Bokeh for Mac

Why your Mac can slow down

Keeping many programs open at once divides your Mac’s CPU and RAM among them, and that can make the whole system feel sluggish. Bokeh tries to address this by steering processing attention toward the app you’re actively using rather than closing background programs.

How it operates

Bokeh runs as an icon in the menu bar. From there you can:

• Pause selected applications without quitting them.
• Choose a single app to concentrate on, which suspends the others.
• Activate a focus mode that briefly flashes the screen and blurs all inactive windows, leaving the chosen app sharp and clear.
• Freeze any number of apps you want, instead of terminating them.

What it’s like to use

• The focus blur is visually striking at first, but it can become disorienting after repeated use.
• You get quick control over which applications remain active and which are suspended, so you don’t have to close programs to reduce background activity.
• The interface is accessed entirely from the menu bar, which keeps it unobtrusive.

Performance and memory notes

• Don’t expect large RAM savings: Bokeh itself typically consumes over 100 MB.
• Suspended applications still appear to occupy the same amount of memory in Activity Monitor as when they were running.
• If your goal is to recover lots of free RAM, Bokeh is not the ideal tool.

Alternatives to consider

• Onyx — better suited if your primary aim is freeing up memory and performing system maintenance.
• CheatSheet (free) — a lightweight, complimentary utility for different productivity needs.

Recent fixes

• Minor bug fixes and stability improvements.