I am very happy to be able to release this software!
In this initial release, I have focused primarily on music control features. While the functionality is still limited, I plan to add a variety of features in the future to make this software even more useful and enjoyable.
A small music HUD that quietly appears at the very top of your screen.
NoraBar is a WPF application for Windows desktop. It usually waits as a thin 2px strip at the top edge of the screen, then opens into a music controller when you move the mouse near it. It keeps the current track title, artist, album art, playback position, and waveform visualizer in a place that stays close without getting in your way.
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Top-edge HUD
- Stays subtle while idle and expands only on hover.
- Runs as a topmost window so it is ready when you need it.
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Music app integration
- Reads the track title, artist, album art, playback state, and playback position from Windows media sessions.
- Controls play, pause, previous track, and next track directly from the HUD.
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Audio-reactive waveform visualizer
- Uses CSCore WASAPI loopback capture to visualize the audio currently playing on the PC with 8 bars.
- Adds a small sense of live motion without taking over the desktop.
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Synced lyrics
- Fetches synced lyrics from LRCLIB when available.
- Displays the current lyric line in the HUD in sync with playback.
- Can be turned on or off from the settings window.
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Two design styles
Minimal Floating Pill: a compact, lightweight style for everyday use.Productivity Command Island: a wider style that gives album art and progress more room.
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Settings window
- Switch the design style, progress bar visibility, synced lyrics, startup behavior, display language, and HUD position.
- Includes GitHub Releases update checks and third-party license information.
| Minimal Floating Pill | Productivity Command Island |
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- Windows 10 or later
- .NET Desktop Runtime 10
NoraBar targets net10.0-windows, so it requires the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime to run. Install the latest .NET Desktop Runtime 10.x for your Windows architecture. The SDK, Visual Studio, and the .NET CLI are only needed when building from source.
Some features require an internet connection:
- Synced lyrics: accesses LRCLIB.
- Update checks: accesses GitHub Releases.
Download the portable version or installer from GitHub Releases, then start NoraBar.
- Portable version: extract the zip file to any folder and run the NoraBar executable.
- Installer version: run the installer, then start NoraBar after installation.
During a normal launch, the settings window also opens. When NoraBar is launched from Windows startup, it receives the --startup argument and quietly keeps only the HUD resident.
For source build and development instructions, see the Development Guide.
- Start NoraBar.
- Move the mouse near the center of the top edge of the screen.
- When the HUD opens, check the track information and control buttons.
- Open settings from the right-click menu or the system tray.
Settings are saved to %AppData%\NoraBar\settings.json.
More detailed usage and design notes are available in the Wiki.
Japanese Wiki pages are also available:
Markdown files under docs/wiki/ are synced to the GitHub Wiki when changes are pushed to the master branch.
- C# / WPF
- .NET
- XAML
- Windows Media Control API
- CSCore
- Windows Forms NotifyIcon
NoraBar uses CSCore and LRCLIB as third-party components/services. License information is available from the settings window in the app.
NoraBar is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for details.
NoraBar is designed as a small notch-like place at the top of the screen that offers only the information you need.
The star is not the app; it is your work. NoraBar aims to be a modest, thoughtful HUD that rests above it.