Install & setup
Up and running inunder a minute.
Every path ships the same signed, notarized app and puts the openlid CLI on your PATH. Use Homebrew, grab the DMG, or build it from source.
$brew install --cask openlid/tap/openlid
Three ways in
Pick the install path that fits your setup.
Every path ships the same signed, notarized app. Homebrew is the fastest; the DMG is the click-and-drag classic; source is for the people who like to read the code first.
Recommended
Install with Homebrew
One command installs the signed app and puts the openlid CLI on your PATH. Updates flow through brew like everything else.
- Pulls the signed & notarized cask — no Gatekeeper detour
- Adds the openlid binary for scripts, schedules, and CI
- Upgrades cleanly with brew upgrade
$brew install --cask openlid/tap/openlid
==> Downloading openlid.dmg (signed, notarized)
✓Installed OpenLid → /Applications/OpenLid.app
$openlid --version
openlid 2.3.2
Direct download
Signed disk image (.dmg)
Prefer not to use Homebrew? Grab the signed, notarized DMG straight from GitHub Releases, drag OpenLid to Applications, and launch.
- Apple-signed & notarized — opens without right-click workarounds
- Drag-to-Applications, then open from Launchpad or Spotlight
- Verify the checksum against the release notes if you like
$shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/OpenLid.dmg
9f2c…a41 OpenLid.dmg
// compare against the SHA-256 in the release notes
$spctl --assess --type open --context context:primary-signature \
$ /Applications/OpenLid.app
✓source=Notarized Developer ID — accepted
From source
Build it yourself
It's Apache-2.0 Rust. Clone the repo, build a release binary, and you have the exact app — auditable line by line.
- Requires the Rust toolchain (rustup) and Xcode command line tools
- cargo build --release produces the menu bar app + CLI
- Bundle locally or run the binary directly — your call
$git clone https://github.com/openlid/openlid.git
$cd openlid
$cargo build --release
Compiling openlid-core v2.3.2
Compiling openlid v2.3.2
✓Finished release [optimized] target(s)
$./target/release/openlid on
✓Active — preventing sleep now
One-time setup
Approve OpenLid in Login Items.
macOS 13 and later ask you to approve any app that runs in the background. It takes about ten seconds — here's the whole flow.
- 1
Launch OpenLid
Open it from Applications. The lid icon appears in your menu bar right away — it's signed and notarized, so there's no “unidentified developer” prompt to click through.
- 2
macOS shows “Background Items Added”
The first time OpenLid registers to stay running, macOS posts a notification that a background item was added. That's expected — it's how the app keeps working after you log back in.
- 3
Open Login Items & Extensions
Go to System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions. You'll find OpenLid listed under “Allow in the Background.”
- 4
Toggle OpenLid on
Flip the switch so OpenLid is allowed in the background and opens at login. Now it relaunches automatically after a reboot and is ready the moment you sit down.
No kernel extension, no admin password, nothing to install at the system level — OpenLid only asks for the standard background-item approval, and you can revoke it any time from the same screen.
Update or remove it anytime.
No account, no background updater, no leftovers. You stay in control of when OpenLid changes and how completely it goes away.
Stay current
Updating
However you installed it, getting the latest release is one command. OpenLid never updates silently — it only touches the network when you ask.
- Homebrew: brew upgrade --cask openlid/tap/openlid
- Built-in: openlid update checks GitHub releases
- From source: git pull && cargo build --release
$brew upgrade --cask openlid/tap/openlid
✓Upgraded OpenLid 2.3.1 → 2.3.2
$openlid update
Checking github.com/openlid/openlid…
✓You're on the latest release (2.3.2)
Clean removal
Uninstalling
OpenLid leaves a tiny footprint — one app and one small state folder. Remove both and it's gone without a trace.
- Homebrew: brew uninstall --cask openlid/tap/openlid
- Manual: delete OpenLid.app from /Applications
- Clear state in ~/Library/Application Support/OpenLid
$brew uninstall --cask openlid/tap/openlid
✓Uninstalled OpenLid
// or, if you installed manually:
$rm -rf /Applications/OpenLid.app
$rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/OpenLid"
✓Removed — toggle it off in Login Items too