# Cakeday for Mac

Cakeday ships as a native macOS app, so the same birthdays you manage on iPhone and iPad are available in a real Mac window. It uses a familiar sidebar layout, adds a menu-bar command for quick navigation, and keeps everything in sync through iCloud.

  Cakeday for Mac requires **macOS 14 or later**. It is a native app, not an
  iPad app running on Apple silicon.

## Window and Sidebar

On the Mac, Cakeday opens in a standard resizable window with a sidebar on the left and a detail area on the right. The sidebar lists the app's main sections, each with its name and icon:

- **Home** — your overview of upcoming birthdays.
- **Calendar** — birthdays laid out on a calendar.
- **Friends** — the full list of people you track.
- **Settings** — every preference for the app.

Select an item in the sidebar to show it in the detail area. Closing the last window quits Cakeday.

## The Navigate Menu

Cakeday adds a **Navigate** menu to the menu bar so you can jump between sections from the keyboard without reaching for the sidebar:

- **Home** — ⌘1
- **Calendar** — ⌘2
- **Friends** — ⌘3

Settings open from the standard **Cakeday ▸ Settings…** command with ⌘, like any other Mac app, and bring you straight to the **Settings** section.

  These shortcuts work from anywhere in the app, so you can move from the
  calendar to your friends list and back without leaving the keyboard.

## Dock Badge

When a birthday notification arrives, Cakeday shows a badge on its Dock icon. The badge is cleared automatically the next time you bring Cakeday to the front — when the app becomes active, when its window becomes the key window, or when the day rolls over while the app is running. Returning to the app also dismisses the delivered birthday notifications behind that badge, so the count always reflects what still needs your attention.

## Shared iCloud Data

The Mac app reads and writes the same data as your iPhone and iPad. When [iCloud sync](/docs/en/icloud-sync) is on, birthdays, groups, avatars, and your preferences flow between all your devices, so adding someone on your Mac shows up on your phone and the other way around. There is no separate Mac account or import step — sign in with the same Apple Account and your data is already there.

  

[Birthday Management](/docs/en/birthday-management)

    Add, edit, and organize the birthdays that appear in the Mac window.
  

  

[iCloud Sync](/docs/en/icloud-sync)

    Keep your Mac, iPhone, and iPad in sync through your Apple Account.
  

  

[Groups](/docs/en/groups)

    Sort people into groups that stay consistent across every device.
  

  

[Lunar Calendar](/docs/en/lunar-calendar)

    Track lunar birthdays alongside solar dates everywhere you use Cakeday.