v0.1.1 is the latest release. It is source-only; a prebuilt application is not available yet.
Requires macOS 13 or later.
To build and run this release from source:
git clone --branch v0.1.1 --depth 1 https://github.com/frittlechasm/macswitch.git
cd macswitch
CODESIGN_IDENTITY=- scripts/run-app-bundle.shA signed and notarized download is planned for v0.1.2.
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted, then press Option-Tab to open the switcher.
Keep pressing Tab or use the arrow keys to move between windows.
Release Option or press Return to select; press Escape to cancel.
Use the menu-bar item to check permission status or choose a different shortcut in Settings.
Mac Workspace Switcher focuses on visible windows in your current macOS Space. Multiple windows from the same app appear as separate choices, with the selected window title shown below its app icon.
There is no hard-coded app blacklist for now. By default, the switcher excludes:
- Menu-bar-only and background apps, plus apps currently hidden by macOS.
- Minimized windows and windows on other Spaces.
- Sheets, dialogs, custom non-standard windows, and desktop elements.
- Elevated floating windows such as browser Picture-in-Picture players.
Use the menu-bar controls to manage Accessibility permission or select a different shortcut.
The available presets are Option-Tab, Command-Tab (Experimental), Control-Tab, Control-Option-Tab, and Option-Backtick.
Mac Workspace Switcher registers ordinary shortcuts through macOS's public hotkey API. For Command-Tab, it uses a public Core Graphics event tap to intercept the chord before the built-in app switcher. Settings marks this shortcut as experimental because the path requires Accessibility permission and may vary across macOS releases. If the event tap cannot be created, Settings keeps the current shortcut and offers Option-Tab as the default fallback. The app does not use private APIs to disable macOS's built-in shortcut.
See Carbon Hot Keys and Core Graphics Event Taps for a visual explanation of the two input paths and why Command-Tab remains experimental.
- Runs as a native Swift/AppKit menu-bar app with no third-party dependencies.
- Shows visible, non-minimized windows from the current macOS Space.
- Uses public macOS Accessibility APIs to discover and focus windows.
Quit Mac Workspace Switcher from its menu-bar item, then move Mac Workspace Switcher from Applications to the Trash.
To also remove the saved shortcut and Accessibility permission record:
defaults delete com.frittlechasm.mac-workspace-switcher
tccutil reset Accessibility com.frittlechasm.mac-workspace-switcherMIT