Three modes, one at a time
Pick one from the menu bar, or let a schedule switch between them with slow, smooth fades.
Bright
Up to about twice the normal brightness on XDR displays, for sunny rooms and working outside. Mission Control, desktop swipes and the pointer stay boosted too.
Warm
An even shift toward amber after sunset, from daylight 6500K down to candlelight, to cut the blue light that keeps you awake.
Red
A deep red filter for late at night, with its own brightness, so the screen barely registers when you're winding down.
Why one app beats two
Brightness boosters and colour-temperature apps adjust the same part of your display. Run both and they fight: colours shift, boost flickers, one quietly undoes the other. Melanopic does both jobs, in one mode at a time, so nothing clashes and there's no automation to maintain.
The small things, handled
Set it up once, then forget it's there.
Install the beta
Takes about a minute. Needs macOS 14 or later. Bright needs an XDR display (14″ or 16″ MacBook Pro from 2021 on, or a Pro Display XDR); everything else works on any Mac.
Open the download
Open Melanopic.dmg and double-click Melanopic.
Allow it once
macOS blocks the beta the first time. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway, and confirm.
Move & set up
Click Move to Applications. A short setup asks for your location and a schedule. Tips point out the rest as you go.
Questions
Why is it called Melanopic?
Melanopic light is the part of the spectrum your body's clock responds to, mostly blue. Melanopic keeps it high when you need to be alert and low when you want to wind down.
Does it work with HDR video?
Yes. Video and photo apps pause the boost automatically, because boosting on top of HDR content clips its brightest highlights. You choose which apps in Settings → Apps.
Should I turn off True Tone and Night Shift?
Yes. Both change your display's colours underneath Melanopic. Melanopic detects them and turns them off in one click.
Will it drain my battery?
Extra brightness uses extra power, as it would on any display. Melanopic's own overhead is tiny, and by default boost is capped on battery and switches off in Low Power Mode.
Do screenshots show the effect?
No. Screenshots and screen recordings show normal colours.
What data do you collect?
None. Your location never leaves your Mac. The network is only used for license checks and updates.
How do I uninstall it?
Quit Melanopic from its menu and move it from Applications to the Trash. Your screen returns to normal the moment it quits.