In recent macOS editions, Apple has added a bunch of indicators that notify you when your screen is being shared or recorded, when the microphone or camera is active, or when your location is being shared. While great for privacy, these indicators can be distracting and annoying.

YellowDot is an open-source app that attempts to make them a bit less noticeable, without disabling them completely. It can display them in a different color or dim their bright icons so that they blend in with all your other menu bar items.

The app can’t remove those indicators altogether, but it can at least make them easier to bear with. When they’re detected on the screen, their color is changed according to your settings.

The yellow/blue/green dot indicator can be dimmed or turned black or white. In adaptive mode, the right color is selected automatically to ensure it blends into your menu bar.

The microphone and screen sharing icons can be dimmed or made black or white, but dimming is probably the best option in this case, as a black/white blob in the menu bar just looks out of place.

While there is a way to hide the recording indicator on external displays, it’s not exactly straightforward, as it requires entering Recovery mode and using a Terminal command. And this is only possible on external displays.

YellowDot can’t hide these indicators completely, but it makes them far less noticeable. In full-screen mode, if you have a MacBook with a notch, the indicator dot will essentially disappear.

You can even hide the app’s own menu bar icon once you’ve configured everything to your liking. It’s all very easy to set up, it works reliably from my experience, and it’s completely free for anyone to use.