Floating player

Your music, wherever you want it. One player moves between a small capsule, everyday controls and a large animated cover, with Playing Next and lyrics inside the same surface.

Watch the floating player in motion, including its size changes, song artwork, queue and lyrics.

Droppy's floating music player, rendered from the app with album artwork and playback controls

Open it and make it float

  1. Open Settings, Media, Floating player and turn on Player in the menu bar. Its menu bar item shows the current artwork and waveform while music is playing.
  2. Click the menu bar item to open the player. Click outside to close the drop-down, or shrink it past its smallest size with a vertical gesture.
  3. Drag the open player away from the menu bar to keep it on your desktop. You can also turn on Float over the desktop in Settings, or right-click the menu bar item and choose Show Floating Player.
  4. Drag the floating player wherever it belongs. Choose Above all apps to keep it in reach over your windows, or Pin to desktop to place it behind them.

Three sizes, one continuous motion

MiniA small capsule with artwork, the song title and play/pause.
PlayerArtwork, title and artist, a playback timeline and transport controls. Lyrics and Playing Next open in a drawer.
ExpandedA large cover with playback controls, volume and audio outputs. Open Playing Next or lyrics without leaving the player.
  • Click the surface outside the artwork and controls to grow to the next size. Clicking the expanded surface closes an open page first, then returns to Player. Clicking the artwork opens the playing app.
  • Move two fingers vertically over the player to expand or collapse it. The edge follows your fingers and settles when you release. Near the bottom of the screen it grows upward to keep the controls within reach.
  • Use the mouse wheel to step between sizes. You can also choose Mini, Player or Expanded under Settings, Media, Floating player, Size.
  • Swipe horizontally to go to the previous or next track. The player follows the same track-swipe direction as the notch player.
  • Drag the timeline to seek, or the volume slider to change the output level. Scrolling a queue or output list scrolls that list instead of resizing the player.

Motion artwork

Turn on Motion artwork under Settings, Media, Floating player. Animated covers keep moving as the player changes size, and fill the expanded player when the song has a matching motion cover.

Apple Music uses animated artwork from its catalog. Spotify uses Canvas when available, or matching Apple Music motion artwork when a Canvas is unavailable. Availability depends on the song and the source: other apps, missing artwork and unavailable matches keep the regular still cover. Not every song has motion art.

Reduce Motion keeps the artwork still. The Motion artwork switch also controls the floating player used on the lock screen.

Playing Next and lyrics

Playing NextOpen the queue for Apple Music or Kaset YouTube Music. Browse the upcoming tracks and choose what plays next. Spotify and other sources do not offer a queue in this player.
LyricsInstall the Lyrics Droplet and open the lyrics button in Expanded, or the L badge beside a track title when timed lyrics are available. Lines follow playback. The page tells you when the song has no synced lyrics.
Keep the coverWith motion artwork in Expanded, lyrics sit over the dimmed moving cover. Playing Next and audio outputs open their own page inside the player.

Favorite, shuffle and repeat controls depend on the playing app. Apple Music also offers Add to Playlist. The output button lets you choose an available audio device and adjust its volume.

Appearance and availability

The player is available on macOS 14 Sonoma and later, on Macs with or without a notch. Detecting playback from native music apps requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Native Liquid Glass and the optional Dynamic Glass finish require macOS 26 or later. Dynamic Glass fades from black at the top into glass below; older systems use a dark surface.

Turn on Show when nothing is playing to keep the player available between songs and sessions. The floating player and the notch's Now Playing controls have separate switches on the Media settings page.

The lock screen uses the same player in its Now Playing card, with controls suited to the locked screen.