. Some folks miss that HazeOver lives in the menu bar, not the Dock, so check up there if you can't find it.

• Dimming sticks on the wrong window. Toggle it off and on from the menu bar. The recent Dock icon fix in version 1.9.8 sorted most of these glitches, but a quick restart of the app clears any leftover weirdness.
• It won't dim during a drag. Hold the fn key — that's the temporary bypass. If you'd rather it behave differently, dig into the shortcuts pane and reassign the action.
• Spaces and full-screen apps feel off. Give each space a moment to settle after switching. HazeOver re-checks window focus when you land, but a rapid swipe can confuse it briefly.
• Keyboard navigation not responding. Version 1.9.8 improved this, but make sure Full Keyboard Access is on in System Settings under Accessibility. The two work together.

A writer's desk, tidied up

Picture a freelance editor with a research PDF on the left, a messy email thread behind it, and a writing pane front and centre. Without HazeOver, the inbox keeps winking for attention. With it, the moment they click into the writing pane, everything else sinks into a soft shadow. The PDF is still there — visible enough to glance at — but the inbox stops pulling focus. They set a deeper dim for Dark Mode in the evenings, so late-night edits feel calmer. A quick Spotlight command brightens things back up come morning.

Tying dimming to a Focus mode switch

HazeOver pairs nicely with Shortcuts and AppleScript. You can tie dimming to a Focus mode switch — bright when working, dim when reading. If you use Stage Manager, HazeOver still highlights the active window inside your current set.

It doesn't fight Mission Control or Split View either. During a Split View session, the active half stays clear while the other dims just enough to keep your eyes on the task. The desktop gets highlighted automatically, so dragging files from a dimmed Finder window still feels natural.

For folks using third-party window managers like Rectangle or Magnet, the dimming follows whichever pane you click into. No extra setup needed — HazeOver watches the system focus, not the window position.

A Dock icon bug that could highlight several windows at once is now sorted, along with a menu bar scrolling glitch on macOS 27.

• Updated for macOS 27 Golden Gate
• Change settings directly from Spotlight
• Assign quick keys to actions
• Improved screen reader support and keyboard navigation

• macOS 13 Ventura or later
• Works on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs