MuteGlow

Never talk while muted again

MuteGlow Screenshot

A glowing reminder that you're on mute

MuteGlow is a lightweight macOS menu bar utility that displays a soft, pulsing red border around your entire screen whenever your microphone is muted during video calls. It works across multiple displays and doesn't interfere with your work — the overlay is completely click-through.

Features:

  • Pulsing red border overlay when muted — visible on all connected screens
  • Works with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, Slack Huddles, Discord, and FaceTime
  • Runs silently in the menu bar with no dock icon
  • Click-through overlay that never blocks your work
  • Smart app detection with automatic mute state monitoring
  • Lightweight — under 2 MB
Download for MacBack to Home

Installation Instructions

MuteGlow is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate, so macOS will block it by default. Follow these steps to install and run it:

  1. Download MuteGlow.zip using the button above
  2. Unzip the file — you'll get MuteGlow.app
  3. Drag MuteGlow.app into your /Applications folder
  4. First launch (bypassing Gatekeeper):
    • Double-click MuteGlow.app — macOS will show an "Apple could not verify" dialog
    • Click "Done" to dismiss it
    • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click "Open Anyway" next to MuteGlow
    • Alternatively, you can right-click the app → Open → Open
    • You only need to do this once. After that, you can open it normally.
  5. Grant Accessibility permission:
    • The menu bar popover will show an "Accessibility Required" warning banner
    • Click the "Open Settings" button — it takes you directly to the right pane
    • Enable the toggle for MuteGlow
    • The warning disappears automatically once permission is granted
    • This is required for detecting mute state in apps like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet
  6. MuteGlow will appear as a microphone icon in your menu bar — you're all set!

Requirements

  • macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
  • Accessibility permission (prompted on first launch)
  • A supported video conferencing app: Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, Slack Huddles, Discord, or FaceTime