Powder
Size 0.6–4 mm
About 0.63m/s
Snowly in detail
Why it looks real
See how the snow you saw on the desktop moves, shown with the data and rules behind its design. You can try the scenes below yourself.
Coming soon to the Mac App Store
Shake it yourself on the desktop ›
Realism
Snowflakes based on real measurements
Each snow type falls with a size distribution and fall speed matched to measured data. The three panels show them falling side by side with no wind.
Graupel
Size 1–3.5 mm
About 2.05m/s
Big Flakes
Size 3–18 mm
About 1.08m/s
Each flake’s fall speed varies by ±8%, so even flakes of the same type fall a little differently.
Piling
Dry snow slides off,
wet snow holds on
One setting, Wetness, changes the holding slope, edge height, eave length, and shake-off threshold together. When you let go of the slider, the pile is rebuilt and collapses according to the new wetness.
Dry · 35%
Holding slope
46°
Height held at the edge
2.0pt
Maximum eave length
8pt
Shake-off threshold
1.22g
Snow above the held height spills over the edge and falls as clumps or powder.
Shake-off
Shake it, and the snow responds to the acceleration
Shake a window gently and the snow slides; shake it hard and the snow flies off.
Grab a window and shake it
Depth
Behind, between, and in front of windows
Most snow passes behind windows, and some passes between and in front of them. It adds depth without covering what you’re working on.
- In front10%Flakes passing close by. They’re out of focus, so they look blurry.
- Between30%They pass between windows and settle on the top edge of the window at their depth.
- Behind60%All the rest pass behind the windows.
10%
When off, no flake covers a window; all of them appear to pass behind windows.
When off, the front layer is empty. When on, you choose its share from 0 to 30%.
When off, the space in front of the window you’re using stays clear.
Now: Default settings.
Sound
Wind, not a recording
The wind sound isn’t a looped recording; it’s generated as it plays. When the gusts on screen get stronger, the sound gets louder and higher.
Preset
30%
- Wind A whistle joins in only in strong wind.
- Falling snow When you shake a window and snow falls, you hear it from the side where it fell (left or right).
- Mixing You can mix in the sounds of a forest, a fireplace, and a quiet city at night.
Wind now
→ 2.5 m/s
Out of the way
Rules for staying out of your way
Not covering your work comes first. In these cases, Snowly gets out of the way on its own.
| Situation | What Snowly does |
|---|---|
| Full-Screen Apps | Pauses on that screen. |
| Sleep and screen lock | Stops and draws nothing. |
| Screenshot tools | Hides for a moment. |
| Authentication windows | Hides for a moment. |
| On battery | Drops to Saver quality. You can turn this off in Settings. |
| Low Power Mode or a hot Mac | Drops to Saver quality, and pauses if the Mac gets too hot. |
| When you’re away | Drops to Saver quality. |
| App Rules | Pauses when a chosen app is in front, and doesn’t pile snow on a chosen app’s windows. |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Press ⌃⌥⌘S to turn it on or off right away. |
| Pause for 1 Hour | Stops snow and sound for an hour. |
Lightweight
Lightweight, by the numbers
It should be an app you can leave on and forget about. So by default it draws at 30 fps, and it draws nothing while paused.
30 fps
Default quality
You can also choose Saver at 24 fps or Smooth at 60 fps.
1
Overlay per display
It draws on a single transparent layer and works out window overlap itself.
We only use performance numbers measured on the same Mac.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn it off?
Option-click the snowflake icon in the menu bar or press ⌃⌥⌘S to turn off snow and sound. To quit the app, choose Quit Snowly (⌘Q) from the icon’s menu.
Does it snow in full screen too?
No. Snow pauses on a screen showing a full-screen app.
What if I have more than one display?
Snow falls on each display separately, and you can turn it off for each one.
Does it need permissions or an internet connection?
No. It asks for no permissions, needs no internet connection, and collects no data.
What information does it read?
To find where snow can settle, it reads only the position and size of other apps’ windows and which app owns them.
Real-looking snow on your desktop
A small app you turn on and off from the menu bar.
Coming soon to the Mac App Store
Shake it yourself on the desktop ›