Download MediaMate for Mac

In the edit

Anyone who spends their day toggling volume or brightness on a Mac knows the default HUDs are a bit chunky. MediaMate is for people who want those controls to be smaller, more discreet and easier on the eyes. If you have just installed it, here are the first things to try.

• Adjust the volume with your keyboard keys and watch the compact HUD appear near the top of the screen instead of the centre. It stays out of your way.
• Press the brightness keys to see the same treatment. The HUD is the same size and position, so everything feels consistent.
• If your Mac has a keyboard backlight, try those keys too. MediaMate handles them with the same compact style.
• Play some music or a video, then use the media keys to skip or pause. A now playing HUD shows the track or title and basic controls.
• Open MediaMate’s preferences from the menu bar icon to tweak the HUD position, size and how long it stays on screen. You can dial it in exactly how you like.

That is most of what you need to get started. From there, it is just about using your Mac normally and letting the new HUDs do their thing.

Runs on any Mac with Ventura or later

MediaMate runs on any Mac with macOS 13 Ventura or later. That covers both Apple Silicon and Intel machines, so whether you are on an M-series MacBook Pro or an older Intel iMac, it will work. The app is small and lives in the menu bar, so it does not demand much from your system. Touch Bar Macs need a separate mode enabled in preferences, but the rest of the hardware gets the same treatment.

You will notice that the app replaces the built-in macOS HUDs immediately after launch. There is no restart needed and no configuration required to see the difference. The volume and brightness sliders are gone the moment the app is running, replaced by the compact bar-style indicators that MediaMate provides. The now playing HUD appears automatically when media starts.

Perfect for anyone adjusting volume all day

If you regularly adjust volume or brightness throughout the day, MediaMate becomes one of those small upgrades you forget you needed. Wedding photographers editing on a MacBook Pro between sets will appreciate not having the default HUD block the centre of the screen while reviewing shots or adjusting playback volume. The same goes for anyone working in a dimly lit edit bay who reaches for keyboard brightness keys often.

Touch Bar users get a slightly different experience, but the benefit is the same: the HUDs are more readable and less intrusive than the standard macOS pop-ups. If you use keyboard backlight controls a lot, MediaMate gives those adjustments the same clean treatment rather than the tiny on-screen indicator macOS usually shows.

For people who switch between apps with media playing — Spotify, QuickTime, Safari video — the now playing HUD is useful. It shows the current track or title and gives basic controls without needing to switch windows. That matters when you are in the middle of culling a folder of RAWs and just want to skip a song.

Move the HUD away from the centre of your screen

After launching MediaMate, open its preferences from the menu bar icon. The defaults are fine, but a few adjustments make a real difference.

• HUD position — The default is near the top of the screen. If you work with a lot of palettes or a second monitor, you might prefer it closer to the corner. Move it around until it feels natural.
• Display duration — How long the HUD stays on screen after you press a key. A shorter duration keeps things tidy if you adjust volume quickly; a longer one helps if you want to read the exact level.
• HUD size — Make it smaller if you want it barely visible, or larger if you need to see the level from across the desk. It is personal preference, so spend a minute finding the size that does not distract.
• Touch Bar mode — If you have a Touch Bar Mac, enable the separate mode in preferences so the HUDs behave correctly with the hardware.

These four settings take about thirty seconds to adjust and change how the app feels more than anything else.

Feels normal by the third day

MediaMate is one of those apps that works quietly in the background. The first day, you will probably notice it every time you change volume or brightness. By the second day, it will feel normal, and by the third, the old macOS HUDs will seem clunky if you ever see them on another machine.

Keep an eye on the menu bar icon. It lets you know MediaMate is running and gives quick access to preferences. If you ever want to see what the now playing HUD looks like without waiting for media to start, open any music or video and use the play/pause key on your keyboard.

A practical note for photographers editing on a MacBook Pro: if you plug in an external display, the HUDs still appear on the built-in screen where your keyboard is. That is consistent and means you do not have to look at the external monitor to check volume or brightness changes.

One more thing worth checking in the first few days: if you use media apps that are not the usual suspects — a niche video player or a streaming app in a browser — test whether the now playing HUD picks them up. Most common players work straight away, but it is good to know early if you need to adjust anything.

After a week, you will likely stop thinking about it entirely. That is the point.

Mac it needs

• macOS 13 Ventura or later
• Apple Silicon or 64-bit Intel Mac