Command-Tab is great...if you only ever have one window open in each of your applications. With more than one window, though, it's a hassle to find the one you want. Witch solves that problem by taking you directly to the window you want to reach.

Application switching is slow

If you keep a lot of windows open in a number of applications, you've experienced the frustration of switching between those windows: Command-Tab to switch apps, then cycle windows within the app to find the one you want. If you're lucky, you can cycle the windows with the keyboard, or you may have to go digging in its menus or Dock icon to find the other open windows.

You can try Exposé instead, but with many windows open, it too can be a frustrating experience---ever notice how shrunken Exposé windows all look alike? Exposé is also not very keyboard friendly. Why mess around with switching applications then windows when Witch lets you switch directly to the window you want to work with?

Window switching is fast and fun

With Witch installed, a pop-up panel shows all open windows---even windows in other Spaces, if you're running 10.6. From the panel, simply select the window you'd like to activate. There is no step two!

But switching windows is just the first of many tricks for Witch---see below for everything else it can do!

Pop-up Previews

If you work with a lot of open windows with similar names, sometimes it can be tough to keep them all straight. Witch solves that problem by providing a pop-up preview (optional) of every window in its panel. Just leave a window selected for two seconds, and the pop-up appears.

With a quick glance at a preview image, you can tell exactly which window it is you'd like to activate. If you prefer, you can even opt to see shrunken versions of the preview images in place of the standard icons displayed in Witch's panel.

Replace Command-Tab

Witch now lets you assign Command-Tab and Shift-Command-Tab (or Command-') as the Witch activation keys. Set up in this manner, Witch replaces the Command-Tab application switcher.

Witch also mimics some of the Command-Tab switcher's functionality. When you press H (hide) or Q (quit) with Witch active, the action occurs immediately, as it does with Command-Tab.

Witch adds more useful when-active keystrokes, too: M to minimize a window, Z to zoom it to full screen, and W to close it. In addition, A and Shift-A will jump by application (instead of moving window-by-window), J and K will move the selection down and up (as in vi), T and B (or Home and End) will jump to the top or bottom of the panel.

Press F to show the currently-selected document in a Finder window. If you've got an app with no open windows selected, that app will be shown in a Finder window.

Press P (or Space Bar) to pop up a preview image, even when previews are disabled.

Finally, press Comma while the Witch panel is visible to open Witch's settings---just like in most any other Mac OS X application.

What's New

  • Modified packaging to hopefully eliminate macOS Big Sur quarantine issues.
  • Witch now runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.