Concealing Your Mac's Distinctive Yellow Indicator Without Compromising on Security
The tiny yellow (or perhaps orange, based on your perspective) mark is among the top privacy and security perks on your Mac. It serves as a straightforward signifier that an application is utilizing your Mac's microphone. When it's active, you'll spot this symbol in the menu bar, placing itself right next to the Control Center icon. Despite my fondness for this attribute, it can occasionally become quite disruptive. Thankfully, there's a method to strike a balance between aesthetics and protection by employing a free tool referred to as DotChanger. This tool alters the yellow privacy symbol to black (or other hues), and permits you to dim a few other menu bar icon systems, as well.
Motivation for altering the Mac's Yellow Dot color
When I'm in the process of composing, I prefer to employ my word processor in full-screen mode to enhance my focus on writing. In the event I'm partaking in an online conference and taking notes, the yellow dot appears in the top-right corner of the screen. This is antithetical to the distraction-free writing experience I'm pursuing, as my eyes persistently gravitate towards the dot from time to time.
Additionally, I've been combating migraines and one of the manifestations is sensitivity to bright lights. This is why I utilize dark mode on every device that supports it and I endeavor to employ neutral or dim colors at lengthy intervals before the screen. This is how I stumbled upon DotChanger, and it has been exceptionally beneficial.
What DotChanger accomplishes and how to utilize it
Following your installation and configuration of DotChanger, you'll be prompted to grant it access to Screen and System Audio Recording privileges. Once approved, DotChanger takes charge of altering the appearance of items in your menu bar. With this setup, the app takes care of the rest. DotChanger will automatically modify the privacy indicator to another color, yet you can open its menu bar icon and navigate to Dot color to switch it to other hues. You can opt for one of the following choices:
- Black
- Default (yellow)
- Adaptive
- Subdued
- White
The default option is Adaptive, which dynamically adjusts the color of the privacy indicator according to your activity. I opted for Black due to its visual appeal and the absence of distraction. You'll observe that DotChanger also diminishes a few other menu bar icons which can't otherwise be dimmed, including location and screen recording indicators. This can be advantageous when you're displaying something on your Mac and wish to avoid the distraction of bright icons in the menu bar.
Whilst you're at it, contemplate MouseShush, a tool that muted your Mac's mic automatically when typing.
Utilizing DotChanger, I was able to modify the yellow privacy dot on my Mac to a less distracting color, such as black. This was particularly helpful during full-screen writing sessions or online conferences where the original dot would often draw my attention.
With DotChanger, I also noticed a reduction in the brightness of other menu bar icons, including location and screen recording indicators, which greatly improved my comfort during prolonged use, especially when dealing with migraines and sensitivity to bright lights.
