SwitchGlass app brings a customizable application switcher to macOS

Following the release of the Front and Center window management app last month, John Siracusa is back with another Mac app today. SwitchGlass for macOS brings a dedicated application switcher with a variety of different customization options to macOS.

Siracusa announced the new SwitchGlass app on his blog this evening. It’s described as a floating application switcher that shows an icon for each of the apps you have running on your Mac. Siracusa outlines a few of the different things you can do here:

• Click an app icon to bring all windows from that app to the front.
• Hold down the Shift key while clicking an app icon to bring just one window from that app to the front.
• Right-click (or Control-click) an app icon to activate a context menu from which you can show or hide an app.
• Drag one or more files onto an app icon to open those files with the app.
• Hold down the Command key while clicking on an app icon to reveal the app in the Finder.

SwitchGlass is also highly customizable, with support for changing the appearance of the application switcher as well as the functionality. For instance, you can change the location of where the app switcher is located, as well as its orientation and positioning. You can also adjust settings for what happens when you click on the app icons or shift click.

Much like Front and Center, Siracusa developed SwitchGlass to replace a feature offered by the DragThing app, which was left behind when macOS Catalina dropped support for 32-bit applications. You may be wondering why you need SwitchGlass when macOS has the Dock built-in. Siracusa explains:

SwitchGlass is for people who want an interface element dedicated entirely to application switching, with a customizable appearance and location for each attached display. When used alongside the Dock, SwitchGlass provides a second target for mouse-based app switching. With the Dock hidden, it provides an app-switching interface without any clutter from the other functions of the Dock.

You can download SwitchGlass now from the Mac App Store for $4.99 and read more details on Siracusa’s blog.