FoldMyMac FAQ
Last updated 5 October 2026
What is FoldMyMac?
FoldMyMac is a macOS menu-bar app that bends and blurs your desktop as you close the MacBook lid, like the iPhone Duo fold. It reads the built-in lid-angle sensor and renders the effect with Metal. You can choose between three styles, Silk, Shade and Frost, and the desktop clears at a lid angle you set.
Will it work on my Mac?
FoldMyMac needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later and an Apple silicon MacBook with a lid-angle sensor. The effect has been tested on an M5 MacBook Air. Automatic lid tracking is currently unsupported on the 2020 M1 MacBook Air and M1/M2 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Other Apple silicon MacBooks need a readable lid-angle sensor; the chip alone does not guarantee compatibility. The manual preview works without a sensor. External displays stay unchanged. See the full compatibility check.
Does FoldMyMac work on the M1 MacBook Air?
Automatic lid tracking is currently unsupported on the 2020 M1 MacBook Air, and on the M1/M2 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. These models do not give the app a lid-angle reading it can use. The manual preview still works without a sensor, so you can try the animation with the slider in the app.
Does it work on Intel Macs?
No, FoldMyMac supports Apple silicon MacBooks only. The build does not support Intel Macs, so every Intel MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and MacBook model is unsupported. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later and an Apple silicon MacBook with a lid-angle sensor that macOS exposes to apps.
How do I get started?
Your download link and licence key arrive by email as soon as the payment goes through. Open the DMG and drag FoldMyMac onto Applications. On first launch macOS says the app was blocked: click OK, then in System Settings › Privacy & Security click Open Anyway. Allow Screen Recording when asked, paste your key, and the effect is on. The app lives in your menu bar.
Why does it need Screen Recording?
The effect uses a live image of your desktop so your wallpaper and windows blur together. Despite the permission’s name, FoldMyMac does not save a recording. It does not capture audio or send screen content anywhere.
Does FoldMyMac record or upload my screen?
No, FoldMyMac does not record or upload your screen. Frames are processed on your Mac and are never saved or uploaded, and no audio is captured. Screen capture also stops when the desktop fold clears, so nothing keeps running in the background while the effect is hidden.
Does it change external displays?
No, external displays stay unchanged. FoldMyMac applies the fold effect to the MacBook’s own desktop as the lid closes, and it does not alter any monitor you have connected to the Mac.
How do I pause or turn it off?
Click FoldMyMac in the menu bar or press Escape to pause it. The app lives in your menu bar, so you can reach it there at any time, for example while you are watching a video.
Can I change the effect?
Yes. Choose Silk, Shade, or Frost, then adjust perspective, blur, and shadow. Set the lid angle at which your desktop becomes clear. You can also try the animation with a slider in the app.
How many Macs can I use one licence on?
One licence key activates one Mac. Your licence key and the DMG are emailed right after payment. There is no account and no subscription, and the licence has no time limit. If you move to a new Mac, deactivate the old one in the app or write to us and we will release it.
Why does protected video not appear inside the fold?
Protected video cannot appear inside an active fold. If your normal lid position shows an effect, use Lid Behavior → Use current angle, or pause FoldMyMac while watching. Since version 0.4.9, FoldMyMac also stops screen capture when the desktop fold clears.
More detail: how FoldMyMac works, the compatibility check and the Terms of Sale & Licence.