One of the easiest ways to change how the notch looks is your wallpaper. Because the notch sits at the top-centre of the screen, a wallpaper with a dark top edge makes it blend right in.
Wallpapers that hide the notch
Any wallpaper that's solid black across the top ~80 pixels will visually merge with the notch, so the cutout disappears into the dark strip. Search for "notch hiding wallpaper" or simply use a mostly-dark image positioned so the top is black.
Prefer automation? TopNotch blacks out the menu-bar background to match, achieving the same effect with any wallpaper.
Wallpapers that play with the notch
Designers have made wallpapers that turn the notch into a character's nose, a periscope, a loading bar, a cat's silhouette and more. These lean into the notch instead of hiding it — fun, and they make the notch feel intentional.
How to set a Mac wallpaper
- Download or create your image at your display's resolution.
- Open System Settings → Wallpaper.
- Click Add Photo and pick your file, or drag it in.
- Choose "Fill Screen" so the top edge aligns with the notch.
Better than hiding: make it functional
A wallpaper changes how the notch looks; it doesn't make it do anything. Pair your favourite wallpaper with NotchNest and the notch becomes a hover panel for calendar, clipboard, notes, music and AirDrop. Best of both — looks how you want, works when you need it. Preview it in the notch playground.
Make your notch useful
NotchNest puts ten tools in your MacBook's notch. Free on the Mac App Store.
