# One Thing

Put a single task or goal in your menu bar. Price: Free. Platforms: macOS. Get it from: [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1604176982). Requires macOS 26.6 or later. Free older versions for macOS 15, 14, 13, and 12: [download](https://sindresorhus.com/one-thing#older-versions). Version 2.0.5, released November 5, 2026. Install it from the terminal with [mas](https://github.com/mas-cli/mas): `mas get 1604176982`, or with this line in a Brewfile: `mas "One Thing", id: 1604176982`. Bundle identifier of the App Store version: `com.sindresorhus.One-Thing`.

URL: https://sindresorhus.com/one-thing

Write the one task or goal that matters most today, and see it in your menu bar all day. A quiet reminder to focus on one thing at a time.

Some examples of what you could write:

- Eat more healthily
- Exercise
- Reply to Sara’s email
- Be happy
- Stop procrastinating
- Finish the 🦄 project
- Important meeting today

However, what you use this space for is really up to you.

> You can achieve almost anything in life — as long as you focus on achieving one thing at a time. It’s a time-tested strategy that’s been shared by many successful people.

— [https://dariusforoux.com/one-thing/](https://dariusforoux.com/one-thing/)

> [!TIP]
> You may also like my [Any Text](https://sindresorhus.com/any-text.md) and [One Task](https://sindresorhus.com/one-task.md) apps.

### Mentions

- [10 Mac Apps That Will Change How You Use macOS in 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtuUwACZdsQ&t=108s)

## Tips

- Press Return/Esc or click the menu bar item to close the edit window.
- Click the menu bar item while pressing Shift to clear the text.
- Right-click the menu bar item to be able to quit the app quickly.
- In the “Shortcuts” settings, set keyboard shortcuts to toggle the edit window, clear the text, or set the text from the clipboard.
- Enable “Track history” in the settings to keep a dated log of your previous entries (the most recent 1000). Click “History” to see it, and export it.
- If the menu bar item text is truncated, hover over it to see the full text in a tooltip.
- You can use [Markdown](https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/#emphasis) to [style the text](https://sindresorhus.com/one-thing/markdown.png) (supports bold, italic, and strikethrough) and add links.
- You can [drag & drop text](https://x.com/sindresorhus/status/1481862243755376642) onto the menu bar item to set it. For example, you could drag a todo item from the Reminders app or Things.
- Select some text in any app, right-click, select “Services”, and click “Send to One Thing” to set One Thing to the selected text. You can also use the “Share” menu item if the app supports that.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### I have a feature request, bug report, or some feedback

Click the feedback button in the app or [send it here.](https://sindresorhus.com/feedback?product=One%20Thing&referrer=Website-FAQ)

### The app does not show up in the menu bar

[How to make the app show up in the menu bar](https://sindresorhus.com/apps/faq#app-not-showing-in-menu-bar)

### The menu bar item looks blurry or is not dimmed on my secondary display

[See this answer](https://sindresorhus.com/apps/faq#menu-bar-secondary-display)

### The menu bar item has disappeared!

macOS hides menu bar items that do not fit. [Reset the text](one-thing:?text=). Then set “Settings › Appearance › Maximum width”, so the menu bar item always fits.

[More tips](https://sindresorhus.com/apps/faq#app-not-showing-in-menu-bar)

### I made the text too long and now the menu bar item is hidden

[Reset the text](one-thing:?text=). Then set “Settings › Appearance › Maximum width”, so the menu bar item always fits, also with long text.

### How is this different from your One Task app?

See [this answer](https://sindresorhus.com/one-task#one-thing-difference).

### Can I execute an action when I click the text?

You can add a [link using Markdown](https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/#links).

### What if I have two things?

The point is to focus on one thing at a time. [Humans work best this way.](https://dariusforoux.com/one-thing/) However, nothing is stopping you from writing two things, for example, with a `·` character in-between.

### Can I have two instances of One Thing running at the same time?

I have made a special version of One Thing with a different identifier. You can run this together with the App Store version. It also has separate Shortcuts actions and URL scheme: `one-thing2:`. This version will not receive updates.

[Download One Thing 2](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pn3k0r6edea21my7beqz3/One-Thing-2-1.11.0-1684349283-1701610241.zip?rlkey=qgv6rmx9bitjki4xbh05tn2ty&raw=1)

### How can I show the next task in the “Today” list in Things in One Thing?

You can use the Shortcuts app for this. Here is an [example shortcut](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/7f8a4cc8764348518c5b7774d60191cc) (shortcut “One Thing and Things integration”) that sets the next todo in “Today” as the text in One Thing.

To have the shown todo stay in sync with [Things](https://culturedcode.com/things/), use the [Shortery](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1594183810) app to run the shortcut when Things becomes inactive. Alternatively, place the shortcut in the menu bar and run it manually, or use [Short Run](https://sindresorhus.com/short-run.md).

