What does the NovaHUD notch do?
The notch is a black bar at the top of the display your pointer is on. On MacBooks with a camera notch it blends into it; on other displays it sits in the menu bar. It grows to show what's happening and opens when you hover.
What shows on the collapsed notch?
- Dictating: a dictation bar with live level and your words.
- Recording a meeting: a red dot and the elapsed time.
- Nova speaking: moving bars and a glow.
- Nova heard you: an ear with a spinner.
- A meeting started: a video icon, and the notch opens to ask whether to record.
- Music playing: album art and bouncing bars.
What's inside when it opens?
- Now — what's playing, your running sessions, and your top shortcuts.
- Music — track, artist, artwork, previous / play-pause / next. If nothing is playing, Play Spotify or Play Music starts it.
- Sessions — each running session with Talk and mute.
- Meetings — record or stop, and your recent meetings.
- Shelf — drop files, links or text on the notch to keep them; drag them back out when you need them.
- Shortcuts — actions one click away.
- Clipboard — recent copies (off by default). Anything a password manager marks as concealed is never kept.
Which shortcuts are available?
Dictate, Record, Mute, Search, New session, Meetings, Open Nova, Play / pause, Next track, Screenshot, Lock screen, Sleep display, Mission Control, Claude, New note, Calculator, Terminal and Finder — plus your own apps, folders and websites. Choose which appear in Settings › Shortcuts in the notch.
How do I customise the notch?
Settings (click your name in NovaHUD, or ⌘,) lets you: turn the notch on or off; follow the pointer's display or stay on the main display; open on hover or on click; choose, hide and reorder pages; pick shortcuts; add your own links.
Can the notch show on the lock screen or while the Mac sleeps?
No. macOS does not let any app draw over the lock screen, and apps don't run while the Mac sleeps.
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