For Mac · Lives in your menu bar
Read one thing at a time.
Dimframe dims everything on your screen except the part you're reading. Draw a frame around a paragraph, a table or a video, and the rest fades into the background.
Free 7-day trial, then $4.99 once. No subscription, no account.
How it works
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1
Start a frame
Click the dashed rectangle in your menu bar, or press ⌃⌥⌘D from any app.
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2
Drag around your text
Draw a rectangle around what you want to read. Everything outside it dims.
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3
Keep reading
Scroll and click as usual. Drag the frame's edges to move it, or its corners to resize it.
Small app, quiet screen
Frame anything
Works over every app: a PDF, a web page, a spreadsheet, code or a video.
Clicks go straight through
The dimming never gets in your way. Only the frame's edge catches the mouse, so you can move it.
Choose how dark
Set the dimming anywhere from a light shade to solid black.
Every display
Dim your other monitors too, or leave them bright for notes and reference.
No special permissions
Dimframe doesn't ask for Accessibility or Screen Recording access.
Private by design
No account, no analytics, no tracking. Dimframe collects no data at all.
Made for focused reading
For anyone who loses their place in dense text: students working through papers, researchers, writers editing long drafts, and anyone who has ever slid an index card down a page to keep their place.
Simple pricing
$4.99 once
Try everything free for 7 days. If you like it, unlock Dimframe for good with a single purchase. No subscription.
Runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Questions
Does Dimframe need any special permissions?
No. It doesn't need Accessibility or Screen Recording access, and it never looks at what's on your screen. It only draws a shade over everything outside your frame.
Does it collect any data?
No. Dimframe has no account, no analytics and no tracking, and your settings stay on your Mac. See the privacy policy.
Can I still click and scroll through the dimming?
Yes. Everything under the dimming works normally. Only the edge of your frame catches the mouse, so you can grab it to move or resize.
Can I frame half or a quarter of the screen without drawing?
Yes. Right-click the icon, choose Quick Frame, and pick a half, a quarter or a third of the screen. That part stays bright, everything else dims, and you can still move and resize it.
Does it work with more than one display?
Yes. By default every display is dimmed outside your frame. Turn off Dim Other Displays to keep your other screens bright.
Can it time how long I spend reading?
Yes. Right-click the icon, choose Timer, and pick where it appears: below your frame, inside its corner, or in the menu bar. Start, pause and reset it whenever you like. It's off until you turn it on.
I can't see the icon in my menu bar.
On MacBooks with a notch, a crowded menu bar can hide icons. Press ⌃⌥⌘D to start a frame, or open Dimframe again from your Applications folder to see its help window.