For the new MacBook Pro with the glowing logo
Take control of your
MacBook logo light.
Dim it, turn it off, or bring it to life, even with the lid closed.
Open the DMG and drag Backglow to Applications.
Backglow is a Mac app. Send yourself the link.
Try it
Fades in and out, like the old MacBook sleep light.
“A genius app for controlling the glowing Apple logo.”
“Turn the MacBook Pro’s glowing Apple logo into a music visualizer.”
“Shows the full potential of an idea Apple had abandoned for a decade.”
“You don’t need Terminal to turn off the lit-up Apple logo.”
As seen on MacRumors, Notebookcheck, Trusted Reviews, The Mac Observer and IT Home
Questions
What does Backglow do?
It gives you control of the glowing logo on the back of your MacBook Pro. macOS sets how bright it glows for you, from your screen brightness and the light in the room, and has no setting to change it.
With Backglow you set how bright it glows, turn it off, or give it a mode: Steady, Breathe, Battery, Music or Agents. It lives in your menu bar: a dot when the logo is on, a ring when it's off.
What's free, and what's in Pro?
Free: brightness, the on/off switch, Steady, Breathe with a speed slider, Battery (the logo dims as your charge runs down), and Keep glowing when closed.
Pro, $9 at launch (later $15), pay once: Music lights up on the beat of whatever your Mac plays, with an intensity slider and an optional strobe. Agents shows what Claude Code is doing: a soft glow while it waits, a steady pulse while it works, and quick double blinks when it needs you and you've stepped away.
One license per Mac. Buy it in the app once you've tried Backglow, or get Pro now.
How does it work?
Backglow changes the logo's own brightness settings in macOS. It never changes your screen's brightness. When you quit, the logo goes back to Apple's settings, unless you turned it off.
How do I turn the logo off?
Click the dot in your menu bar, then the switch at the top. One click, no password. If you quit with the logo off, Backglow asks whether to keep it off. To bring it back, click the ring and turn the switch back on. From any app, press control-command-B or Option-click the icon.
Rather use Terminal? Here's Apple's command.
Can it keep glowing with the lid closed?
Yes. Turn on Keep glowing when closed in Backglow's Settings, and your mode keeps running with the lid closed, with or without an external display. The keyboard stays dark. Without an external display your Mac stays awake for up to 30 minutes, less on low battery or if it gets hot, and then it sleeps. Don't use it with your Mac in a bag.
My logo stays dark after removing Backglow.
Open Backglow again, turn the logo on with the switch at the top of the menu, then quit and remove it. The logo being off is a macOS setting, so it stays off until something turns it back on.
Does Music listen to my mic?
No. Music listens to what your Mac plays, not the room, and only works out how hard the bass is hitting. That stays on your Mac. No audio is recorded, saved or sent anywhere. The first time, macOS asks you to allow it under Screen & System Audio Recording.
Do I need Claude Code?
Only for Agents. Click Connect in Backglow and it adds a few hooks to Claude Code's settings. Disconnect in Settings removes them. Everything else works on its own.
Does it hurt my screen or battery?
Backglow never changes your screen's brightness. It pauses when the display sleeps, when your Mac is locked, and in Low Power Mode. Agents keeps working, so it can still tell you when Claude needs you. Battery keeps showing your charge in Low Power Mode.
Which Macs does it work on?
Only the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, the one with the glowing logo. It doesn't work on other Macs.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Pro has a 14-day money-back guarantee. If a macOS update breaks Pro within 60 days of buying and I can't fix it, you get your money back then too. Email help@backglow.app.
Try it on your Mac.
Open the DMG and drag Backglow to Applications.