How do I open Radar Display and finish setup?
Radar Display puts display and sleep controls in the Mac's menu bar. On a MacBook, finish the background helper setup before opening the controls.
In this article
Which Macs can use Radar Display?
Radar Display requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
The available controls depend on the Mac, display, connection, and macOS. A connected monitor does not necessarily support every brightness, color, refresh-rate, or rotation control. The display-disconnection feature also needs a macOS interface that Radar Display can access.
Where are the controls and setup window?
- Open Radar Display.app.
- Find the display-shaped Radar Display icon in the menu bar.
- Click the icon to open or close the controls. If setup is incomplete on a MacBook, the Radar Display Setup window opens first.
- Right-click the icon for Welcome & Help…, Launch at Login, and Quit Radar Display.
Radar Display normally has no Dock icon. A Dock icon appears while its setup window is open, including while that window is minimized. Closing the setup window removes the temporary Dock icon without quitting Radar Display. Opening the app again brings the same setup window forward.
Welcome & Help… reopens the setup window. There is no separate preferences window containing the display controls.
How do I enable the background sleep helper?
The helper supports the MacBook's Stay awake and Screens off lid modes. On a MacBook, an approved, connected helper is also required to finish setup and access the main panel, even if you intend to leave Closed Lid Mode set to Automatic. A desktop Mac does not have this helper setup requirement.
- In Radar Display Setup, find Closed Lid Mode and Background sleep helper.
- Turn on its switch. The switch's accessibility label is Enable Sleep Helper.
- If macOS approval is needed, use Open System Settings. In System Settings, open General → Login Items & Extensions → Allow in the Background, then turn on Radar Display.
- Return to setup. Radar Display checks while this window is open; Check Again requests another check.
- Wait for macOS approval to show Approved and Helper connection to show Connected or Active.
- When setup is ready, click Open Controls.
Registration, macOS approval, and the helper connection are separate steps. Turning on the switch alone does not prove the helper is ready. If setup shows Needs attention, use Retry and follow helper troubleshooting.
What do the setup status messages mean?
| Status | Meaning and next step |
|---|---|
| Off | The helper is not registered. Turn on the background helper switch to set it up. |
| Needs approval | macOS has not allowed the registered helper. Open System Settings and enable Radar Display under Allow in the Background. |
| Approved with Not connected | Permission is present, but the app has not confirmed the helper connection. Wait for the check or use Check Again. |
| Enabling…, Checking…, or Connecting… | Setup is working. Let the operation finish before changing the switch again. |
| Ready | The approved helper is connected. Its connection row can show Active when a helper-based lid mode is preventing sleep. Open Controls should be available once the other setup conditions are satisfied. |
| Applying… or Stopping… | A sleep-prevention change is in progress. |
| Paused | Battery Cutoff has suspended sleep prevention. This is different from missing approval. |
| Unavailable or Needs attention | Read the detail beneath the status. Use the offered Retry or Open System Settings action. |
| Disabling… | Radar Display is restoring its lid policy and removing the helper. Wait for removal to finish. |
The Display controls status refers to access to the display-disconnection mechanism. Keep Awake reports whether that sleep control needs attention. These are separate from the helper approval and connection checks.
How do I start Radar Display when I log in?
Turn on Launch at Login in setup or select Launch at Login in the icon's right-click menu. This is optional and starts off unless you enable it.
If setup shows Approval needed, click Open Login Items. The menu-bar utility menu offers Allow Launch at Login… when approval is pending. Complete the approval in System Settings, then return to Radar Display.
Launch at Login starts the app for your user account. The background sleep helper has its own approval and switch. Enabling one does not enable the other. Turning Launch at Login off also cancels a pending login registration.
How do I move around the controls?
The panel has Displays and Behavior sections. Click a display's name or chevron to expand its settings. Expanding another display collapses the first. An off display has no expanded settings; its connection switch and custom-name menu remain available when supported.
Scroll if the controls are taller than the screen. The settings offered inside each display depend on that display's capabilities. Connection is a read-only row near the bottom.
Under Behavior, use Keep Awake. A MacBook also has Closed Lid Mode. Closing the panel does not end a session or undo a setting. Open it again to check current display presence and capabilities.
Click the icon again, click outside the panel, or press Escape to dismiss the main panel. Changes generally apply as you choose them; there is no panel-wide Save button. Opening a new panel starts with its display cards collapsed.
In setup, Return invokes Open Controls when it is enabled, and Escape invokes Close. The utility menu assigns Command-Q to Quit Radar Display. There is no user-configurable global shortcut for opening the panel.
What happens if I turn the helper off?
Open Welcome & Help… and turn off the Background sleep helper switch. Radar Display first restores displays darkened by its lid policy and stops the helper's sleep prevention, then requests removal.
If Closed Lid Mode was Stay awake or Screens off, it returns to Automatic. Other saved display choices and Launch at Login remain separate. The main app continues running.
On a MacBook, the main panel becomes unavailable until the helper is approved and connected again. If removal fails, leave the setup window open, read the error, and use Retry. See helper and login problems.