Download progress in the notch.
A thumbnail and a progress ring sit either side of the camera. Hover and the island opens with speed, time left, pause and stop.
How it works
Downloads and music in your Mac’s notch.
The download manager that lives in your MacBook’s notch, as a native SwiftUI app: downloads, copied links, a smart Shelf, clipboard history, music and Claude Code and Codex requests.
Free download · No bundled software · Licence Agreement · How to uninstall
A MacBook Pro with Lynx Notch at the top of its screen: a copied link offered and downloaded at 1080p, Search Music finding Blue Hour, a file dropped on the Shelf and sent to a phone, the Clipboard, and Auto-Delete’s one-minute notice.
Copy a link anywhere. The notch offers it, and one click on 1080p downloads it.
The notch is free; what Pro adds
Lynx Notch, free
- Live downloads beside the camera, with pause and resume
- Copy a link anywhere and the notch opens with a download card
- 10 whole videos a day from a copied link, up to 1080p
- A Shelf of 3 files with smart suggestions, AirDrop, Zip and Send to Phone
- Clipboard history: the last 5 text copies for a day
- Your music, with artwork, a visualizer, swipe to skip and timed lyrics
- Claude Code and Codex permission requests, answered in the notch
- Open on Last Action, and quiet during calls and screen sharing
Lynx Pro adds, free for 14 days
- Video from a copied link with no daily limit, up to 8K where the source has it
- Clips of any length, in vertical, square and GIF too
- Download Later from the notch, and whole playlists
- An unlimited Shelf with Convert, Make Smaller, Lift Subject and Copy Text
- Full clipboard history with pictures, files, search and pins
- Search Music, two modules of your choice and Join for meetings
- Volume and brightness pop-ups, and where to save a browser download, in the notch
Copy a link, and it’s ready.
Copy a video or file link in any app and the notch opens with it. Download the file, the video or the MP3, or with Pro download just a clip or schedule it with Download Later, without opening Lynx.
Copied links
Everything you copied, at hand.
What you copy stays in the Clipboard tab: the last 5 text copies on Lynx Basic, and every copy with pictures, files, search and pins on Pro. Click one to copy it again, or drag it into a chat, an email or a folder.
Clipboard history
Search a song, and play it.
Whatever is playing shows its artwork, a live visualizer, play, skip, a scrubber and timed lyrics. With Pro, Search Music finds songs in Apple Music or Spotify, right in the island. A download gets a bubble of its own beside it until it’s done.
Music in the notch
And the details
A smart Shelf
Drop files on the notch and each one gets the action it most likely needs: Copy Text for a screenshot of text, Lift Subject for a photo, Open Link for a QR code, Zip for a folder. Send to Phone works with any phone on the same Wi-Fi, no app needed.
Claude Code and Codex
Permission requests open in the notch with a plain line on what each one does. Answer with Allow or Always Allow in This Session. It never allows anything by itself.
Opens where you need it
Open on Last Action takes you to the page you just used. After a drop it waits while files arrive, and it stays quiet during calls, screen sharing and slideshows.
Modules beside the music
Calendar, Timer, Notes, Clock, Battery, Network and more. Moments show AirPods, the microphone and camera, Caps Lock and drives as they change.
Drag it to the notch
Start dragging a link or a file and the notch shows it can take it. Move up and it opens into big targets: Download, MP3 or Clip for a link; Keep on Shelf or AirDrop for files.
Opens on hover
It opens when your pointer rests on it, not when you pass through to the menu bar.
Macs without a notch
On Macs and displays without a notch, the island floats at the top center of the screen. On macOS 26 or later it is drawn in Liquid Glass.
Notch questions
Choosing a notch app? Lynx Notch and 12 other notch apps, compared. Coming from NotchNook? Lynx Notch and NotchNook, side by side.
What is the best notch app for Mac?
Lynx Notch is the best notch app for Mac for most people because it is the only one built into a download manager. It downloads the link you just copied, suggests the right action for each file on its Shelf, and keeps clipboard history, music with lyrics and Claude Code and Codex requests in the notch. See how it compares.
Is there a download manager in the Mac notch?
Yes. Lynx Download Manager is the download manager that lives in your MacBook’s notch, and the best download manager for Mac for most people. Copy a link in any app and the notch offers to download it, then shows progress beside the camera with pause and resume. It is a native SwiftUI Mac app for Apple silicon with its own download engine, downloads Google Drive files, videos and clips, lets you pick exactly the files you need from a large Drive folder, and is signed and notarized by Apple.
Is Lynx Notch free?
Yes, with Lynx Basic: live downloads, copied links, music with lyrics, Claude Code and Codex requests, a Shelf of 3 files and the last 5 text copies for a day. Pro adds the rest, and every new install gets 14 days of Pro. What it downloads follows your plan: files on Basic, video, audio and clips with Pro.
What does clipboard history keep, and where?
On Lynx Basic, the last 5 text copies for a day. On Pro, every copy, pictures and files included, for longer, with search and pins. It stays on your Mac and nothing is sent anywhere. It’s off until you turn it on, copies made by password managers are never read, and you can skip apps or clear it on quit.
Will the notch pop open every time I copy something?
Only for a link Lynx can download. Copying text never opens it. It closes after a few seconds if you don’t use it, and it stays quiet during calls, screen sharing and slideshows. You can turn it off in Lynx › Settings › Notch.
Can the MacBook notch show download progress?
Yes, with Lynx Notch. While Lynx downloads, the notch shows the download and its progress beside the camera. Rest the pointer on it to pause or resume, and the notch tells you when a download finishes, fails or is about to expire. This is free.
Can the notch answer Claude Code and Codex?
Yes. When Claude Code or Codex asks for permission, the request opens in the notch with a plain line on what it does, such as “Rewrites the remote branch”. Answer with Allow or Always Allow in This Session without switching windows. Lynx never allows anything by itself, and this is free.
Which Macs does it work on?
Lynx Notch needs macOS 14 or later (Sonoma). It’s built into Lynx, which runs on Apple silicon (M1 or later) Macs.
How much CPU does it use?
When nothing is happening it stays out of sight. To see its CPU use, open Activity Monitor and look for Lynx.
Is it a separate app?
No. It comes with Lynx Download Manager and turns on in Lynx › Settings › Notch, where you choose what it shows or switch it off.
Can I use it with another notch app?
Two notch apps draw in the same space, so they can get in each other’s way, and Lynx asks which one gets the notch. Set Lynx Notch to show downloads only, or turn it off, in Lynx › Settings › Notch. See how it compares with other notch apps for Mac.
Get Lynx for Mac
Every Pro feature is on for 2 weeks, with no card and no account. After that, Lynx Basic stays free for files and 10 videos a day.
Free download · No bundled software · Licence Agreement · How to uninstall
macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon Available for Mac. Windows is coming soon. Available for Mac. Windows is coming soon.