Everything you need to get Focus Alert running smoothly.
On first launch, Focus Alert requests read-only access to your calendar. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars and ensure Focus Alert is enabled.
Allow notifications so alerts can reach you. Check System Settings → Notifications → Focus Alert and set the alert style to Alerts (not Banners).
Open Focus Alert preferences and set your escalation timing: Gentle → Persistent → Full-screen. Start with the defaults — you can fine-tune later.
If you use Google Calendar, go to Settings → Calendars → Add Google Account. Focus Alert uses read-only OAuth access. Your credentials are stored securely in macOS Keychain.
1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars and confirm Focus Alert is checked.
2. Ensure your calendar is synced — open Apple Calendar and verify events appear there first.
3. Restart Focus Alert from the menu bar icon → Quit, then relaunch.
1. Check System Settings → Notifications → Focus Alert — change alert style to Alerts.
2. If you have a macOS Focus mode active, ensure Focus Alert is in your allowed apps list.
3. Verify your escalation settings in Preferences — the first alert may be set with a delay.
The floating countdown appears 5 minutes before a meeting by default. You can adjust this in Settings → Floating Timer. Also check that "Show floating countdown" is enabled.
1. Ensure you're connected to the internet.
2. Try removing and re-adding your Google account in Focus Alert settings.
3. Check your Google Account permissions — Focus Alert should have calendar read access.
4. If you use a Google Workspace (business) account, your admin may need to whitelist Focus Alert.
Focus Alert scans the event's URL field, location, and notes for meeting links (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex). Ensure the link is included in one of those fields. Custom or self-hosted meeting URLs may not be detected automatically.
Subscriptions are managed by the App Store. Go to System Settings → Apple ID → Media & Purchases → Manage Subscriptions, find Focus Alert, and cancel. You'll retain access until the current period ends.
Quit Focus Alert from the menu bar, then drag Focus Alert from your Applications folder to the Trash. All local data (preferences, stats, reminders) is stored in a sandboxed container and will be removed with the app.
Focus Alert supports the following keyboard shortcuts for quick access:
⌘ , — Open preferences⌘ N — Add a new reminderEsc — Dismiss current alertSpace — Snooze alert (when focused)