EyeRest is a small Windows tray application that helps you follow the 20–20–20 rule for eye health by showing periodic desktop notifications.
It runs in the Windows notification area, uses Windows 10/11 toast notifications when available (with a tray balloon fallback), and lets you configure:
Reminder interval (for example every 5–60 minutes)
Whether reminders are enabled
Optional left-click toggle on the tray icon
Optional persistent settings and "Start with Windows" for the current user
The app is built with .NET Framework 4.8 and WinForms, is open source, and does not collect any personal data or telemetry. For full details, source code, and privacy information, see the project page.
What's new in 1.3.0
Highlights EyeRest 1.3.0 focuses on making the app more convenient to use day-to-day by adding optional persistence and an opt-in Start with Windows feature – while keeping the original “session-only” behavior as the default. If you don’t change anything in the Options dialog, EyeRest still works like previous versions: a lightweight tray app that reminds you to follow the 20–20–20 rule. ✨ What’s new ✅ Persistent settings (optional) You can now choose to have EyeRest remember your preferences across sessions: - Added a “Remember my settings for future sessions” checkbox in the Options dialog. - When enabled, EyeRest saves: - Whether reminders are enabled or disabled - The reminder interval (in minutes) - Whether left-click toggles reminders - Whether “Start with Windows” is enabled On the next launch, these values are restored and applied automatically. Storage strategy (portable-first): - EyeRest first tries to store EyeRest.ini next to the executable (nice for portable-style usage). - If the exe folder is not writable (e.g. installed under Program Files via MSI/MSIX), it falls back to: - %APPDATA%\EyeRest\EyeRest.ini If you prefer the old behavior, just leave “Remember my settings” unchecked and EyeRest will continue to work as a per-session app. 🖥️ “Start with Windows” option You can now let EyeRest launch automatically when you sign in to Windows: - New checkbox in Options: - “Start EyeRest automatically with Windows” - When enabled: - EyeRest creates a per-user entry under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run - When disabled: - The entry is removed. This setting is also stored in the INI file when “Remember my settings” is enabled. Scope is per-user only – no admin rights or system-wide changes. 🧩 Options dialog & behavior - Extended the Options dialog to include: - “Remember my settings for future sessions” - “Start EyeRest automatically with Windows” - The dialog still lets you: - Enable/disable reminders - Configure the reminder interval in minutes - Optionally use left-click on the tray icon to toggle reminders - On OK, EyeRest: - Applies changes for the current session - Saves settings to the INI file when persistence is enabled - Updates auto-start based on the “Start with Windows” option 🔧 Under the hood - Added IniSettingsHelper to manage loading/saving settings from an INI file with a portable-first strategy and %APPDATA% fallback. …
EyeRest 1.2.0 introduces a more flexible reminder workflow, an optional left-click toggle, and a small About dialog – while keeping the app lightweight and telemetry-free.
✨ What’s new
- Configurable reminder interval (per session) - You can now adjust the reminder interval in minutes (e.g. 5, 20, 45…) instead of being locked to 20 minutes. - The default interval is still 20 minutes in Release builds (with a shorter interval in Debug for testing). - Optional left-click toggle - A new option lets you use left-click on the tray icon to toggle reminders on or off. - When enabled, a single left-click: - Flips the reminder state, - Updates the tray icon (normal vs. snoozed), - Shows a short confirmation notification. - When disabled, a single left-click simply opens the Options dialog for better discoverability. - About dialog - A new About window shows: - App name and version (from assembly metadata), - Author information, - A short privacy note (no telemetry, no personal data collection), - A direct link to the GitHub repository. - Toast notifications with balloon fallback - EyeRest now prefers Windows 10/11 toast notifications (via Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.Notifications) for reminders and state changes. - If toasts are not supported or fail at runtime, it falls back to classic tray balloon tips so you still get notified.
⚙️ Improvements & fixes
The tray icon now consistently uses: …
Frequently asked questions
Is EyeRest free?
Yes. EyeRest is free and open-source software released under the MIT License license.
What is the latest version of EyeRest?
The latest version is 1.3.0, released on Dec 3, 2025.
Is it safe to download EyeRest?
The download button links to the official installer published on github.com, the same file Windows Package Manager installs. You can verify the downloaded file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with 1c9bf2706b8459a4f6fdf11b3654f188c16ee322bd9ebef2d62fa0e52d782ea9.
Which Windows versions does EyeRest support?
EyeRest runs on Windows and is available for 64-bit (x64) systems.
How do I install EyeRest silently?
Run the offline installer with msiexec /i "EyeRest-1.3.0-setup.msi" /quiet /norestart, or install it with Windows Package Manager: winget install --id=NecdetSanli.EyeRest -e --silent.
How do I uninstall EyeRest?
Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find EyeRest and select Uninstall. From the command line, run winget uninstall --id=NecdetSanli.EyeRest -e.
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