# How to Get a Reminder to Take a Break on Mac

Updated: November 3, 2026

Pandan: Price: Free. Platforms: macOS. Get it from: [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1569600264). Requires macOS 26 or later. Free older versions for macOS 15, 14, 13, 12, and 11: [download](https://sindresorhus.com/pandan#older-versions).

URL: https://sindresorhus.com/guides/break-reminder-mac

Open the free [Pandan](https://sindresorhus.com/pandan) app. It shows in the menu bar how long you have used your Mac without a break, and it can remind you at the interval you choose. macOS has no break reminder, but you can set a timer in the Clock app.

## With Pandan

1. Open [Pandan](https://sindresorhus.com/pandan). The time that you have used the Mac shows in the menu bar.
1. Open its settings, and choose an interval in “Show a gentle reminder”, like every 25 minutes.
1. In “Type”, choose how the reminder shows: a popover, a notification, or a HUD in the middle of all screens.

Pandan knows that you are away when you do not use the keyboard or the mouse, and it starts a new session when you come back, so a break resets the time. Set how long you must be away in “End session when idle for”. On a video call, where you only listen and talk, make it longer, so the call does not end the session.

The reminder can also play a sound, or run a shortcut from the Shortcuts app, like one that plays your own sound. The “History” window shows your sessions of the last 120 days.

## Without an app

macOS has no reminder to take a break. Screen Time shows how long you used the Mac each day, but it does not remind you to take breaks. To get a reminder:

1. Open the Clock app, and choose “View › Timers”.
1. Set the time until your next break, like 25 minutes, and click “Start”.

A notification appears when the timer ends. [Apple’s instructions.](https://support.apple.com/guide/clock-mac/apdw3d5aebf9/mac) But the timer does not know if you were away from the Mac, so you must start it again after each break.