Mac notch apps, on Windows.
NotchNook, Alcove and Boring Notch made the notch on a MacBook useful: a small black shape at the top of the screen that shows what's playing and opens into more. All three are for the Mac. AWNA does the same job on Windows 10 and 11, with a notch it draws itself.
The three Mac apps
NotchNook
From lo.cafe: music controls with album art, your calendar, a tray for files with AirDrop, a camera mirror and shortcuts. It was $25 once or $3 a month. As of October 2026 it isn't on sale.
Alcove
A "Dynamic Island for Mac": notifications and live activities, what's playing, your calendar, battery and AirPods, weather, and customisable HUDs. $13.99 once, for macOS 15 or later. A tray for files is on its way, in version 1.8.
Boring Notch
Free and open source: music controls with a visualiser, your calendar and reminders, a file shelf with AirDrop, its own volume, brightness and keyboard-light displays, a camera mirror and a charging indicator. For macOS 14 or later.
None of them has a Windows version, or one on the way.
What AWNA has of each
| On the Mac apps | In AWNA |
|---|---|
| What's playing, with artwork and controls | The Music tab: artwork, a seek bar, previous, play and next, the volume and which speakers it plays on. Resting, the notch shows the track, with a visualiser if you like. |
| Your calendar | Today: what's on, with a Join button for calls. Resting, the notch counts down to a meeting in the next hour. |
| Reminders | Tasks: type one and press Enter, tick it off, drag them into order. |
| A tray for files | The Shelf: drop files on the notch and drag them out into any app later. Windows has no AirDrop, so instead, with a key, you send files to and from your phone with a QR code, over your own Wi-Fi. |
| Volume and brightness | The notch widens for a moment to show a volume, brightness or battery change, then tucks back up. |
| A camera mirror | Mirror, in the Capture tab, to check your camera before a call. With a key. |
| Battery | The Controls tab, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness, keep awake and more. With a key. |
| Notifications and live activities | AWNA doesn't show other apps' notifications. What it keeps live in the notch is its own: a running timer, your next meeting, a recording, a finished download, and Claude Code or Codex at work. |
| Weather | No weather. |
And what's only in AWNA
AWNA has ten tabs, so it does more than the Mac apps set out to. Notes and a doodle pad. Timers, alarms and a focus timer. The last 50 things you copied, with a search. Screenshots of an area, a window or a whole scrolling page, screen recordings, and text from anything on screen. Your apps and websites, one click away. Typing by voice anywhere, by holding Ctrl Win. And whether Claude Code or Codex is working, waiting for you or done. These come with a key, below.
No notch needed
AWNA draws its own notch, so any Windows PC can have one: a laptop, a desktop, any screen. Put it on your main screen, another one, or every screen. It slims to a thin line when a full-size window reaches the top, so your browser's tabs stay in sight, and it keeps out of the way of fullscreen games, videos and presentations.
Other notches for Windows
AWNA isn't the only one: there are a couple of dozen now. Here are the main ones, side by side.
What it costs
AWNA is free to download, and Today, Tasks, Music and the Shelf are free for good. £8 once unlocks every tab, on up to three PCs, with a full refund within 14 days if it isn't for you. No subscription, and no account.
A notch for your Windows PC. Windows 10 and 11, no admin rights, nothing uploaded.
Checked 27 October 2026, from each app's own site.