A menu bar app for macOS 14 and later

Let it snow on your Mac.

Deskfall fills your desktop with soft, real-looking snowfall. It settles on your windows, drifts along your Dock and slides off when you move things around. Autumn leaves and rain come along as bonus seasons.

Try early access freeTry free for 7 days Coming soon to theMac App Store In review
14 days free, every feature 7 days free, then £4.99 once Free 7-day trial, then £4.99 once No subscription No permissions to grant Clicks pass straight through
Windows versionComing soon
Winter

Snow that settles.

Flakes pile up along the top of every open window, soft and uneven like real snow. A window in front of another always stays clean.

Winter

Sweep it away.

Move your pointer through a pile and the snow puffs up and scatters, leaving a dip where you passed.

Winter

Shake it off.

Drag a window quickly and part of the snow is left behind to fall. Close it and the whole layer breaks apart. Minimised windows keep their snow for later.

Winter

The Dock, and a visitor.

A drift builds on your Dock and rises with the icons as they magnify. Every few minutes a sleigh with five reindeer crosses the sky. You can turn it off.

Bonus season

Autumn.

Maple and beech leaves in six colours flutter, spin and settle on your windows and Dock. Brush them off with the pointer, or let a gust carry them away.

Bonus season

Rain.

Streaks lean with the wind, drops cling to the glass and run down, and tiny splashes land on window tops. Rain melts any snow that's left.

Keep scrolling to try it yourself
The 48-second version

Watch it snow.

Snow settling on windows, a drift along the Dock, Santa on his rounds, then autumn and a rainy afternoon. Everything in the film is how Deskfall really behaves.

Try it on your own Mac

Try it here

The real menu bar panel, on a pretend desktop.

These are the same controls you get when you click the snowflake in your menu bar. Drag the windows, close one, hover over the Dock and watch the snow follow.

DeskfallSnow · Moderate
50%
1.0×
Light, to the right

Drag a window fast, or close it with the red button.

Notes
Photos
What's inside

Made for winter. Good all year.

Snow is the heart of Deskfall. Autumn and rain are included so your desktop has something to say for the rest of the year.

Snow

The main event
  • Layered snowfallNear, middle and far flakes fall at their own speeds, with gentle sway and gusts.
  • Settles on windowsUneven, rounded piles along the top of each window, cut off cleanly by any window in front.
  • Sweep with the pointerSnow puffs up where your pointer passes and leaves a dip behind.
  • Falls when you move thingsQuick drags leave snow behind. Closing a window drops its whole layer. Minimised windows keep theirs.
  • Dock driftSnow builds on the Dock and rides up with the icons as they magnify.
  • Santa and his reindeerA sleigh crosses the sky every few minutes. Choose how often, or switch it off.
  • Four presets and full controlLight, Moderate, Heavy and Blizzard, plus flake size, falling speed, wind and crystal-shaped flakes.
  • Pile-up speed and depthDecide how fast snow gathers and how deep it gets, with gradual melting.
  • Only behind windowsLet it snow on the desktop alone, while snow still settles on your windows.

Autumn

Bonus season
  • Leaves that flutterMaple and beech shapes in six colours swing, spin and turn edge-on as they fall.
  • They settle, then blow awayLeaves rest on windows and the Dock, fall when you move or close a window, and lift off in strong gusts.
  • Calm, Breezy, GustyPlus density, leaf size and falling speed.

Rain

Bonus season
  • Streaks and glass dropsRain leans with the wind while drops cling to the screen and slide down, leaving a trail.
  • SplashesSmall splashes land on window tops and the Dock.
  • Drizzle to StormEach effect switches off on its own. Lightning is optional and off by default.

Every day

  • Lives in the menu barOne click for season, intensity and presets. No Dock icon, no big window.
  • Never in your wayClicks and typing go straight to your apps. Nothing steals focus.
  • Every displayWorks across all your screens, including when you plug one in or out.
  • Eco, Balanced, Quality24, 30 or 60 frames per second. Automatic switches to Eco in Low Power Mode.
  • Stops when you're awayRendering stops completely when paused or when your displays sleep.
  • Launch at loginRemembers your season and every setting.
PermissionsNone to grantNo Screen Recording, no Accessibility. Deskfall never asks.
What it readsWindow position and sizeThrough a public macOS API. Never what's inside your windows, never their titles.
RenderingOn the graphics chipBuilt natively with Apple's SpriteKit, not a web view. It idles at zero when paused.
Pricing

Buy it once. Keep it.

One price, every season, all of your Macs. On the Mac App Store it's a free download with a 7-day trial, then one payment. Until it's there, early access is free. You can also buy it right now, directly from us.

Deskfall

One-time unlock · coming soon
£4.99one payment, no subscription
  • Snow, plus autumn and rain as bonus seasons
  • Every Mac signed in to your Apple Account
  • Free updates through the App Store
  • Free to download, with a 7-day trial of everything
Try early access free Buy now · £4.99 Get it on the Mac App Store Questions?

