Plan your walks. Then just walk.
Desk Walker is a free app for Merach, WalkingPad and other Bluetooth walking treadmills. It plans your walking week and reminds you when it's time, but never in the middle of a call.
Requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Free, open source, no account.
Under-desk treadmills are good hardware with poor software. Their phone apps ask for an account, show ads and work with one brand each.
None of them reminds you to walk. This one does, from your Mac's menu bar, with whichever treadmill you own.
A week of walks, drawn in a minute.
Drag on the timeline to add a walk. Make it repeat on weekdays, set its length and speed, or move just one day.
- Recurring walks with their own speed
- Change only one day without touching the rest
- Planned hours for the week at a glance
Reminders with manners.
When a walk is due you get a notification with Start, Snooze and Skip. If you're on a call, away from your desk or your screen is locked, it waits, and arrives once you're back if there's still time to walk.
- Holds while your camera or mic is on
- Holds while you're away or locked
- Pause reminders for the rest of the day
The numbers, straight from the belt.
Time, distance, steps, pace and calories come from the treadmill itself, so they match its display. Use the remote whenever you like; the app keeps up.
- Speed in steps of 0.1 mph or 0.1 km/h
- Presets you can name, like "Deep work"
- Space to start or stop, arrow keys for speed
The details.
Which treadmills?
Most treadmill apps speak one brand. This one speaks three Bluetooth protocols and picks the right one when it connects.
| Treadmill | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Merach | Verified | The MR-T19 is used and tested daily. Other Merach pads with the same protocol should work. |
| Kingsmith WalkingPad | In testing | C2 and other WalkingPads on the F7/F8 protocol, built from open-source protocol work. |
| FTMS treadmills | Standard | Any treadmill with Bluetooth's Fitness Machine Service. Built to the specification; reports welcome. |
Not supported: WalkingPads with encrypted Bluetooth, such as the KS-R1AC and KS-X21.
Free to use, open to read.
Every line is on GitHub: the app, the Bluetooth drivers and the protocol notes. File a bug, add support for your treadmill, or build it yourself.
No ads, no subscriptions, nothing to unlock. If it gets you walking, a donation pays for the hours and the test treadmills.
Questions, answered.
Is it safe?
The belt only starts when you click Start, press Space or tap Start on a reminder. A reminder never starts it on its own. Stop pauses the belt, and the treadmill's remote keeps working the whole time.
The code is public, so anyone can check what it sends to the treadmill. macOS may ask you to confirm the first time you open the app.
Which treadmills does it work with?
The Merach MR-T19 is verified. The Kingsmith WalkingPad C2 and other F7/F8 WalkingPads are being tested. Treadmills with Bluetooth's standard Fitness Machine Service (FTMS) should work. WalkingPads with encrypted Bluetooth, such as the KS-R1AC and KS-X21, are not supported.
What does it know about me?
There's no account, no analytics and no tracking. Your walks and settings stay on your computer.
To hold reminders during calls, it checks whether your camera or microphone is in use. It never sees or hears what they capture.
Why is it free?
It began as a replacement for a phone app full of ads. Charging for it would bring back the parts that made that app worse. If you'd like to give something back, you can support the project.
When is the Windows version coming?
A native Windows version is in progress. The download will appear on this page when it's ready.
Your next walk is at two.
Free. Requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later.