Brutal Focus · Built with Rust + Tauri

FOCUS IS
NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Lock out distractions. Make room for deep work. A free Windows focus app with settings and sessions stored on your PC. Choose a timer or stronger Exam-mode friction. Ctrl+Shift+Q is the emergency exit.

WINDOWS DOWNLOADS CHOOSE YOUR MODE

WINDOWS 10/11 · v0.2.0 · NO ACCOUNT · FREE

Intercept — Distractions meet resistance.Exam mode blocks Alt+Tab, the Windows key and the sites on your blocklist. Focus mode keeps a timer on top and, with the companion extension, blocks your listed sites in the browser.
Configure — Your mission. Your lockdown.Pick a preset for demanding work, intensive study, or rigorous exam preparation — or set your own timer. Choose the sites to block. Put them to work.
Integrity — System-level blocking. Local-data privacy.In Exam mode, block distracting sites at the OS level — and keep your data on your device. You choose what gets blocked. Strict respect for your privacy.

Commit to the work. Set your timer. Start your session. Follow through.

What each mode actually does

TWO MODES, PLAIN TERMS

MODE	WHAT IT LOCKS	SITE BLOCKING
Focus	Nothing. A floating timer, stoppable anytime.	Requires the companion extension in your browser. Without it, Focus is a timer and does not block sites.
Exam	A keyboard hook kills Alt+Tab, Win, Win+D, Alt+F4, Ctrl+Esc for the session. It doesn't restrict the mouse. In the locked app window's full-screen layout, the exam covers the screen it opens on, apart from the taskbar; in its split-screen layouts, only the exam half is covered and the other half is your normal desktop, apart from blocked sites.	Opens your normal browser by default. With approval, adds listed domains to the Windows hosts file. The extension adds browser navigation blocking.

What quitting costs

THE ONLY QUESTION THAT MATTERS

Mode	Can you quit mid-session?	What it stops
Focus	Yes — press STOP. The abandonment is counted.	Nothing by force. Site blocking needs the companion extension.
Exam	Normally by typing your confession phrase (the timer ending also ends it). Emergency exits: Ctrl+Shift+Q, and Ctrl+Alt+Del	Task-switching keys, plus listed sites, in browsers and apps that use Windows' own DNS, if you set a blocklist

Three steps. One task.

SET YOUR BOUNDARIES

Install the Windows app.Download the MSI from the release page. The installer is unsigned; Windows may show a warning.
Choose Focus or Exam.Set your timer and task. For an exam, paste the website address and review the browser and blocking choices.
Add the companion for Focus blocking.Optional, and only needed for Focus. In the app, expand companion setup, copy the folder path, and load it unpacked in chrome://extensions.

Try the exit friction yourself

QUITTING TAKES A SENTENCE.

To abandon this session, type exactly:

I AM CHOOSING SCROLLING OVER MY DEGREE

Press Enter to try this local demo; nothing you type is sent or saved. In an exam session, the app shows your selected exit phrase. Ctrl+Shift+Q is the emergency shortcut.

Windows 10 / 11 · 64-bit · Free personal use

WINDOWS DOWNLOAD

DOWNLOAD v0.2.0

Price. Free, with no account or licence key. No payments, ads or paid upgrades. Now and then, after a completed session, the app asks for voluntary support; it never locks anything and can be turned off.

v0.2.0 SHA-256: 370B2A8361324B4B703CAC2E8895AFC858B2012DCA7056968C0944300E061361. Compare with the exact installer you downloaded. A matching checksum confirms file integrity, not safety or certification. The installer is unsigned; review Windows warnings rather than treating this page as an instruction to bypass them.

v0.2.0 testing status — 27 October 2026. Automated checks passed: 197 desktop, 9 companion, 131 Rust unit and 4 Rust integration tests, plus the production build. The hardware checklist also passed in a 60-minute test of the release-candidate build (keyboard behaviour, the emergency exit with the rewritten hook, permission prompts, full timer completion, Narrator/Magnifier and privacy observations), and Ctrl+Shift+Q was re-verified on this exact installer.

Terms and privacy. Terms of Use v1.3 · Privacy policy. Older releases retain the terms supplied by their installers.

Know what starts. Camera self-view is optional and off by default. Exam mode limits task switching. Hosts-file blocking requests Windows admin permission; Focus does not.

Always an emergency exit: Ctrl+Shift+Q force-quits the app. If browser rules remain, reopen the app or disable the companion extension. After Ctrl+Shift+Q or a crash during an exam, sites can stay blocked: reopen the app and use Settings → RESET HOSTS FILE NOW.

Privacy. v0.2.0 is designed to keep settings and self-view local. Opening websites uses your internet connection. Fonts are bundled locally. Read the privacy policy.