Why Windeck
macOS's ⌘ Tab switches apps, not windows. With three browser windows, two editors and a terminal open, finding the right one means guessing between icons. Windeck is an Alt-Tab for Mac that switches windows, the way you switch tabs in a browser:
- Full titles, grouped by app. A vertical tab bar keeps every window title readable; apps with several windows fold into a group.
- A large preview. The highlighted window shows big, so two similar windows never get mixed up.
- Every window, wherever it is. Minimized, hidden, full-screen, on another desktop (Space) or another display: all listed, each with a badge saying where.
- Places that stay put. Apps and windows keep their place in the list; only the highlight moves.
- Act without leaving. W closes a window, M minimizes it, Q quits its app.
- Search. Press Space and type a few letters of any title.
How it works
| Keys | What happens |
|---|
| ⌥ Tab, quick tap | Back to the previous window. Nothing shows on screen. |
| Hold ⌥, press Tab | The tabs appear. Tab walks your recent windows, arrows walk the list. Release to switch. |
| ⌥ Tab, then Space | Search: type, then Return. |
You can keep the system's ⌘ Tab for apps and use ⌥ Tab for windows (recommended), or let Windeck take over ⌘ Tab. All keys: docs/shortcuts.md.
Smart, never in the way
- The first Tab is always the previous window. A blind tap goes back, every time.
- The second place is the window you usually go to next, marked with a small star.
- Search ranks the same letters by how often and how lately you use each window.
Learned on your Mac only. More: docs/smart.md.
Privacy
- Window titles, pictures, file names and app lists never leave your Mac.
- A privacy list: password managers and banking apps are never captured, by default.
- One click forgets everything learned and every picture kept.
- The local data format is documented: docs/data.md.
Install
- Download Windeck-arm64.dmg and drag Windeck to Applications.
- Open it. This first version is not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS may say it cannot check the app: open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway, or run
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Windeck.app
- Allow Accessibility when Windeck asks (needed to list and switch windows). Screen Recording is optional and only shows previews.
- Choose your shortcut and start switching.
Requirements: macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon. More: docs/quick-start.md.
Pricing
Free to switch: tabs, previews, quick switch, search, and every kind of window. Windeck Pro adds the predicted window and habit-ranked search; every install starts with a 14-day Pro trial.
FAQ
Is it an Alt-Tab / AltTab alternative for Mac? Yes: Windeck switches between individual windows, like Alt-Tab on Windows, with titles grouped by app and a large preview.
Does it replace ⌘Tab? Your choice: keep ⌘Tab for apps and use ⌥Tab for windows, or take over ⌘Tab.
Why does it need Accessibility? To list your windows, bring one forward, and hear the shortcut being held and released. Every window switcher on macOS needs it.
Is Screen Recording required? No. Without it, Windeck shows titles only.
Does it tile or arrange windows? No. Windeck is for the usual stacked windows of macOS.
Where are bug reports and ideas? In Issues.
Build from source
Windeck is a MyGo app: pure Go, no cgo, no Electron, with a native GPU-drawn UI. It needs Go 1.27+ and macOS to run.
go tool mygo dev # run Windeck Dev with live reload
go tool mygo build # build/darwin-arm64/Windeck.app and the .dmg
go test ./... # unit tests
bun install && bun run --cwd website dev # the website
Start with docs/architecture.md. Windeck needs the Accessibility permission, and Screen Recording for previews; a go run . from a terminal that has them inherits them. Release builds are signed with a certificate and an update key that stay off this repository; set macos.signingIdentity and updates in mygo.json to your own.
License
MIT. The fonts in resources/fonts are under the SIL Open Font License.
Windeck is made by hz. Website: windeck.islumi.com.
Keywords: macOS window switcher, Mac window switcher, Alt Tab for Mac, AltTab alternative, Cmd Tab alternative, switch between windows on Mac, window manager for macOS, Mission Control alternative.
