Switcher

A fast, lightweight Cmd+Tab replacement for macOS. No bloat, no lag, no memory leaks.

Why Switcher?

Frustrated with AltTab? You're not alone. AltTab is powerful but comes with costs:

• 🐌 Sluggish performance over time
• 💾 Memory usage that grows unbounded
• 🔋 Background CPU drain
• 🐛 Occasional freezes and glitches
• ⚙️ Complex settings for features you don't use

Switcher takes a different approach: do less, but do it well.

What Switcher Does

• ✅ Shows only apps with visible windows (no hidden/minimized clutter)
• ✅ Sorts by most recently used
• ✅ Native macOS blur effect
• ✅ Instant response (<16ms)
• ✅ ~30MB memory footprint
• ✅ Zero background CPU when idle
• ✅ Keyboard shortcuts: H to hide, Q to quit, Shift to go back
• ✅ Mouse support: hover to select, click to activate
• ✅ Multi-monitor: appears on screen where your pointer is

What Switcher Doesn't Do

• ❌ Window thumbnails (requires Screen Recording permission)
• ❌ Per-window switching
• ❌ Preferences UI
• ❌ Themes or customization
• ❌ Anything else

This is intentional. Switcher does one thing and does it well.

Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew tap fad1/tap
brew install --cask switcher

Manual Download

Grab Switcher.app from Releases and move it to /Applications.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/fad1/Switcher.git
cd Switcher
swift build -c release
./create-icon.sh  # optional: creates app icon
./build-app.sh release

First Run

1. Open Switcher.app
2. Grant Accessibility permission when prompted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility)
3. Press Cmd+Tab — that's it

Auto-Start

System Settings → General → Login Items → add Switcher

Usage

Key	Action
Cmd+Tab	Open switcher / next app
Shift	Previous app
←/→	Navigate
H	Hide selected app
Q	Quit selected app
Return	Activate
Escape	Dismiss
Release Cmd	Activate selected

Mouse: hover to select (after slight movement), click to activate.

Permissions

Only Accessibility — no Input Monitoring, no Screen Recording, no admin access.

Technical Details

~900 lines of Swift. No dependencies. Uses:

• Carbon hotkeys (avoids Input Monitoring requirement)
• CGEvent tap for modifier detection
• Private CGSSetSymbolicHotKeyEnabled API to intercept native Cmd+Tab

See CLAUDE.md for architecture details.

Philosophy

"Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Switcher exists because sometimes you just want to switch apps. Fast. Without thinking about it. Without your computer grinding to a halt after a week of uptime.

If you need window thumbnails, per-window switching, or extensive customization, use AltTab. It's a great project with different goals.

If you want a Cmd+Tab that just works, try Switcher.

Support

If you find Switcher useful, you can buy me a coffee.

License

MIT