Deskfall will be a free download from the Mac App Store.Deskfall is a free download from the Mac App Store. Start the 7-day trial from the app, then unlock it once through Apple. The App Store shows the price in your own currency, so the figure there may differ slightly from this estimate.

Download

Two ways to get it on your Mac.Snowing in under a minute.

Deskfall is waiting for Apple's review. You don't have to wait with it: the early-access copy is the same app, free for 14 days.

Deskfall is waiting for Apple's review. You don't have to wait: get it directly from us, with a free 7-day trial first.

Get Deskfall from the Mac App Store, open it and start your free 7-day trial. A snowflake appears in your menu bar, near the clock. That's where everything lives.

Waiting for Apple

Mac App Store

We've sent Deskfall to Apple for review. When it's approved, this button goes live: a free download with a 7-day trial, then £4.99 once.

Coming soon to theMac App Store In review
Free · 14 daysDirect · 7-day free trial

Early accessBuy direct

The full app, every season, free for 14 days from the first launch. After that the snow stops and Deskfall shows you where to get the full version. One click removes it.

Download Deskfall and try every feature free for 7 days. Love it? Buy a licence for £4.99, once. The key arrives by email and unlocks Deskfall on all your Macs. Payment, receipts and VAT are handled by Lemon Squeezy.

Download for MacDownload free trial Buy now · £4.99

Heads up: macOS will warn you the first time.

This copy isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS can't confirm who made it and blocks it on first open. That's expected for apps from outside the App Store that haven't been through Apple's notarization. It takes one extra step in System Settings, shown below. The App Store version won't need it.

Coming soon

Windows

Deskfall is coming to Windows 11: the same snow settling on your windows and drifting along the taskbar, with autumn and rain as bonus seasons. One payment, no subscription.

Coming soon toWindows 11 In the works

Installing the early-access copyInstalling Deskfall

Why a download for now? Apple checks every Mac App Store app by hand, and apps that change how your desktop looks get a closer look than they would on Android. That's Apple keeping the Mac feeling like a Mac. While Deskfall waits its turn, this early copythe direct download lets you enjoy the snow today.

  1. Drag it to Applications Open the downloaded file and drag Deskfall Early Access onto the Applications folder.
  2. Open it, then choose Done Double-click it in Applications. macOS stops it and shows a warning. Choose Done, not Move to Trash.
  3. Privacy & Security › Open Anyway Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down to Security and click Open Anyway. Confirm with Touch ID or your password.
  4. Confirm once. That's it. Choose Open Anyway one last time. A snowflake appears in your menu bar, near the clock. macOS remembers your choice from now on.

macOS wording differs slightly between versions. Older versions also let you right-click the app and choose Open. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel · Version 1.0

Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel · Version 1.0

Questions

Good to know.

How does buying direct work?

You pay £4.99 once through Lemon Squeezy, our payment partner, which handles receipts and VAT. A licence key arrives by email: paste it into Deskfall › Settings › Licence. The same key works on all your Macs.

What's the difference between early access and the App Store version?

It's the same app. Early access is free for 14 days from the first launch and comes straight from this site. The Mac App Store version comes with a 7-day trial and a one-time unlock, and gets updates through the App Store. Settings don't carry over between the two.

Why does macOS warn me the first time?

Apps from outside the App Store are normally checked by Apple ("notarized") before release. This download hasn't been through that yet, so macOS asks you to confirm in System Settings › Privacy & Security the first time. See the install steps. If you'd rather not, wait for the App Store version.

What happens after the 14 days of early access?

The effects stop and a window points you to the full version. Nothing is charged, and a button removes the early-access copy for you.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay £4.99 once and Deskfall is yours, including every 1.x update.

What happens after the 7-day trial?

The effects pause until you unlock Deskfall with a one-time purchase in the app. Nothing is charged automatically, and your settings stay exactly as you left them.

On how many Macs can I use it?

On every Mac signed in to your Apple Account. Install it from the App Store and choose Restore purchase.

Will it slow my Mac down?

Deskfall draws on the graphics chip and keeps its work light. You can pick Eco, Balanced or Quality, it switches to Eco in Low Power Mode, and it stops completely when paused or when your displays sleep. You can watch its usage in Activity Monitor at any time.

Does it need special permissions?

No. It reads only where your windows are and how big they are, using a public macOS API. It never sees what's inside them and never asks for Screen Recording or Accessibility access.

Can I still click and type through the snow?

Yes. Every click and keystroke goes straight to your apps, and Deskfall never takes focus.

Does it work with more than one display?

Yes, on every connected display, including when you plug one in or unplug it.

Can I turn off Santa or the lightning?

Yes. Santa has an on/off switch and a "how often" setting. Lightning is off unless you turn it on.

Is there a Windows version?

It's on the way, for Windows 11. Same snow, same seasons, one payment. Watch What's new for news.

Which Macs are supported?

Any Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, with Apple silicon or Intel.

What if it's not for me?

That's what the free trial is for. If you've already bought it, you can ask Apple for a refund. See refunds.