BlinkBreak

Calm reminders to blink, look away, and move. A small, private desktop app for long screen sessions. Windows, macOS, and Linux builds share the same calm UI.

New here? See how BlinkBreak works and download it →

Download

Free, about a minute to install. Click the file for your computer:

Your computer	Download
Windows 10 / 11	BlinkBreak-Windows-Setup.exe
Mac with M1, M2, M3, M4… chip	BlinkBreak-Mac-AppleSilicon.dmg
Mac with Intel processor	BlinkBreak-Mac-Intel.dmg
Linux: Ubuntu / Debian	BlinkBreak-Linux.deb
Linux: any other distribution	BlinkBreak-Linux.AppImage

Not sure which Mac? Apple menu → About This Mac: "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon. Then follow the step-by-step install guide. All versions and checksums are on the releases page.

Why BlinkBreak?

• Private. No internet, no account, no tracking. Nothing leaves your computer.
• Quiet. Reminders are designed not to take keyboard focus. Fullscreen deferral is currently supported on Windows.
• Strict when you want it. Turn on Strict mode and breaks show even over fullscreen videos, games, and presentations.
• Brief. Every reminder leaves on its own when its time is up.

Reminders

Each reminder is a small symbol whose motion is the exercise. It is timed to fit the reminder exactly, and a thin ring shows the time left.

Reminder	Every (active use)	For	Motion
Blink	5 min	10 s	an eye lowers its lid, rests, and lifts: four slow blinks
Look away	20 min	20 s	a dot drifts out to the horizon (the 20-20-20 rule)
Posture	30 min	20 s	a curved column of dots eases upright
Move	60 min	5 min	arms lift in one slow arc
Long rest	2 h	10 min	a circle breathes: in for 4 s, out for 6 s

Windows and macOS timers count active use only, so they pause when you step away. Linux uses GNOME/Mutter or freedesktop ScreenSaver idle data when available; otherwise timers count while the app is open. Done records the break, Later snoozes it (the length is shown), and clicking anywhere outside the card dismisses it. When time runs out, blink and look-away count as done, because following the countdown is the exercise.

Light and dark

BlinkBreak follows your system appearance by default. Choose Settings → Appearance → Light or Dark to set it yourself.

Gentle sounds

In Settings → Sound, optionally enable a soft cue when a break begins. Choose Soft bell, Wooden tap, or Airy tone, adjust the volume, and use Start and End to preview both cues—even while automatic sounds are off. Blink previews the brief, clear single-note cue used when a blink reminder appears.

The optional End-of-break cue tells you when the countdown ends, so you can look away without watching the timer. Done, Later, and dismissing a break do not play this cue. Blink reminders have a short start cue only, never an end sound. Sound is off by default, works offline, and follows the existing reminder schedule and quiet hours.

Install

New to this? Follow the step-by-step install guide. It takes about a minute.

1. Download the file for your computer.
2. Install it:
   • Windows: open the .exe. No admin rights needed; it installs just for you.
   • Mac: open the .dmg and drag BlinkBreak to Applications. The first open needs one approval in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway (see the FAQ).
   • Linux: sudo apt install ./BlinkBreak-Linux.deb, or chmod +x BlinkBreak-Linux.AppImage and run it.
3. BlinkBreak keeps running in your system tray / menu bar. Click the icon for Open dashboard, Take a break now, Pause 15 min, and Quit BlinkBreak.
4. It starts by itself when you sign in. Change that in Settings → Start at login.

Fullscreen deferral is currently Windows-only; Linux idle sensing depends on the desktop session (see the FAQ).

FAQ

The installer isn't code-signed yet (signing certificates cost money), so SmartScreen doesn't recognise it. Click More info → Run anyway. Each release lists a SHA-256 checksum you can compare with Get-FileHash .\BlinkBreak-Windows-Setup.exe. Or build it yourself from source; the code is short enough to read.

