ColorPause

Guide

How do I turn only some apps gray on a Mac?

Add the apps to ColorPause, and their windows turn black and white, right away or once you reach a limit you set. Every other window stays in color.

How to gray some apps with ColorPause

ColorPause isn’t out yet. It’s in final testing. Join the waitlist to hear when it’s out.

  1. Install ColorPause. Apps on your list need no permission.
  2. Switch to the app you want to gray, such as Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, or a game.
  3. Click the ColorPause icon in the menu bar, then choose Add app to your list. Or choose Add an app… in ColorPause’s Settings and pick it from your Applications folder. ColorPause opens the app’s rule.
  4. Under “When does it turn gray?”, choose Right away, or After a limit in minutes on it or opens, counted in an hour or in a day.
  5. Repeat for each app you want to gray.

Browsers themselves can’t be added; add the sites instead. A site you’ve installed as a web app from Safari or Chrome follows that site’s rule.

Questions

Does ColorPause need a permission for apps?

No. macOS’s list of windows already says which app owns each one. The Automation permission is for browsers, so ColorPause can read which site each window shows.

Do other windows on the same display stay in color?

Yes. Only the window showing a listed site or app goes gray, on any number of displays.

Can I keep an app gray all the time?

Yes. Choose Keep app gray in the ColorPause menu, or Keep gray in the app’s rule.

Can I take a break from the gray?

Yes. Choose Show in color for in the ColorPause menu and pick 2, 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes; then graying picks up again.

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