Support
Helmlet help
How to install Helmlet, update it, move it to another Mac and remove it again. Further down you'll find answers for when something doesn't work. And if that's not enough, write to me.
This help covers Helmlet from helmlet.app (bought through Lemon Squeezy).
How to reach me
- Questions about the app: support [at] helmlet.app
- Everything else: info [at] helmlet.app
- Or use the contact form
The quickest way is from the app: gear icon at the bottom right of the menu → Help → “Send feedback or report a bug”. That opens an email to support with your version number already in the subject. It helps if you add which Mac and which macOS version you have.
Requirements
| macOS | 13 (Ventura) or newer |
|---|---|
| Chip | Apple silicon (M1 and later). Intel Macs are not supported. |
| Fan control | Only on Macs with fans, such as a MacBook Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio or iMac. The MacBook Air has none. |
| Size | About 2.8 MB to download, about 7 MB installed |
| Internet | For activation and the update check. A license that has already been checked keeps working offline for up to 14 days. |
| DaVinci progress | For live progress in Render Mode: DaVinci Resolve Studio, external scripting set to Local, and Python 3 via the Xcode Command Line Tools |
Installing
- Download. The installer is on the download page.
- Install. Open the .pkg file and click through. macOS asks for your password along the way. That's how the installer sets up the background helper for the fans and closed-lid mode.
- Unlock. A few seconds later Helmlet starts on its own and, on first launch, shows a short intro (“Welcome to Helmlet”). When you click “Open Helmlet” at the end, the menu opens and asks for your license key. You'll find it in your order email from Lemon Squeezy.
Helmlet lives up in the menu bar. It only shows up in the Dock while the intro or the settings are open.
Updating
Every time it starts, Helmlet checks whether there's a new version. If there is, the top of the menu says “Version … is ready, download now”. One click downloads the new installer through your browser, and you open it just like the first time. It quits the old version and starts the new one. Your settings and license stay as they are.
To check yourself, go to “Updates” in the settings and click “Check for updates”. What changed is in the changelog. Updates are free.
Moving your license to another Mac
One license covers one Mac. To move it, just enter your key on the new Mac. The activation service frees the previous Mac along the way.
You can also free the old Mac yourself first: click the gear icon at the bottom right of the menu, then “Deactivate on this Mac” under “License”. Your Mac needs to be online for this. Helmlet is locked on it again afterwards.
If you want Helmlet on two Macs at the same time, you need a second license. Lost your key? It's in your order email from Lemon Squeezy. If you can't find it, write to me.
Uninstalling Helmlet
Open the settings with the gear icon at the bottom right of the menu and click “Uninstall Helmlet…” at the very bottom. Once you confirm with “Uninstall”, macOS asks for your password once. Helmlet then removes the background helper, the app itself and all settings, including the entry that starts it at login. Fan control goes straight back to macOS.
Your license is only deleted on this Mac. If you want to use Helmlet on another Mac later, just enter the key there. If you want the activation at Lemon Squeezy to end as well, click “Deactivate on this Mac” under “License” first (your Mac needs to be online), then “Uninstall Helmlet…” in the same window without closing it.
If Helmlet is locked, for example without a key or after a refund, the gear icon isn't in the menu. Write to me and I'll help you remove it.
Refunds and withdrawal
Helmlet is sold through Lemon Squeezy, and your purchase contract is with them too. What applies to withdrawal is on the right of withdrawal page. If you have a question about your order, write to me.
When something doesn't work
Why can't I turn on “Awake, lid closed”?
The mode needs the background helper that the installer sets up. In the menu, expand “Awake, lid closed” with the arrow on the left. If it says “Needs the fan helper (install below)”, the helper is missing. The “Fans” section further down is then already expanded. Click “Install helper…” there and enter your password once. After that the switch works.
Why did closed-lid mode turn itself off?
That's the built-in protection. Helmlet ends the mode when macOS reports that the Mac is getting too hot, or when the battery is at 15% or less without a charger. You can turn this low-battery stop off in the settings under “General” (switch “Auto-stop on low battery”, on by default). Helmlet then sends you a notification, and the menu shows the reason. After a restart of Helmlet or the Mac, the mode is off as well. That's on purpose, so your Mac never stays awake without you knowing.
Why are the fans spinning faster than I set them?
The slider sets a minimum, not a cap. Closed-lid mode and Render Mode also raise the fans to at least “Balanced”, and app automation to the cooling profile you picked for that app. When the Mac warms up, the heat protection ramps up from around 72 °C, and at 95 °C it runs full cooling. It goes by the hottest CPU or GPU sensor, not the averages shown in the menu. In the critical range Apple's own thermal management takes over. Helmlet can never cool less than macOS would.
Does fan control work on a MacBook Air?
No. The MacBook Air has no fans, so there's nothing to control. Keep-awake and the temperature readings still work. For fan curves and boost you need a Mac with fans, such as a MacBook Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio or iMac.
Why does Helmlet need my password?
For the background helper that controls the fans and closed-lid mode. It needs system privileges, so macOS asks for your password when it's set up. After that Helmlet changes fans and closed-lid mode without asking again. You're only asked again when the helper is reinstalled or removed, and that includes every update.
My license key isn't accepted. What can I do?
Activation goes over the internet, so your Mac needs to be online. It's best to copy the key straight from your Lemon Squeezy order email. Helmlet doesn't accept keys for other apps, even if they also come from Lemon Squeezy. If it still doesn't work, write to me and include the error message.
As of October 2026, Helmlet 2.5