Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

macscope.app

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 26 posts

Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#1

Post by gprok »

Hi HN,

Macscope is a new window manager and and app switcher for macOS built on the philosophy of enhancing, not replacing, your existing muscle memory.

It works by augmenting the familiar Cmd+Tab workflow. A quick tap of your shortcut instantly switches between recent apps, just like you're used to. A slightly longer hold, however, opens the full Macscope interface where you can manage all your open windows and tabs.

You can also use modifier shortcuts to enter Placement Modes, which let you instantly snap a selected window to the left/right/top/bottom/ half of your screen.

Here are some of the key features:

- Unified Search & Switch: A single interface to instantly find and switch to any window, browser tab (Safari, Chrome, Arc, etc.), or application just by typing.

- Live Previews: See a real-time preview of what's inside each window so you know exactly where you're going. You can also disable previews for a more minimal experience.

- Advanced Window Management: Go beyond just switching. Select multiple windows and arrange them into layouts like vertical/horizontal splits or grids.

- Scopes: Save collections of app windows as a "Scope" and instantly restore that entire workspace later. It's ideal for quickly switching between different projects or tasks.

It’s a native macOS app built with Swift and supports both Apple Silicon and Intel machines.

Launch Offer for HN:

There's a free trial with 250 actions. For the Hacker News community, I'm offering a 50% discount on the lifetime license.

Website: https://macscope.app

Discord Community: https://discord.gg/ehktEWr97K

I'll be here all day to answer questions and would be grateful for any feedback. Thanks for checking it out!

Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS
macscope.app

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#2

Post by gprok »

Just to add a bit more context on the personal motivation behind this project:

For years, I've felt this low-grade friction using macOS. I live on the keyboard, but managing windows always felt like a mouse-first task. Cmd+Tab is great until you have more than couple of apps open, and then it's just this endless, frustrating cycle. Mission Control is a visual puzzle that offers no keyboard-driven way to filter the chaos, forcing you back to the trackpad every time.

Coming from tools like the terminal and code editors where you can jump between anything instantly with a few keystrokes, the OS layer felt slow and inefficient by comparison.

That's really where the ideas for Macscope came from. The "tap vs. hold" mechanic was born from wanting to keep my Cmd+Tab muscle memory but add more power on top. The "Scopes" feature came directly from my frustration of manually rearranging the same 5-6 windows every single time I started working on a specific project.

It started as a tool just for me, but I'm hoping it resonates with others who feel the same way about their workflow. I'm really curious to hear if others share these frustrations and what your own workarounds have been.

Thanks again for all the feedback so far!

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#3

Post by alxlu »

Is there a way to disable the advanced window management and scope features? I'm tempted to try out your utility because of the Search & Switch feature. However, I'm already using a window manager (aerospace) that I'm not ready to replace. Given how aerospace works, I suspect the window management/scope features would clash.

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#6

Post by slimebot80 »

My main complaint with the regular app switcher is it shows all apps, when I'd happily hide most of them and just access them occasionally from the dock.

I use the free Alt-Tab app to hide most apps, works well.

It has screen recording though, bc it creates previews. So best to block it from accessing the network with LuLu, just in case.

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#8

Post by geiser »

Hey. I'm trying to arrange views in multi-monitor setups, but when I tried to arrange some windows on a DisplayLink screen, it literally makes them disappear, unable to open/restore them until I force-close them.

It's also not showing apps in other spaces, which I would like to be shown. Mac's default Cmd+Tab does that.

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#9

Post by tarwich »

I gave it a shot. It is super nice to see someone trying to rethink a tool we use all the time. And integrating browser tabs was a really neat idea.

It doesn't work great for me, personally. Takes 5-10 seconds to respond to CMD+Tab, and shows hundreds of browser tabs instead of just the five I have open (I think it's seeing pinned tabs, which are actually bookmarks).

Still, I applaud you for this! It's refreshing to see this type of innovation.

Re: Show HN: Macscope – I decide to built a better Cmd-Tab replacement for macOS

#10

Post by Leftium »

finchisko wrote: post #5

does it display minimized apps as default macos switcher? that bothers me to degree i would pay for substitute.

There is an option for minimized windows in https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/

- Show, Hide, Show at end

I'm not sure if "minimized app" is the same as "minimized window," but it seems to do what I want.

Post reply on HN