What is MotD?
MotD shows a random quote in a popup above all windows when your Mac starts (and at other times you configure)
MotD runs as a lightweight menu bar app. This means it always remains available from the small icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen — even when there is no Dock icon.
From the Menu Bar You Can:
- Show a random quote immediately.
- Open the Quote Editor.
- Open Settings.
- Enable or disable categories.
- Toggle whether explicit quotes may be shown.
- Quit MotD.
Showing a Quote from the Menu
Choose “Show MotD” to display a popup immediately.
Status and Behaviour
MotD continues running in the menu bar until you quit it.
If you have enabled “Start at login”, it will automatically appear there the next time your Mac starts.
Your Privacy
All quotes and settings are stored locally on your Mac. MotD does not send need an internet connection and does not send anything to anyone.
MotD Settings
The Settings window lets you control how the popup looks and when it appears.
Appearance Tab
You can change the visual style of the popup:
- Duration — how long the popup stays visible.
- Maximum Width — the maximum size of the popup.
- Hotkey — the hotkey to show the popup.
- Background Colour — the fill colour behind the quote.
- Text Colour — the colour of the quote itself.
- Font, Size and Spacing — choose the font family, text size and line spacing.
- Popup Location — choose a screen corner or a custom position.
- Distance from Screen Edges — how far the popup sits from the edges.
- Inner Padding — the margin between the popup border and the text.
These settings update the preview in real-time, so you can see the result immediately.
Setting the Hotkey
To record a global hotkey:
- Click inside the hotkey field (it will highlight).
- Press the desired combination (e.g. ⌥⌘M).
- Press Escape to clear it.
The hotkey works even when MotD is only running in the menu bar.
Triggers Tab
You can also control when the popup should appear automatically:
- On start — show a quote when MotD launches.
- On screen wake / unlock — show a quote when you return to your Mac.
- Every X minutes — show a quote at a repeating interval that you choose.
All triggers can be enabled at the same time. You can still manually show a quote at any moment from the menu bar or using the global hotkey.
Using the Quote Editor
The Quote Editor lets you manage all quotes that MotD can show.
On the left you will see a list of categories.
On the right you will see the quotes that belong to the selected category.
What You Can Do:
- Click a category to view its quotes.
- Select a quote to edit its text and attribution fields.
- Changes are saved automatically — there is no Save button.
- You can add new quotes or delete existing ones.
- You can move a quote to a different category from the context menu. It will automatically be sorted there.
- When you edit a quote, the list will re-sort and the edited quote stays selected.
Notes:
- If you delete the last quote in a category, the list will become empty.
- Quotes are sorted alphabetically by their text.
- You can use simple HTML inside the quote text (see ‘Formatting Quotes with HTML’ below).
- Attribution text (character / author and source / show / book) is optional — if left empty it will not be shown.
Searching and Filtering Quotes
In the Quote Editor you can search within the quotes of the selected category.
- The search bar filters the list as you type.
- Only quotes that match the search term are shown.
- Editing still works normally while a filter is active.
When you delete a filtered quote:
- It is removed from the real list.
- The selection moves to the next visible quote (if any).
If you clear the search field, the full list is shown again.
Formatting Quotes with HTML
You can use simple HTML tags inside a quote:
- New line: <br> or an actual new line
- Bold: <b>…</b>
- Italic: <i>…</i>
- Underline: <u>…</u>
- Superscript: <sup>…</sup> (e.g. 2<sup>nd</sup>)
- Subscript: <sub>…</sub> (e.g. H<sub>2</sub>O)
- Strikethrough: <s>…</s> or <strike>…</strike>
- Larger / smaller text: <big>…</big> and <small>…</small>
Explicit Quotes
Some quotes may contain explicit or sensitive language. In the MotD menu you can enable or disable these quotes with “Allow explicit quotes”.
When this option is OFF:
- Quotes containing explicit text are never shown in the popup.
- They are still visible and editable in the Quote Editor.
When this option is ON:
- All quotes are eligible to be shown.
Importing and Exporting Quotes
MotD stores all quotes in a structured JSON file. You can export your current library to a file, or import a JSON file created elsewhere.
Exporting Quotes
When you export, MotD creates a JSON file that contains all categories and all quotes. The format looks like this:
{
"Category name": [
{
"quote" : "Text of the quote",
"character": "Author or character name",
"name" : "Source (book, show, film, etc.)"
}
]
}Empty “character” and “name” fields are allowed.
Importing Quotes
When you import a JSON file:
- New categories are created automatically.
- Existing categories receive any new quotes that are not already present.
- Quotes are automatically sorted alphabetically inside each category.
- Invalid or unreadable JSON files are ignored safely.
Explicit Quotes
If your library contains explicit quotes, they will still be imported — but whether they are shown in the popup depends on the “Allow explicit quotes” setting in the menu.
Tip
Export is a great way to back up your collection or share it with someone else who also uses MotD.
System Requirements
macOS 13 or newer
Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
No installation required
Download
Questions or Feedback
For suggestions and feedback, contact us through the form below or send an email to info@uitgeverijdeijsvogel.nl.
