The ⌘Tab
macOS deserves.
orbrew install --cask bettercmdtab
Free, open-source Command-Tab replacement · 34,474 downloads · macOS 13+ · 26.7
Go on, press ⌘ or tab
Live previews of every window on screen
Features
Windows,
not just apps
Every open window gets its own entry, so two Safari windows are two choices.
Search and
launch anything
Type a letter to jump, or press / to fuzzy-search windows and launch any installed app.
Browser tab
drill-in
Press \ to pick one tab in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Finder or Terminal.
List, grid
or previews
A classic list, a grid of app icons, or live previews of every window.
Badges and
playing audio
Dock unread badges and a speaker on the app that is playing sound.
Every Space,
every display
Show all Spaces or only the current one. The switcher opens on the display you work on.
Tiling and
window moves
Tile to halves and thirds, maximize, center, or send a window to the next display.
Native and
instant
A Swift menu-bar app with no Electron and no telemetry. It keeps working in password fields.
Compared.
| 31 features | BetterCmdTab 31 / 31 Free | Built-in 5 / 31 Free | AltTab 15 / 31 +5 with Pro, $9.99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| switching | |||
| Switch windows, not just apps | Yes | Current app only | Yes |
| Tap to switch, hold to open | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stay open after releasing ⌘ | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cycle the front app's windows | Yes | ⌘` | Pro, extra shortcut |
| Type to search | Yes | No | Pro |
| Launch any installed app | Yes | No | No |
| Multiple shortcuts | Yes | No | Pro, up to 9 |
| Hotkey per app | Yes | No | No |
| Trackpad swipe to open | Yes | No | Yes |
| layouts | |||
| Live window previews | Yes | No | Yes |
| App icon grid | Yes | Yes | Pro |
| Window title list | Yes | No | Pro |
| tabs | |||
| Browser tab drill-in | Yes | No | No |
| Tabs as separate rows | Yes | No | Native tabs only |
| windows | |||
| Close, minimize, hide, quit | Yes | Quit and hide only | Yes |
| Action buttons on hover | Yes | No | Yes |
| Force quit hung apps | Yes | No | No |
| Window tiling | Yes | macOS 15+ | No |
| Move window to another display | Yes | No | No |
| Reopen recently closed apps | Yes | No | No |
| filters | |||
| Minimized and hidden windows | Yes | No | Yes |
| Windows from all Spaces | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sort order options | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pin favorites | Yes | No | No |
| Per-app hide and ignore rules | Yes | No | Yes |
| status | |||
| Dock badge counts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Playing audio indicator | Yes | No | No |
| system | |||
| Hidden from screen sharing | macOS 14.6+ | No | No |
| Export and import settings | Yes | No | Yes |
| Live JSON config file | Yes | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | No | Yes |
Checked October 2026 · Source: alt-tab.app/pricing
AltTab Pro $9.99 one-time, or $24.99 for Pro Lifetime with every future update
Configure it in a file.
Every setting lives in a plain JSON file you can diff, version and keep in your dotfiles. Save it and the switcher changes, no restart. Change a setting in the app and the file is written back.
Click any underlined value to change it.
Questions.
Is BetterCmdTab really free?
Yes. Every feature is free, with no Pro tier, trial, license key or account. The source code is GPL-3.0 on GitHub. The app has no telemetry, analytics or crash reporting, and its only network requests go to GitHub to check for updates.
Which permissions does it need, and why?
Accessibility, to take over ⌘Tab and read the list of open windows; the switcher does not start without it. Live window previews also ask for Screen Recording, and without it the tiles show app icons. Listing browser tabs needs Automation access to each browser.
Is it safe to install?
The app is signed and notarized, so Gatekeeper opens it without a warning, and every line of its code is public on GitHub. It collects nothing about you or your windows. Window titles and previews stay on your Mac and are never sent anywhere.
How is it different from AltTab?
Both are open-source window switchers. AltTab keeps search, extra layouts and more shortcuts behind Pro, at $9.99 or $24.99 for lifetime updates. BetterCmdTab ships all of that for free, and adds app launching, browser tab drill-in, window tiling, per-app hotkeys and force quit.
How is it different from the built-in ⌘Tab?
The macOS ⌘Tab switches apps, not windows: two Safari windows are one entry, and minimized windows are out of reach. BetterCmdTab lists every window, including minimized ones and those on other Spaces, adds search and previews, and keeps the same ⌘Tab muscle memory.
How do I install it?
Run brew install --cask bettercmdtab, or download the .dmg from the GitHub releases page and drag the app into Applications. Open it, enable BetterCmdTab under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility, and press ⌘Tab. Updates install from the app itself.
How do I get the native ⌘Tab back?
Choose Quit BetterCmdTab from its menu-bar icon, and the native ⌘Tab works again at once. To uninstall, quit it first, then move it to the Trash or run brew uninstall --cask bettercmdtab. A force-killed app leaves ⌘Tab off until BetterCmdTab launches again.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac with macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel. On macOS 26 the panel uses Liquid Glass, and on macOS 13 to 15 it falls back to the standard blurred material. A few features need newer systems, such as hiding from screen sharing on 14.6.
Stop hunting for windows.
orbrew install --cask bettercmdtab
840 stars on GitHub · Updated August 2026 · macOS 13+ · 26.7 ·