I recently discovered an app that solves a problem I didn’t know I had until I tried it. Anyone who works on a Mac knows the menu bar is prime real estate, but what if you could use it not just for system controls and quick access to apps, but also for personal motivation and memory aids?
BarMinder by SunnyAAG turns your menu bar into a personal dashboard where you can display your favorite photos alongside customizable reminders. I’ve been testing it for the past week, and it’s proven surprisingly useful for keeping important visual cues right where I can see them throughout the day.
The concept is elegantly simple: click the menu bar icon to reveal a popup showing your chosen image with quick access to change photos and manage settings. What makes BarMinder particularly thoughtful is its notification system - you can set configurable alerts to remind you of anything you want, from taking breaks to staying hydrated, all while having a personal photo visible as a constant positive reminder.
I found myself using it primarily for two purposes: displaying photos of my family during long work sessions, and setting gentle reminders for tasks that are easy to forget when deep in coding. The app requires minimal setup - just launch it, choose your photo, configure your notification preferences, and let it work in the background.
The developer has made BarMinder completely open source, with the code available on GitHub. This transparency is refreshing for a utility that sits in your menu bar constantly. I actually took a look through the source code and found it clean and straightforward - exactly what you’d want from a simple productivity tool.
Performance impact is negligible on my M2 MacBook Air. The app consumes minimal system resources and doesn’t interfere with other menu bar utilities. One small requirement worth noting: you’ll need to enable notification previews to “Always” in System Settings for the app to display notifications properly.
Installation is straightforward through direct download from the developer’s website. The app runs on macOS without specific version requirements listed, though it follows standard macOS notification conventions, so relatively recent versions should work fine.
The simplicity is both BarMinder’s strength and its limitation. If you’re looking for complex task management or advanced photo organization features, this isn’t that kind of app. But for what it does - keeping meaningful images visible and sending gentle reminders - it works exactly as intended.
For anyone who spends long hours at their Mac and wants to add a personal touch to their workspace while staying reminded of important tasks, BarMinder offers a refreshingly straightforward approach. Free, open source, and focused on doing one thing well.
