Skip to content

Rook Widgets

Your desktop, as a terminal

Rook Widgets gives you a terminal-style Mac desktop with live information and interactive controls, suited to checking system activity, timing focus sessions, and handling small tasks from your wallpaper.

by Richard Rogerse

Buy on Setapp Sold separately, not in the membership Developer website ↗

What you get

Keep your stats, timers, and music controls right on your desktop.

You get a desktop you can check and use, rather than just a wallpaper. Rook brings 53 widgets together in one coordinated panel, so you can see system activity, weather, stocks, clocks, and moon phases in the same place. CPU, memory, GPU, network, and storage readings refresh as often as every 30 seconds.

You can start a focus countdown, check off reminders, record habits, or pause and skip Apple Music tracks directly from your desktop. Your timer stays visible while it runs, and the widgets keep working after you close Rook’s window.

You can give the whole panel a consistent look with one of 11 themes, from glowing retro terminals to classic Mac finishes or a style that follows macOS light and dark mode. You don’t need an account, and your data stays on your Mac without cloud syncing.

  • Check your Mac at a glance

    You can watch CPU, memory, GPU, network, and storage activity without opening a separate monitoring window.

  • Keep your countdown visible

    You can start a focus session from your desktop and follow its countdown on your wallpaper.

  • Handle small tasks directly

    You can check off reminders, mark habits, and pause or skip Apple Music tracks from your widgets.

  • Match your desktop’s look

    You can restyle every widget at once with terminal, classic Mac, print-inspired, or native macOS themes.

Best for

  • You want system readings visible on your wallpaper
  • You prefer desktop timers and music controls
  • You enjoy a coordinated retro-terminal desktop

Skip it if

You don’t need it if you prefer an uncluttered wallpaper and already check your stats, timers, and music elsewhere.

Screenshots

From the developer

Rook — Retro terminal desktop widget app for Mac. Put 53 live widgets right on your wallpaper: clocks, weather, focus timers, habit trackers, Apple Music controls, system stats, stocks, and more.
Read the full description

Alternatives to Rook Widgets

Other apps to add widgets to your desktop. See all