Schedules that start themselves
Weekdays from 9:00 to 12:00. Inside the window, each break rolls into the next block.
Version 0.3.6 · Updated on October 11, 2026
A Mac focus appfor studying togetheron Discord.
When you open Discord during a focus block, Guard Screen hides its window while the app keeps running. Guard distracting websites too. Free, with no account required.
Discord stays running
18:42 remaining
The window is guarded
The problem is opening Discord without thinking.
I started building Quietwhile for nights when my friends and I study together on Discord. I wanted to stay in the room without turning one quick reply into forty minutes of yapping.
Most blockers remove Discord. Quietwhile keeps the call running and, when you reach for the window, hides it behind Guard Screen. You can still go in, but only on purpose.
You clicked Discord. Quietwhile makes the click visible.
Guard Screen hides Discord without terminating it. Go back to work, take an explicit five-minute exception, or end the session. Strict mode removes those exceptions and the End button; an emergency exit remains available.
- Discord is hidden; Guard Screen does not terminate its process
- Every reach for a guarded app or site adds one to its “Blocked today” count
- In a strict block, the exception and the End button are gone
Add Discord. Start a block. Stay with your friends.
Add Discord
Add Discord to your guarded apps and leave Guard Screen selected. It is the default: it hides the window instead of quitting the app.
Start a block
In the Focus view, choose the duration and start your block. The remaining time stays visible in the menu bar.
Get back to what you were doing
If you open Discord, Guard Screen lets you return to work. When your break starts, guarding stops and you can open it normally.
A focus block, from start to break.
See a block in action, guard the sites that pull you in, and take a real break when it ends.
A 50-minute focus block starts with the goal “Build something meaningful”. The recording shows three guarded websites, two weekday schedules, and sample session history. It ends during a break with an animated box breathing guide.
During a break, the box breathing guide starts: breathe in, hold, breathe out, and hold for four seconds each. An animated circle follows the count.
More ways to focusSchedules, rules, analytics, strict mode, and global shortcuts.
The guarded sites list shows youtube.com, reddit.com, and x.com. The tour continues through two weekday schedules, session history, and the 30- and 7-day analytics views.
A different rule for every app
Guard Screen hides the window and shows a pause; Hide Only just hides it; Quit App quits the app. Guard Screen is the default. Choose one behavior globally or per app. Finder, the Dock, System Settings, Terminal, and Quietwhile are never guarded.
History, analytics, and streaks
Completed, cancelled, and abandoned sessions; 7- and 30-day trends, your best day, and a check-in after each block. All of it stays on your Mac and exports as CSV or JSON.
25/5, 50/10, or Custom
Switch presets in the Focus view or set your own block and a break of up to 60 minutes. Each block can carry a goal and a category.
Strict mode when you need it
No ending, skipping, exceptions, or quitting Quietwhile until the block is over. Force-quit it and it comes back and carries on. The emergency exit asks you to type a sentence, then wait.
From anywhere on your Mac
Global shortcuts to start, stop, and skip; a desktop widget; Shortcuts actions; and a Focus filter that starts a block when your Work Focus turns on.
History and analytics on your Mac
Review your blocks, goals, and categories in History and Analytics. Copy a session recap and export your data as CSV or JSON.
Your focus data stays on your Mac.
No account, cloud sync, or remote analytics. Only the update check goes online.
- Settings, history, and daily block counts live in
~/Library/Application Support/Quietwhile/. - Website guarding reads only the active tab’s address during focus. It never reads page contents or your history.
- Release builds check for signed updates; you can turn that off in Settings.
Questions to ask any blocker
What it records, what it can and cannot stop, and where every escape hatch goes.
What stops me from quitting Quietwhile?
Normally, nothing: ⌘Q stops guarding and the block is recorded as abandoned. In a strict block, Quietwhile refuses to quit until the block ends, and if you force-quit it, it reopens and carries on. Logging out, restarting, and shutting down still work.
Is there a way out of a strict block?
Yes: the emergency exit. You type an exact sentence, then Quietwhile waits two minutes (or whatever you set) before ending the block, which your history records as cancelled.
What does “Allow 5 minutes” do?
It opens that app for exactly five minutes. Outside strict mode you can use it again. If the app is still frontmost when time expires, Quietwhile hides it and shows Guard Screen again.
How does it block websites without an extension?
During focus, while a supported browser is frontmost, Quietwhile asks it for the active tab’s address over Apple Events and, if the site is guarded, swaps the page for its own “Not now.” page. macOS asks your permission once per browser. Firefox does not allow its tabs to be read this way.
Do the call, camera, microphone, and screen share keep working?
Guard Screen hides Discord with macOS’s Hide instead of quitting it, so the process stays alive. I haven’t tested every combination of call, camera, microphone, and screen sharing yet.
Do schedules work while Quietwhile is closed?
No. Schedules need Quietwhile running, so the app offers to open at login. Stopping a session during a schedule ends that window for the day; the next one starts as normal.
When does Quietwhile intervene?
Only during the focus phase and only for active apps and sites in your list. Guarding stops during breaks and when the session ends.
Do I need an account or internet?
No. Everything is stored and calculated on your Mac. Release builds only use the network to check for and download signed updates; you can turn off automatic checks in Settings.
Stay in the call tonight.
Download Quietwhile, add Discord, and start a block. No account, and it keeps itself up to date.
Designed and built by Orlando AscanioSwift · SwiftUI · AppKit