Customize macOS Notification Placement

By default, macOS displays notification alerts in the top-right corner of the screen. While this works for many, the operating system lacks a built-in option to change this location. However, a new open-source application called PingPlace now offers this customization.

Introducing PingPlace

Developed by GitHub user NotWadeGrimridge, PingPlace is a free utility designed specifically to alter the position of notification pop-ups on macOS. It allows users to move notifications from the default top-right corner to several alternative locations.

Available Notification Positions

  • Top-left
  • Top-middle
  • Bottom-left
  • Bottom-middle
  • Bottom-right

Testing confirms that PingPlace functions as described. However, there are minor known issues: setting notifications to the top-left might occasionally cause the Notification Center itself to appear on the left side, and notification animations consistently originate from the right side, irrespective of the chosen placement.

Installation and Usage via Homebrew

PingPlace is not distributed through the Mac App Store. Installation requires Homebrew, a popular package manager for macOS. If you don't have Homebrew installed, open Terminal (Shift + Command + U, then select Terminal) and run the following command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Enter your Mac password when prompted. After installation, run brew doctor to check for any issues. To install PingPlace, execute these commands in Terminal:

brew tap notwadegrimridge/brew
brew install pingplace --no-quarantine

Configuration

Once installed, launch PingPlace from your Applications folder or Launchpad. You will be prompted to grant Accessibility permissions via System Settings. Enable the toggle for PingPlace and enter your password if required.

After permissions are granted, a Bell icon representing PingPlace will appear in your menu bar. Click this icon to select your preferred location for notification pop-ups. For more information on recent macOS developments, you can read about the macOS Sequoia Beta.