NotchNook, Boring Notch and Alcove on Windows: what works

Checked on 4 October 2026. Written by the maker of NotchPixel, so read the NotchPixel parts with that in mind.

You used a notch app on a Mac, or saw one in a video, and now you want the same thing on a Windows PC. None of the three best-known Mac apps runs on Windows. Here is what does the same jobs on Windows 11 and 10, free options first.

The short answer

None of the three runs on Windows. NotchNook, Boring Notch and Alcove are Mac apps. None of their sites or download pages lists a Windows version.
A GitHub project called NotchNook-Windows is not official. It is a small project by the GitHub user PulkitxAG, not by NotchNook's makers. On 4 October 2026 it had 1 star, and its last release was on 9 June 2026.
The jobs they do, you can mostly do for free on Windows: the island mod for Windhawk, Smart Notch and Halo DynamicWin cover most of them, and Windows has a camera app and a calendar built in.
NotchPixel ($9.99 once) does the five main jobs in one pill: a file shelf, now playing, a camera mirror, a calendar, and volume and brightness pop-ups. It has no AirDrop and no Mac version yet.

The three Mac apps, in one line each

These are what people search for. Each one is Mac-only.

NotchNook

By lo.cafe. Paid. macOS only.

What it does: Macworld's 2024 review describes a "Nook" with media controls, Shortcuts and a camera mirror, with a calendar as an option, and a "Tray" that holds files and can send them by AirDrop.
Windows: No version, official or announced.
Today: When I checked on 4 October 2026, NotchNook's product page on lo.cafe returned "page not found", and the site's front page was a statement about a dispute over the company rather than a product page. Check lo.cafe yourself before you buy it for a Mac.

Boring Notch

By TheBoredTeam. Free and open source (GPL-3.0), source on GitHub.

What it does: Now playing with a visualizer, calendar and reminders, a camera mirror, a battery indicator, a file shelf with AirDrop, and its own volume, brightness and keyboard backlight pop-ups.
Windows: No. It is written in Swift for macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and its site offers a Mac download only.

Alcove

From tryalcove.com. $14.99 once, with a 72-hour trial. Version 1.7.

What it does: Its site lists notifications, live activities, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs (the pop-ups for volume and similar controls), and lock screen widgets, with now playing shown in its demo.
Windows: No. Its site offers "Download for Mac" only.

Each Mac job, and what does it on Windows

Free options come first in each row. Prices are US prices, checked on 4 October 2026. The NotchPixel column is last and says what it does not do.

"Mac" lists which of the three Mac apps does the job, from their own pages and Macworld's review of NotchNook. Every Windows app links to its entry in the full comparison or to its own page.
Job	Mac	Free on Windows	Paid on Windows	NotchPixel ($9.99)
File shelf	NotchNook, Boring Notch (both with AirDrop)	File tray in the Windhawk island mod and in Halo DynamicWin. To get files to a phone: LocalSend	Notchify ($1.99), file tray and clipboard history	Shelf that sends files to your phone and back on the same Wi-Fi with a QR code. No AirDrop: it cannot send to a Mac or iPhone that way.
Now playing	All three	Windows 11 Quick Settings (`Win`+`A`), FluentFlyout, Smart Notch, Dynamic Edge, the Windhawk island mod	Notchify, with synced lyrics	Yes, with controls. No lyrics.
Camera mirror	NotchNook, Boring Notch	The Camera app that comes with Windows	None of the other Windows notch apps I checked lists one	Yes, on a call or when you ask for a preview. Shown and thrown away, never recorded.
Calendar	NotchNook, Boring Notch	The calendar under the taskbar clock; a month view in the Windhawk island mod	Notchify, next event	Upcoming events from a calendar's .ics link (Google, Outlook and iCloud publish one). No sign-in to your account.
Volume and brightness pop-ups	Boring Notch, Alcove	Smart Notch (volume and brightness), Dynamic Edge (volume), FluentFlyout (media pop-up)	None covered here	Volume and brightness. No keyboard backlight.
Notifications	Alcove	Halo DynamicWin, mirrored notifications	Notchify, notifications panel	Mirrored notifications; click one to open the app.
Lock screen widgets	Alcove	Windows' own lock screen status, in Settings > Personalization > Lock screen	None covered here	No.

Why there is no notch to hide behind on a PC

On recent MacBooks the camera sits in a cut-out at the top of the screen, and Mac notch apps turn that dead space into something useful. Most Windows laptops and desktop monitors have no cut-out. So a Windows notch app draws its own black pill at the top centre of the screen, and it covers whatever is under it unless it hides.

That changes two things. First, a pill on Windows has to get out of the way in fullscreen games and videos; check that any app you try does this. Second, it works the same on a laptop or a desktop monitor, because it never needed a cut-out. On the iPhone, Apple calls its version of this idea the Dynamic Island; none of the apps on this page is made or approved by Apple.

