winget install --id=telcoray.DigitalDetox -e Digital Detox is a small Windows app that locks the screen for a chosen duration, from 1 to 999 minutes. The lock screen covers every monitor and shows a countdown; common shortcuts such as the Windows key and Alt+Tab are blocked, and the screen switches off gradually. It unlocks by itself when the time is up, lives in the system tray and can start with Windows.
A small Windows app that locks your screen for a set amount of time, so you actually take that break.
From the Releases page, pick one:
DigitalDetox-vX.Y.Z-setup-x64.exe): adds Digital Detox to the Start menu, optionally to the desktop, and to Windows' list of installed apps for easy removal. No administrator rights needed.DigitalDetox-vX.Y.Z-win-x64.zip): unzip it anywhere and run DigitalDetox.exe. Nothing else to install.DigitalDetox-vX.Y.Z-android-arm64.apk): for Android 11 or later. Open the file on your phone and allow installing from that source when Android asks; android/README.md explains the permissions it needs. It syncs with the Windows app like a second PC.Since the files aren't code-signed, Windows SmartScreen may warn you the first time: click More info → Run anyway.
Requires Windows 10 or 11, Rust (stable) and the Visual Studio C++ Build Tools (the Rust installer offers to install them).
git clone https://github.com/telcoray/DigitalDetox.git
cd DigitalDetox
cargo run
To create an optimized build (target/release/digital-detox.exe):
cargo build --release
The UI is drawn by Slint's software renderer, which keeps memory usage very low. To try the GPU-based Skia renderer instead (bigger executable, more memory, needs the Visual Studio 2022 C++ Build Tools):
cargo run --no-default-features --features skia
ui/ Slint files describing the windows (main window, lock screen, secondary monitors)
src/
main.rs app start-up and main window
session.rs one detox session: lock screen, timer, monitors, emergency exit
pomodoro.rs the Pomodoro cycle of work rounds and breaks
reminder.rs the "Break in 1 minute" card
sharing.rs what to do when a paired device starts or stops something
sync/ pairing and talking to paired devices on the local network
keyboard_hook.rs blocking of system shortcuts
single_instance.rs only one copy of the app at a time
assets/ logo and icon
android/ preview of the Android app (see android/README.md)
Open the Pomodoro tab and click Start Pomodoro:
It keeps going round after round until you click Stop, here or in the tray menu. Pause freezes the countdown until you click Resume.
From then on, a detox or a Pomodoro started on either device starts on both, and Stop Pomodoro stops both. A device that was asleep or switched off catches up when it's back. Turn Sync with paired devices off on a device to leave it out for a while.
The code itself never travels over the network, and everything the devices send each other is signed with a key only they have. The first time, Windows Firewall asks to let Digital Detox use the network: allow it on private networks. The emergency exit unlocks only the device it's used on.
Press Ctrl+Shift+X three times in a row (within 2 seconds of each other). An Emergency Exit button appears; click it and confirm to end the session early.
Digital Detox is meant to help you keep a commitment, not to be an unbreakable lock. Ctrl+Alt+Del is handled by Windows itself and can't be blocked by any application, so it is always possible to sign out, lock or restart the PC.
Version 2 is a rewrite in Rust with Slint. Version 1 was written in C# with WPF on .NET; its code is still available at the v1.0.1 tag.