The Mac app isn't notarized by Apple yet (that needs a paid Apple developer account). The first time you open it, click Done, then open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to BlinkBreak. macOS remembers this, so you only do it once. Compare the download with the release's SHA-256 checksum (shasum -a 256 BlinkBreak-Mac-AppleSilicon.dmg) if you want to be sure it's the real file.

If macOS says the app "is damaged and can't be opened", run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/BlinkBreak.app in Terminal once.

Not by default. On Windows, if a fullscreen app is in front, reminders wait until you leave fullscreen. On macOS and Linux they don't cover fullscreen apps. Reminders are designed not to take keyboard focus, so your typing keeps going where it was.

Want breaks to interrupt anyway? Turn on Settings → Fullscreen → Strict mode. Breaks then show even over fullscreen videos, games, and presentations, and you can still close them. This works on Windows, macOS, and Linux X11 desktops (such as GNOME on Xorg). Wayland desktops don't let apps appear above fullscreen windows, and Settings tells you when that applies. Games that take over the screen in exclusive fullscreen can still hide a break. On macOS, BlinkBreak's Dock icon steps aside while a strict break is showing, because macOS only lets menu-bar apps cover fullscreen apps.

Yes. While BlinkBreak is running, run it again with --break-now and it starts a break right away, even over a fullscreen app. Bind that command to a shortcut in your system's keyboard settings:

• Windows: "%LOCALAPPDATA%\BlinkBreak\blinkbreak.exe" --break-now
• macOS: /Applications/BlinkBreak.app/Contents/MacOS/blinkbreak --break-now
• Linux (.deb): blinkbreak --break-now

Tray icon → Pause 15 min, or open the dashboard for Pause 1h. In Settings you can switch each reminder on/off, change how often it appears, set quiet hours, and pick light or dark.

Yes. A new install starts at login by default, quietly in the tray / menu bar. Turn it off or on any time in Settings → Start at login.

First turn off Settings → Start at login and quit BlinkBreak from the tray / menu bar icon. Then: Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → BlinkBreak → Uninstall. On macOS drag BlinkBreak from Applications to the Trash; on Linux remove the .deb (sudo apt remove blink-break) or delete the .AppImage.

None. The only thing it reads from your OS is how many seconds since your last keyboard/mouse input (to know whether you're active). Idle sensing is supported on Windows and macOS. On Linux it uses Mutter or freedesktop ScreenSaver D-Bus where available; otherwise the app says so in Settings. Settings and daily stats stay on your machine.

Both install and remind normally. Idle sensing is supported on macOS and on Linux sessions that expose the relevant D-Bus service. System-wide fullscreen detection is only implemented on Windows; on Linux without a supported idle service, timers count while the app is open. Further native sensing improvements are tracked in issue #5.

Health basis

Based on the AOA 20-20-20 rule, AAO guidance on blinking and distance breaks, and OSHA microbreak and posture guidance. BlinkBreak encourages healthy habits; it is not a medical device.

Build from source

Frontend only (browser demo with a simulated activity clock, no Rust needed):

npm install
npm test        # unit + component tests
npm run lint    # TypeScript check
npm run dev     # browser demo at http://localhost:1420

Desktop app (needs Rust stable; Windows also needs MSVC + Visual Studio C++ build tools):

npm run tauri dev     # run the desktop app with hot reload
npm run tauri build   # Windows -> src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/BlinkBreak_*_setup.exe

Linux needs WebKitGTK system packages first (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file libxdo-dev libssl-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev
npm run tauri build -- --bundles deb,appimage

macOS:

npm run tauri build -- --bundles dmg

Only one BlinkBreak can run at a time. Quit the installed copy from the tray before npm run tauri dev, or the dev build will hand over to it and exit.

Built with Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, and Rust.

Contributing

Ideas, bug reports, designs, and PRs are all welcome. Good places to start are issues labelled good first issue. See CONTRIBUTING.md and the Code of Conduct. Questions → Discussions. Security reports → SECURITY.md. What's changed → CHANGELOG.md.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.