If you used a Mac notch app for one job

For its file shelf

For holding files while you work, the free island mod for Windhawk has a file tray module: drag files onto the island, and click one to open it. Halo DynamicWin has a file tray too. AirDrop is Apple's and only works between Apple devices, so on Windows you need something else to reach a phone. LocalSend is free and open source, and runs on Windows 10 and later, Android, iOS and macOS. More free ways are in how to send files from a PC to your phone.

For now playing

Windows 11 already shows what is playing, with controls, in Quick Settings (Win+A). If you want it on screen instead, FluentFlyout is free and open source in the Microsoft Store, and shows its own media pop-up when you press the volume or media keys; it needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later. For a pill at the top, Smart Notch (free, with synced lyrics) and Dynamic Edge (free, with a seek bar) both work.

For the volume and brightness pop-ups

Smart Notch is free and shows its own volume and brightness pop-ups when you press your keyboard keys, Bluetooth headphones included. Dynamic Edge has a volume pop-up you can scroll.

For the mirror and the calendar

The Camera app that comes with Windows is a free mirror. For a calendar, click the date on the taskbar, or use the month view in the free Windhawk island mod. NotchPixel, below, has both inside the pill.

NotchPixel

This one is mine, so it comes last.

NotchPixel

Windows 11 and Windows 10 (version 2004 or later). x64 only.

Price: $9.99 once in the US; other countries see their own local price. No subscription, no account.
Installs from: The Microsoft Store only, which installs and updates it.
Mac jobs it covers: A file shelf that sends files to your phone and back on the same Wi-Fi, with a QR code and nothing to install on the phone. Now playing. A camera mirror on calls. A calendar from an .ics link. Volume and brightness pop-ups. Mirrored notifications.
What it does not do: No AirDrop, no lock screen widgets, no keyboard backlight pop-up, no song lyrics, and no sign-in to a calendar account. No ARM64 build. No Mac version: one is in development, with no date yet.
Beyond the Mac apps: A slim FPS, CPU, GPU and RAM strip in fullscreen games, Ctrl+Alt+M to mute the microphone in every app with a call timer, and a Twitch or YouTube chat drawer.

Light on resources

People ask about memory and battery with any app that is always on screen. I can only speak for my own: NotchPixel uses about 13 MB in Task Manager and 0% CPU at idle (version 0.5.64, measured on 3 October 2026). The footprint page shows how it was measured and has a script to check it on your own PC. I have not measured NotchNook, Boring Notch, Alcove or any of the Windows apps above, so this page gives no figures for them.

Get NotchPixel

$9.99 once. No subscription, no account.

US price; the Store shows the price for your country. Try the free options above first.

Questions

Is there a NotchNook for Windows?

No. NotchNook is a Mac app, and there is no official Windows version. A GitHub project called NotchNook-Windows, by the user PulkitxAG, is not from NotchNook's makers. On Windows, apps such as the island mod for Windhawk, Smart Notch, Notchify and NotchPixel do similar jobs. Checked on 4 October 2026.

Is Boring Notch available for Windows?

No. Boring Notch is free and open source, but it is written for macOS and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Its GitHub page and its site offer only a Mac download. Checked on 4 October 2026.

Is there a free NotchNook alternative for Windows?

Yes, several. The island mod for Windhawk is free and has now playing, a calendar and a file tray. Smart Notch and Halo DynamicWin are free in the Microsoft Store. FluentFlyout is a free media pop-up. LocalSend is a free way to send files to a phone. None of them is NotchNook, and none is made by its developers.

Is the NotchNook-Windows project on GitHub official?

No. It is a small project by the GitHub user PulkitxAG, not by NotchNook's makers. On 4 October 2026 it had 1 star, and its last release, v1.3.0, was on 9 June 2026.

Will NotchPixel come to Mac?

A Mac version is in development; no date yet. Today NotchPixel runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 only.

Every Windows notch app, compared

This page only covers the jobs Mac users ask about. For every Windows notch app I found, with price, Windows 10 support and where each one installs from, read notch apps for Windows 11 and 10, compared. More guides are on the guides page.

Where the facts come from

NotchNook: Macworld's review by Roman Loyola (July 2024) for its features; lo.cafe, read on 4 October 2026, for its current state.
Boring Notch: its GitHub repository and readme, and theboring.name, read on 4 October 2026.
Alcove: tryalcove.com and its FAQ page, read on 4 October 2026.
NotchNook-Windows: its GitHub repository and release list, read on 4 October 2026.
Smart Notch, Dynamic Edge, Halo DynamicWin, Notchify and FluentFlyout: their Microsoft Store listings for the US market, read on 4 October 2026. FluentFlyout and LocalSend: also their GitHub repositories.
The island mod for Windhawk: its page in the Windhawk catalog, read on 4 October 2026.
NotchPixel's memory and CPU: measured on an Intel Core i5-11400H laptop with Windows 10 22H2, method on the footprint page.

Written by the maker of NotchPixel, 4 October 2026.

NotchPixel is not affiliated with lo.cafe, TheBoredTeam, the makers of Alcove or any other app on this page. This guide is independent and has not been authorized, sponsored or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. If something here is wrong or out of date, email info@notchpixel.com and I will correct it.