Let's be honest: even information you genuinely want can be a lot when it's on at full blast all day. Your notifications, the time, a running timer — all useful, and all capable of feeling like one more thing tugging at your attention when you're trying to focus. The fix isn't to get rid of them. It's to control how present they are.
Proximate puts that information near your cursor so you don't have to scan a massive display to stay informed. Transparency modes are how you tune the dial — exactly how present, or how subtle, each element feels while you work.
Some people want everything visible all the time. Others want the lightest possible touch — a whisper of a clock and a faint notification badge that only asserts itself when the moment is right. Transparency modes let you land wherever feels natural.
Let's walk through each one.
Proximate gives you four options, and they're simpler than they look. Three are one-tap presets — Always visible, Only visible when moving, and Only visible when still. The fourth is Custom. The trick to understanding all of them is knowing that every preset is really just a shortcut that moves two sliders for you: Still transparency (how visible things are when your cursor is at rest) and Motion transparency (how visible they are while it's moving). Once those two ideas click, the rest falls into place.
Always visible
Everything Proximate shows by your cursor stays fully visible whether you're moving the mouse or not — both sliders pinned at 100%. No fading, no surprises.
This is the simplest option, and where Proximate starts you out. A solid choice if you like having everything at a glance and the constant presence doesn't bother you.
Only visible when moving
The first of the two motion-aware presets. Your additions stay hidden while the cursor is at rest and appear only while you're actively moving the mouse — Still transparency at 0%, Motion transparency at 100%.
If you mostly use Proximate to find your cursor on a big display, this makes a lot of sense: the additions light up as a visual anchor while you're scanning, then disappear once you've landed — keeping the screen clean the rest of the time. It's also the lightest-touch option if you just want a quick glance while navigating.
Watch how the additions appear as the cursor moves and melt away when it comes to rest — a quick anchor while you're navigating, gone once you've arrived.
Only visible when still
The exact opposite. Your additions are fully visible when the cursor is at rest — exactly when you're reading, thinking, or pausing between tasks and might glance at the time or notice a notification — and they fade away the moment you start moving.
Under the hood, that's Still transparency at 100%, Motion transparency at 0%. The logic is simple: if you're moving the cursor, you're in the middle of doing something and don't need the clock right now. The second you pause, everything quietly reappears — present without being pushy.
Here it's the reverse: everything stays present while the cursor rests, and steps aside the instant you start to move.
Custom — and the two sliders
Here's the part worth understanding: you don't really switch into a separate "Custom mode" and start from scratch. Custom is simply what you land on the moment the sliders stop matching a preset.
The two sliders — Still transparency and Motion transparency — each run from Invisible (0% visible) to Fully visible (100%). Pick one of the three presets and you'll watch both sliders jump to its values. Nudge either slider yourself, and Proximate instantly flips your selection to Custom — because you've just made a combination it doesn't have a name for.
That's the whole idea. The presets are a few common starting points; the sliders are everything in between. Want your additions at a subtle 50% when still and 30% when moving? Slide them there. Want them faint all the time? Drop them both. However you set them, it's all just "Custom."
Fine-tuning: the Advanced controls
Open the Advanced section beneath the sliders and you'll find three more dials. One heads-up: changing any of them also switches you to Custom, since you're now tuning beyond what the presets cover.
Fade duration — how long the fade transition takes. The default of 400 ms feels smooth without being sluggish. Shorter (down to 100 ms) makes it snappier; longer (up to 2 seconds) makes it slow and gradual.
Idle delay — how long the cursor has to be still before a fade kicks in. The default of 500 ms means quick repositioning won't trigger constant fading — you have to actually stop.
Movement threshold — the minimum cursor movement, in pixels, that counts as "moving." The default of 5 px keeps tiny nudges and a slightly jittery mouse from setting it off. Lower it toward 1 px for a hair trigger; raise it toward 20 px for a calmer feel.
There's also a Reset to Defaults button down there if you ever want a clean slate — Always visible, 400 ms fade, 500 ms idle, 5 px threshold.
A note on accessibility
Transparency modes aren't just a preference — for some users, they're an accessibility tool.
Visual sensitivity and photophobia. People with light sensitivity, migraines, or photophobia can find high-contrast on-screen elements uncomfortable, especially bright ones appearing and disappearing near their point of focus. Being able to lower how visible the additions are — or fade them away entirely while you're moving the mouse — can make the difference between a tool that's comfortable to use all day and one that gets turned off after an hour.
Cognitive load and sensory overload. For users with ADHD, autism, or other conditions that involve sensory processing differences, extra visual elements on screen contribute to cognitive load. Even small additions near the cursor can become distracting if they're always at full opacity. Transparency modes let these users keep Proximate's functionality without the sensory cost — dialing the presence down to a level that informs without overwhelming.
Motion sensitivity. Some users experience discomfort from visual changes tied to their own cursor movement. The idle delay and fade duration controls are particularly helpful here: a longer fade duration (1–2 seconds) creates a gentler transition that's less likely to trigger discomfort, while a longer idle delay prevents rapid-fire opacity changes during normal mouse use.
If you find the default settings too visually active, try starting with Only visible when still, dropping the Motion transparency slider to a low value (or all the way to invisible), and increasing the fade duration to a second or more. From there, you can adjust until it feels right for you.
Which mode should I use?
- Always visible if you like having everything at a glance and the constant presence doesn't bother you. (It's the default.)
- Only visible when moving if you mainly use Proximate to locate your cursor on large displays, or you want the lightest possible touch.
- Only visible when still if you want information when you pause and a clear screen while you work.
- Custom if you've tried the presets and want to set the two sliders — and the Advanced controls — exactly to your liking.
You can switch between modes any time in Settings → Appearance → Transparency. Try a few! You'll know you've found the right one when Proximate feels like a natural part of how you work rather than something extra on screen.
Have questions or a transparency setup you love? Drop us a line at [email protected].