How FoldMyMac works
Last updated 5 October 2026
FoldMyMac is a macOS menu-bar app that bends and blurs your desktop as you close the MacBook lid. It reads the hinge angle from the built-in lid-angle sensor, captures the desktop on your Mac and renders the fold in real time with Metal.
1. Reading the lid-angle sensor
FoldMyMac starts from the hinge. Many Apple silicon MacBooks have a built-in lid-angle sensor, and the app reads it continuously, so the fold follows the real position of your lid. There is nothing to press or trigger: you simply close the lid and the desktop responds.
Not every model exposes this sensor to apps. See which MacBooks have one on the compatibility page.
2. Capturing the desktop on device
To fold your actual desktop, FoldMyMac needs a live image of it. It gets one through Apple's ScreenCaptureKit, which is why macOS asks you to allow Screen Recording the first time you launch the app.
Despite the permission's name, FoldMyMac does not make a recording. Frames stay on your Mac, nothing is saved or uploaded, and no audio is captured. The app also stops capturing when the fold clears: once the desktop is open again, the overlay is removed and screen capture is released, while the lid sensor stays ready for the next fold.
3. Rendering the fold with Metal
FoldMyMac draws the effect with Metal, Apple's graphics framework, and the overlay stays transparent until Metal has drawn its first frame. As the lid comes down, the desktop folds in perspective toward the hinge, softens toward the top and darkens along the folded edges.
At a lid angle you can configure, the desktop clears. When you open the lid again it springs back. You can also turn on an optional soft click that plays when the desktop clears.
4. Three looks: Silk, Shade and Frost
FoldMyMac ships with three looks, named Silk, Shade and Frost. You choose one in the settings window, which includes a live preview so you can see your changes before closing the lid.
5. Controls
FoldMyMac lets you tune the fold to your taste. Three sliders set the perspective, the blur and the shadow. You choose the lid angle at which the desktop clears, or press Use current angle to take whatever angle your lid is at right now, which helps if your normal lid position shows an effect.
You can pause FoldMyMac from the menu bar or with Escape, for example while watching protected video, which cannot appear inside an active fold. A manual slider lets you preview the animation without moving the lid at all.
6. See it on a real MacBook
This short clip shows FoldMyMac running on a real MacBook.
A MacBook sits on a desk. As the lid comes down, the desktop bends and blurs toward the hinge, and as the lid opens it returns to normal.
Requirements
FoldMyMac needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later, an Apple silicon MacBook with a lid-angle sensor, and Screen Recording permission. Check the compatibility page for supported models, and read the FAQ for answers to common questions.