Laptop with blacked-out built-in display in front of an active external monitor.

Mac App Store menu-bar utility

DeskHelper

The useful desk features, merged into one Mac utility.

DeskHelper combines display control, window arrangement and shortcuts, an active-window highlight, Finder actions, and local file encryption into one focused menu-bar app — sandboxed and delivered through the Mac App Store.

Display Control Window Shortcuts Active Window Highlight Finder Actions Local Safe Encryption (.safe) Private by Design

Display & Window Control

Manage the visual workspace without jumping between System Settings, third-party window tools, and display menus.

Black out the built-in MacBook display while mirroring to an external monitor.
Switch mirroring, dim displays until key press, sleep, and adjust brightness or contrast.
Quick-switch among your display's supported modes, including HiDPI.
Snap the focused window to halves, quarters, center layouts, and more — or move it to another display.
Highlight the active window with a configurable click-through border.

Custom HiDPI resolution presets are part of DeskHelper Pro; DeskHelper switches among the modes your display already supports.

Global Shortcuts

Keep hands on the keyboard: arrange windows, move them between displays, and switch focus without touching the mouse.

Arrange the focused window with customizable shortcuts that work in any app.
Move the focused window to the previous or next display.
Jump focus to the window occupying a position — left half, a corner, or all quadrants in turn.
Bring your favorite apps forward with Focus App shortcuts.
Trigger dim-until-key-press and sleep from anywhere.

Shortcuts use at least two modifiers to avoid clashes, and can be reset to defaults anytime.

Finder Actions & Local Safes

Make Finder more useful while keeping selected files, passwords, and encrypted Safes on your Mac.

Create new files and folders from Finder.
Paste, move, copy paths, and open folders in Terminal, TextEdit, VS Code, Codex, Claude, or another supported app.
Encrypt selected files or folders into local .safe files.
Add files to an existing Safe or decrypt only selected contents.
Compatible .7z, .zip, and .dmg formats are available in DeskHelper Pro.
Menu titles can name the target folder, so every action lands where you expect.

Finder and Safe actions run only after you choose a DeskHelper context-menu action.

Private by Design

DeskHelper is built for local Mac workflows. It does not turn your desk utility into another account, analytics stream, or cloud file service.

Sandboxed Mac App Store app.
No account required.
No analytics, advertising SDKs, usage telemetry, or session tracking.
Safe passwords are never stored, logged, or transmitted; encryption runs locally.
Only two optional permissions, explained in-app with live status: Accessibility and the Finder Extension.

Permissions overview listing Accessibility and the Finder Extension with live grant status. — Permissions overview with live status

What's good about it?

Less fuss at your desk.

Only blacks out when it should dark when mirrored, normal when the MacBook screen is part of your workspace
Fast everyday actions switch mirroring, dim until key press, sleep, arrange windows, highlight the active window, open Finder paths, and encrypt Safes
Helpful, not noisy runs from the menu bar without a Dock window, account, or analytics

For desk setups made for MacBooks that spend real time connected to an external display

For window speed global shortcuts handle layout, display moves, arranged-window focus, and app focus

For Finder and private files create, paste, move, open, encrypt, and decrypt selected items from the context menu you already use

For privacy no account, no analytics, no Safe password logging, and feedback opens as a reviewable email draft

How to get it

Install it from the Mac App Store.

1 Open the DeskHelper listing on the Mac App Store.
2 Install DeskHelper and launch it from Applications.
3 Enable the Finder extension and grant Accessibility only if you use those features.

macOS 13.0 or later Apple Silicon + Intel Updates via the App Store

Xintech LLC

View on Mac App Store Support Privacy EULA