DeskwatchBuy Deskwatch

Walk away from your MacBook.

Deskwatch is a theft alarm for your Mac. If anyone picks it up while you are away, a full-volume siren goes off and the screen locks. Only your Touch ID can stop it.

  • A siren at full volume, whatever your volume was set to
  • The screen locks at the same moment
  • Closing the lid sets it off too
  • Only your Touch ID stops it
Buy Deskwatch $4.99See how it works

$4.99 once, no subscription. For Apple silicon MacBooks on macOS 15 or later.

A drawn MacBook on a café table at night, its screen locked, a screaming blue shield in front of it and siren rays around it as a thief's hand pulls away

What happens when someone grabs it

  1. Protected
  2. Picked up
  3. Alarm

Scroll to pick it up

Arm it in one click

Click the shield in the menu bar and keep your hands off for a few seconds. The first time, and whenever you move somewhere new, it takes ten seconds to learn how still your table is. Or let it turn on by itself whenever you lock your Mac. Then go get your coffee.

FinderFileEditViewFri 9:41
The Deskwatch menu bar panel with the Turn On Protection button

If it moves, everyone hears it

The siren plays at maximum volume no matter where your volume slider was, and the screen locks at the same moment. Nothing on it is reachable, and nobody can pretend they did not hear it.

Five seconds of the real alarm. Turn your volume down first.

FinderFileEditViewFri 9:41
The Deskwatch panel while the alarm is sounding

Only your Touch ID stops it

Turning protection off, quitting the app, or changing a setting all ask for your Touch ID or password. A thief cannot close it, mute it, or talk their way past it.

FinderFileEditViewFri 9:41
The Deskwatch panel showing that Touch ID is needed to turn protection off

Worth knowing

Knows a bump from a grab
Typing, table knocks and a dropped mug are ignored. Lifting or shoving the Mac is not.
Nothing leaves your Mac
No account, no cloud, no tracking. Motion readings stay on your Mac.
Runs a Shortcut
Trigger any Shortcut when the alarm fires: message yourself, log the time, anything.
Lives in the menu bar
No Dock icon and no windows in your way. One click turns it on, or lock your Mac and it turns on by itself.

One price, then it is yours

No subscription. One key activates Deskwatch on one Mac, and you keep every update to version 1. Not for you? Full refund within 14 days.

$4.99once, no subscription

Buy Deskwatch

For Apple silicon MacBooks on macOS 15 or later.

Questions

What if I pick it up myself?

You get a short countdown with a ping each second. Turn protection off with Touch ID and the siren never plays. You can also set it to fire immediately.

Will it go off when someone bumps the table?

No. It is tuned so that knocks, dropped objects and typing do not trigger it. Only the machine itself being lifted or pushed does.

Does it work with the lid closed?

Yes. Thieves usually close the lid before grabbing a laptop, so while protection is on, closing the lid or lifting your Mac sets off the alarm. Deskwatch asks for your OK once, during setup. When protection is off, closing the lid works as usual. Lid protection pauses by itself when the battery is below 20% or your Mac gets too warm.

Can it turn on by itself when I walk away?

Yes, if you want it to. In Settings, switch on “Turn on when I lock my Mac”. Then lock your screen with Control-Command-Q or from the Apple menu and walk away. Protection turns on right away, and unlocking your Mac turns it off again.

Can a thief just quit the app?

Not without your Touch ID or password. Quitting, disarming and settings are all locked while protection is on, and the screen locks the moment the alarm fires.

Which Macs does it support?

Apple silicon MacBooks, M1 and later, on macOS 15 or later. It uses the motion sensor already built into those machines, so there is nothing to plug in.

Does it drain the battery?

It keeps the Mac from sleeping while protection is on, which is the only real cost. Deskwatch itself uses almost nothing.

How do updates work?

Deskwatch checks for a new version once a day and asks before installing it. It never updates while protection is on.

What if I get a new Mac?

Your key moves with you. Turn the licence off in Settings on the old Mac, which frees the key, then paste it on the new one. If the old Mac is gone before you could do that, email us and we will help.

Wondering what else actually helps? How to stop someone stealing your MacBook in a cafe.

Ten seconds to set up. Then go get your coffee.

Buy Deskwatch $4.99

Version 1.3.1. For Apple silicon MacBooks on macOS 15 or later.