Taskbar-Focus

A lightweight focus timer for Windows with automatic Do Not Disturb.

Taskbar-Focus keeps the current session visible, silences notifications while you focus, and restores them when it is time for a break.

Windows 10 or 11 · 64-bit · No administrator access required

Install

Scoop

Scoop is the recommended installation method:

scoop bucket add taskbar-focus https://github.com/yoelrosenthal/taskbar-focus
scoop install taskbar-focus

Update later with scoop update taskbar-focus.

Other options

Download taskbar-focus.exe from the latest GitHub release, or install it from crates.io:

cargo install taskbar-focus

The standalone executable does not require an installer. Place it in any folder and run it.

Quick start

1. Open Taskbar-Focus. It runs in the Windows notification area beside the clock.
2. Left-click the progress-ring icon to start a focus session.
3. Left-click again to pause or resume. Right-click for breaks, presets, settings, and other actions.

Windows 11 may place new notification-area icons behind the ^ arrow. Open the overflow area and drag the Taskbar-Focus icons onto the taskbar if you want them to remain visible.

Tray status

The notification-area icons show the current state without opening a window.

• The progress ring is red during focus, green during a break, grey while idle, and faded while paused.
• The crossed-out bell appears while notifications are muted. It can be hidden independently in Settings.

The same muted-notifications indicator can also appear beside the countdown in the timer window.

Optional timer window

The timer window is optional and disabled by default. When enabled, it provides a clear, always-visible countdown that can be moved, resized, and placed over the taskbar or anywhere else on the desktop. Clicking the window starts, pauses, or resumes the timer.

Enable it from Settings → Timer window or choose Show timer window from the tray menu. Taskbar-Focus remembers its size and position. Use Reset window size to return to the default layout.

Settings

Double-click the tray icon, or right-click it and choose Settings.... The searchable settings window contains timer lengths, session behavior, notifications, Do Not Disturb, sounds, timer-window options, and global hotkeys.

Changes are applied when you select Save. Use Save as new preset to keep the current timer lengths as a separate preset.

Focus sessions and breaks

The default sequence is:

1. Complete a focus session.
2. Start a short break automatically.
3. Start a long break after the configured number of completed focus sessions.
4. Return to idle when the break ends, ready for the next session.

You can change this behavior in Settings. Options include automatically starting the next focus session, requiring confirmation before stopping strict focus, and choosing how a running timer handles sleep.

When focus begins, Taskbar-Focus enables the same Do not disturb mode used by Windows. When focus ends, it restores notifications. Windows priority apps and contacts continue to follow your existing priority settings.

Presets

Taskbar-Focus includes three presets:

Presets can be edited, duplicated, and selected directly from the tray menu.

Controls and shortcuts

Global shortcuts work from any application and can be changed or disabled in Settings.

Command-line control

Commands are forwarded to the running application, so scripts and shortcuts do not create a second timer.

taskbar-focus --start
taskbar-focus --break
taskbar-focus --toggle
taskbar-focus --skip
taskbar-focus --stop
taskbar-focus --preset "Deep Work 90/15"
taskbar-focus --quit

Run taskbar-focus --help for the complete command list.

Privacy and local data

Taskbar-Focus does not require an account, collect telemetry, or make network connections. It never requires administrator rights.

Local files are stored in %APPDATA%\taskbar-focus:

• config.toml contains settings and presets in plain text.
• activity.log records application activity locally.

Uninstall

With Scoop:

scoop uninstall taskbar-focus

With Cargo:

cargo uninstall taskbar-focus

If you downloaded the executable, delete it. Settings remain in %APPDATA%\taskbar-focus until that folder is removed. Do Not Disturb is restored when the application exits.

License

MIT