Driven by the real hinge
The effect reads the lid angle sensor many times a second, so it moves exactly as fast as your hand. Close it further and the effect deepens, open it and it unfolds.
Lid Fold · Part of Recento Pro
A MacBook lid close animation that follows the hinge
Close the lid and your screen folds, blurs and dims away with it. Open it and everything unfolds and clicks back into place. Free in Recento Pro.
macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon & Intel
Your MacBook knows exactly how far its lid is open. Recent models have a sensor in the hinge that reports the angle to the degree, yet closing the lid looks the same as it always has: the screen simply goes dark at the end. There is no MacBook lid close animation to make that moment feel finished.
Lid Fold gives the screen something to do. As the lid comes down past the angle you choose, the display folds, blurs and dims in step with the hinge, and opening the lid plays it in reverse, ending on a soft click. There are seven styles, a live preview, and nothing to pay. Lid Fold is one of the tools in Recento Utilities, part of Recento Pro.
What Lid Fold does
Seven styles
Fold keeps your desktop still while the lid closes over it, blurring and darkening towards the top. Bloom grows and fades from the hinge, Curl rolls the desktop down like a sheet, Panels slide behind one another, Bend bows the display inward, Aperture closes dark blades over the screen, and Frost blurs and dims whatever is on screen.
Back to normal when you hold the lid still
Rest the lid at any angle and, after 1 to 5 seconds (3 by default), the screen returns to normal so you can keep working at that angle. Close it further and the effect picks up again from there.
Set it the way you like
Choose the angle the effect starts below (30° to 80°, 60° by default), and how strong the blur and dim are. A click sound plays when the lid is fully open, and you can turn it off.
Preview before you close anything
A live preview on the Lid Fold page follows your lid as you tilt it, and the Test button plays a full close and open without moving the lid at all. You can try every style in seconds.
Out of your way
The effect never takes a click or keyboard focus, and it only draws on the built-in display. External displays are left alone. It is hidden from screen recordings and screen sharing, which show your real desktop.
Light on the battery
Nothing is drawn while the lid is still. The sensor is read less often on battery, in Low Power Mode or when the Mac is hot.
How it works
- 1Download Recento Pro and open Recento Utilities from the Hub, the app grid.
- 2Choose Lid Fold in the sidebar and switch it on. It is off until you turn it on.
- 3Pick a style and press Test to see it.
- 4For every style except Frost and Aperture, allow Screen Recording when asked, so Lid Fold can use a picture of your desktop.
- 5Close your MacBook lid slowly and watch the screen fold with it. Open it again for the reverse and the click.
Who it's for
- MacBook owners who like their Mac to feel alive: a small moment of polish every time you close the lid.
- People curious about their hardware: see the hinge sensor's live angle reading.
- Creators making Mac videos and demos: a striking effect to show on camera.
- Anyone who wants a free extra: every style is included, with nothing to unlock.
Free and paid
| Feature | Free version | Recento Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Every fold style | Included | Included |
Recento Pro costs $9.99 a month after a 2 day free trial (cancel any time) or $99 one time. Lid Fold is free either way.
Plans, trial and refund terms are on the Recento Pro pricing section.
Privacy and permissions
- Screen Recording (optional): Fold, Bloom, Curl, Panels and Bend move a picture of your desktop, so they need Screen Recording permission. The picture is taken as the lid starts to close, kept in memory and never saved. Without the permission those styles look like Frost.
- No permission needed: Frost and Aperture work with no permission at all.
- Lid angle: read from the hinge sensor on the Mac. It is not recorded or sent anywhere.
- Nothing leaves the Mac. Lid Fold makes no network connection.
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- A MacBook with a lid angle sensor: MacBook Air models with M2 or later, and most 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
- The M1 MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and desktop Macs do not have the sensor. On those Macs Lid Fold says so, and you can still preview the effect with Test.
- Screen Recording permission for five of the seven styles.
Questions
Does my MacBook have a lid angle sensor?
MacBook Air models with M2 or later and most 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have one. The M1 MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and desktop Macs do not. Lid Fold checks for the sensor itself and tells you if it cannot find one.
Can I use Lid Fold on a Mac without the sensor?
You can preview every style with the Test button, but the effect cannot follow the lid without a sensor to read. On those Macs the switch stays off.
Why does Lid Fold ask for Screen Recording?
Five styles move a picture of your desktop, and macOS only lets an app take that picture with Screen Recording allowed. The picture stays in memory and is never saved. Frost and Aperture need no permission.
Will the effect get in the way while I work?
No. It only starts below the angle you set, it never takes a click or keyboard focus, and if you hold the lid still the screen goes back to normal after a few seconds.
Nothing happens when I tilt the lid. Why?
Lid Fold only plays below its start angle. If your lid never opens past that angle, the page tells you and offers a lower start angle in one click. Also check that Lid Fold is switched on. It is off until you turn it on.
Does it work on an external display?
No, on purpose. The effect only draws on the built-in screen, because that is the one that is folding. External displays are left alone, and in clamshell mode nothing is drawn.
Does it drain the battery?
Nothing is drawn while the lid is still, and the sensor is read less often on battery, in Low Power Mode or when the Mac is hot.
Is Lid Fold free?
Yes. Every style and setting is included in the free version of Recento Pro.
Give your MacBook lid a proper finish
Download Recento Pro, switch on Lid Fold and close the lid.
