Getting started
- Open SoloStars. Five stars and a heart appear in the menu bar.
- Play a track from your library in Music.
- The first time, macOS asks whether SoloStars may control Music. Click Allow.
- Click a star or press ⌃⌥⌘1–5. The rating is saved in Music right away.
Hotkeys
- ⌃⌥⌘1 … ⌃⌥⌘5
- Set 1 to 5 stars
- ⌃⌥⌘0
- Clear the rating
- ⌃⌥⌘L
- Mark or unmark as favorite
To change a shortcut, right-click the stars, choose Settings…, click the shortcut and press the new keys.
Questions
The stars are dimmed.
Music is not running or nothing is playing. Start a track and the stars light up.
I clicked “Don’t Allow”, or macOS never asked for access.
Right-click the stars and choose Open Privacy Settings…, or open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation, find SoloStars and turn on Music.
Some tracks or radio stations can’t be rated.
Ratings belong to tracks in your Music library. Radio stations and streams that are not in your library have no rating. Add the track to your library first.
How do I clear a rating?
Click the lit star again, press ⌃⌥⌘0, or choose No Rating in the right-click menu.
How do I hide the heart?
Right-click the stars, choose Settings… and turn off Show favorite heart.
How do I start SoloStars at login?
Turn on Launch at login in Settings. If macOS asks, approve SoloStars in System Settings → General → Login Items.
Where is the Dock icon?
SoloStars lives in the menu bar only and has no Dock icon. To quit, right-click the stars and choose Quit SoloStars.
Does SoloStars work with Spotify?
No. SoloStars works only with the Music app on your Mac.
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- The Music app with tracks in your library