### How can I show the upcoming reminder from the Reminders app in One Thing?

You can use the Shortcuts app for this. Here is an [example shortcut](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/4bed5f56a0f94e9a9e9ba05c97c6e64b) (shortcut “Show upcoming reminder in One Thing”).

To have the shown todo stay in sync with Reminders, use the [Shortery](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1594183810) app to run the shortcut when Reminders becomes inactive. Alternatively, place the shortcut in the menu bar and run it manually, or use [Short Run](https://sindresorhus.com/short-run.md).

### How can I show a todo from my favorite todo app in One Thing?

Do something similar to the above answer.

### How can I show a random quote in the menu bar?

You can use the Shortcuts app for this. Here is an [example shortcut](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/35d88a7b56154893bd2e28e3988410f1) (shortcut “One Thing - Random Quote”).

Use a Shortcuts automation to run the shortcut at certain times to change the quote.

### How can I put spacing on the sides of the text?

You can add some horizontal padding around the text by adding multiple spaces to the “Prefix” and “Suffix” settings.

### How can I show different text for each day of the week?

You can use the macOS Shortcuts app for this. Make a shortcut for each piece of text you want to be shown by using the “Set Text” action provided by One Thing. Then use Shortcuts automations to run these shortcuts on the specific days.

### Can you add iOS / watchOS support?

I plan to do it if the app takes off. So tell your friends.

### Why is this free without ads?

I just enjoy making apps. Consider leaving a nice review on the App Store.

### How can I export, import, sync, transfer, or back up the settings?

[See this answer](https://sindresorhus.com/apps/faq#export-settings)

### Is the app native?

Yes, it’s native and written in Swift and SwiftUI.

### Can you localize the app into my language?

I don’t plan to localize the app.

## Scripting

The app can be automated using the Shortcuts app or with a custom URL scheme.

More integrations:

- [Command-line tool](https://github.com/sindresorhus/one-thing)
- [Node.js API](https://github.com/sindresorhus/one-thing)
- [Raycast commands](https://github.com/raycast/script-commands/tree/master/commands#one-thing)
	- Note: Raycast commands are not the same as plugins. [How to install commands.](https://github.com/raycast/script-commands#install-script-commands-from-this-repository)

### Shortcuts app

The “Set Text” and “Get Text” actions set and get the text, the prefix text, or the suffix text. The “Set Text Color” and “Get Text Color” actions set and get the color of the text as a hex color, like `#ff69b4`. For example, a shortcut can make the text red when a deadline is close.

- [Example shortcut](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/381619f1c8404770ad020d439a48fd9c) (shortcut “One Thing example”)
- [Shortcuts usage guide](https://www.xda-developers.com/guide-shortcuts-macos/)
- [How to run shortcuts from the command-line](https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts-mac/run-shortcuts-from-the-command-line-apd455c82f02/mac)

**Examples**

- [Reminders app: Show latest due reminder](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/5d3e63030877471697dd0023fefc4819) (shortcut “One Things and Reminders integration”)
- [Things app: Show the first todo in the “Today” list](https://sindresorhus.com/one-thing#things)

### Custom URL scheme

The menu bar item text can be set from any tool that can open an URL. This includes a website, Bash, Node.js, Python, Swift, etc.

For example, in your terminal:

```sh
open --background 'one-thing:?text=Exercise'
```

*Don’t forget to [URL encode](https://www.urlencoder.org) the value for the `text=` search parameter. For example, using [this Bash function](https://gist.github.com/cdown/1163649).*

There is no way to get the text using the URL scheme, but if you are in the terminal, you can run this command:

```sh
defaults read com.sindresorhus.One-Thing text
```

## Older Versions

- [1.13.2](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s092qpp3p5s77gnjsyty3/One-Thing-1.13.2-macOS-15-1770923231.zip?rlkey=big014nrx8xrw4mwfnxwxbmxy&raw=1) for macOS 15+
- [1.12.2](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/19145029/One.Thing.1.12.2.-.macOS.14.zip) for macOS 14+
- [1.11.3](https://github.com/sindresorhus/meta/files/14759175/One.Thing.1.11.3.-.macOS.13.zip) for macOS 13+
- [1.9.0](https://github.com/sindresorhus/meta/files/11081660/One.Thing.1.9.0.-.macOS.12.zip) for macOS 12+

## Non-App Store Version

A special version for users that cannot access the App Store. It won’t receive automatic updates. I will update it here once a year.

[Download 2.0.2](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4d3zqtuj4j2erm6ck80ei/One-Thing-2.0.2-1778696587.zip?rlkey=s2h6g802mi674wkg7s5olfb9l&raw=1)

*Requires macOS 26 or later*

## Guides

- [How to Add Text to the Menu Bar on Mac](https://sindresorhus.com/guides/add-text-to-menu-bar-mac.md): Show your own text in the Mac menu bar, like the main task of the day, with the free One Thing app.