VardekRunning Vardek without a Xeneon Edge
Mac display setup · updated August 2026
Vardek runs full-screen on any macOS display — you don't need a Corsair Xeneon Edge™ to try it. The widget grid is laid out for the Edge™'s 2560×720 panel, so it reads best in a window that shape, not stretched across a normal 16:9/16:10 screen. This page covers the setup that looks right on a MacBook or external monitor.
The short version
Vardek opens full-screen on first launch. Click the green traffic-light button in the top-left corner of the dashboard (or move your cursor to the top of the panel) to exit full screen into a normal, resizable window. Resize it to one of the sizes below and dock it along an edge of your screen — top, bottom, or a strip on a secondary monitor. The grid stays at its default 8×2 and every bundled widget renders exactly as designed — no settings to change.
To go back to full screen, click the green button again or press the fullscreen shortcut from the Vardek menu.
Recommended window sizes by display
| Display | Native / typical points | Suggested strip window |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air/Pro 13″–14″ built-in | 2560×1600 / 3024×1964 (~1512×982 pts @14″) | 1280×360 |
| MacBook Pro 16″ built-in | 3456×2234 (~1728×1117 pts) | 1500×420 |
| External 1080p / 1440p (16:9) | 1920×1080 / 2560×1440 | 1600×450 |
| External 4K (16:9) | 3840×2160 | 1920×540 |
| Ultrawide (21:9 / 32:9) | 3440×1440 / 5120×1440 | 2560×720 — the Edge™'s native size, full fidelity |
If your monitor is ultrawide enough to fit 2560×720 in a strip alongside your normal desktop, that's the best result available without the physical panel — identical pixel dimensions to the real hardware.
Using the whole screen instead
You can also run Vardek full-screen on a normal display and remap the grid in config.json ("grid": { "columns": 4, "rows": 4, "gutterPx": 8 }, for example) to better fit a 16:9 or 16:10 shape. This isn't recommended yet: every bundled widget's allowed sizes and some of their text sizing were tuned for the 8×2 shape, so a few widgets (the Clock in particular) will look oversized or crop text until they're updated for arbitrary grid shapes. The windowed-strip approach above is the one that looks right today.
Why this happens
Vardek's shell and grid runtime don't hardcode any resolution — the window can be any size, and the grid renders from whatever columns/rows you configure. The only thing tuned specifically for the Edge™ panel is the bundled widgets themselves: their declared grid spans and some of their text sizing assume an 8-column-wide, short strip. Matching that shape with a windowed strip sidesteps the issue entirely, with zero configuration.