If you’ve ever seen an orange dot on your MacBook’s desktop, know that it’s there on purpose. In addition to your desktop providing options for accessing apps from the dock at the bottom of your screen, your Mac’s top menu bar also displays a variety of information and quick commands, including ways to quickly access Wi-Fi, the clock, your Siri assistant, and more. However, you may also see colored dots in your menu; they constitute a security measure.
Added in macOS Monterey, this feature is similar to the black dot on your iPhone screen. Your MacBook will display dots in the upper-right corner of your screen to indicate when certain features are available. An orange dot simply indicates when an application is accessing specific hardware.
The top of your menu bar isn’t the only place you might see dots on a MacBook, and there’s also a very good reason why you might see a black dot underneath your MacBook apps. Dots allow users to determine whether apps are acting in bad faith, so they know if an app is accessing things they may not have given it permission to control. So, before you schedule a vision test, let’s take a look at the dots on your MacBook.
What does the orange dot mean on my MacBook?
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Located to the right of the Control Center icon in the upper-right corner of your screen, your MacBook has several small privacy indicators that alert you when an app is using one of your devices. An orange dot indicates that an app is using your microphone, with or without permission. It lets you know when an app is using your microphone, even if you haven’t enabled it.
If the orange dot appears, select the Control Center icon, and information about the app using your device will appear at the top of the menu. If you’re using macOS 13.3, clicking this area opens the Privacy window, which may provide additional information. There are also additional colors for different devices and features. A green dot indicates that your camera is in use, while a purple dot indicates that your system audio is being recorded. There is also an arrow icon to indicate that an app is accessing your location.
Remember, you can access your microphone controls by selecting the Apple icon in the upper left corner, choosing System Settings, and then selecting Privacy & Security. Your microphone options will be available in the menu. This is also where you can find your camera settings, and either menu provides a list of apps that use those items. While you are going through your system settings, you should also check these settings, which can instantly improve your MacBook’s performance.
