Fidget Desktops: Snowfall
Snowfall Support
A little winter, with room to play.
For the full guide to settings, snowballs, snowmen and the robin, visit Snowfall Help.
Getting started
- Open Snowfall. The app lives in the menu bar. Click its robin menu-bar icon and choose Settings…. While Settings is open, Snowfall also appears in the Dock and Command-Tab.
- Make it your own. Adjust the snow amount, size, speed and opacity, then wind, flurries, clear spells and thawing. Choose a flake style, mixed flakes or your own image. Set how often the robin visits and choose Efficient, Balanced or Smooth animation.
- Choose where it falls. Use Snow falls to put flakes in front of windows, behind the active window or on the desktop only. Snowdrift controls settling around or on top of the Dock.
- Take a break. Use Pause Snow in the menu bar to hide and pause the scene, then Resume Snow to bring it back.
Playing with the snow
Move your mouse through settled snow to brush it away. Circle in window snow to roll a ball on the ledge, or keep swirling for about half a second to start gathering falling snow.
Click a resting snowball to grip it. Move left or right to roll it, flick sideways to release it into a roll, or move upwards to lift and carry it. Click again to let go. Stack a smaller ball on a larger one to make a snowman and receive decorations. Click individual accessories to pick them up and place them.
Use Robin visits in Settings to choose Off, Occasionally, Regularly or Often. Regularly is the default. His behaviour varies, so some interactions will not happen on every visit.
Screen-recording permission
Snowfall uses screen-recording permission to locate desktop icons and the top of the Dock, and to let the robin spot red objects on your screen. Screen images are processed locally on your Mac and are not saved or shared. You can use Snowfall without granting this permission, with these optional effects unavailable.
To manage access, open macOS System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, or Screen & System Audio Recording, depending on your macOS version. Enable or disable Snowfall there. If macOS asks you to quit and reopen the app, do so.
Snowfall does not capture microphone or system audio for these effects. The name of the macOS permission panel may mention audio because it groups several kinds of access.
Common questions
I cannot see any snow. What should I check?
Check that Snowfall is running and Resume Snow is not showing in its menu. Increase Amount and Opacity in Settings. If Snow falls is set to On the Desktop Only, windows can cover the effect. Snowfall currently runs on your main display only.
Why does the snowfall sometimes stop?
Clear spells creates occasional breaks from falling snow. The scene remains active and snowfall returns on its own. Choose Never under Weather → Clear spells for continuous snowfall.
Can I reduce CPU or battery use?
Choose Efficient under Animation → Animation smoothness, or reduce Amount. Balanced is the default. Smooth uses more CPU and battery for smoother motion.
Why is there no snow on desktop items or on top of the Dock?
Check the screen-recording permission above. Snowdrift must be enabled for snow on desktop items, and On Top of the Dock must be selected for snow to settle on its top edge.
How do I clear the scene and start again?
Choose Reset… from the menu bar or Settings, then confirm Reset. This restores the default settings and clears snow, snowballs, snowmen, accessories and the saved custom flake image. It cannot be undone; choose Cancel to keep your scene. Use Pause Snow instead if you just want to hide the scene temporarily.
Can I use my own image for the flakes?
Choose Custom… in the Flake menu. A square PNG with transparency works well. Snowfall keeps a local copy of the selected image for future launches.
Why does the robin not always follow my mouse?
Chasing and perching are occasional behaviours. He may also move away from your pointer. Typing suppresses cursor interaction until you move or click the mouse again.
Which Macs and displays are supported?
Snowfall requires macOS 26 or later and an Apple silicon Mac. Currently only supports a single display, the main display. Intel Macs and simultaneous snow on multiple displays are outside the first release.
Need a hand?
Email support@gavz.app with your Snowfall and macOS versions, your Mac model, what you expected and what happened. For display issues, include your display arrangement, scaling, Dock position and whether screen-recording permission is enabled.
If a screenshot or video would help, check it for private information before sending it. Please do not send passwords or sensitive desktop content.