DashPane

Who It's For

DashPane is for keyboard-driven Mac users who find the default Cmd+Tab app switcher too slow or too coarse. If you frequently have ten or more apps open and spend time repeatedly pressing Tab to cycle past irrelevant windows, DashPane replaces that workflow with a fuzzy search: press a shortcut, type two or three characters, and jump directly to the app. It targets developers, writers, and power users who want sub-second context switching without a full launcher like Alfred or Raycast.

How It Works

DashPane registers a global shortcut (Ctrl+Space by default) that overlays a fuzzy search field on the screen. Type any partial substring of an app name and DashPane filters all open applications in real time — measured at roughly 0.8 seconds per switch compared to ~2.5 seconds cycling through native Cmd+Tab. Applications are listed with expandable window groups: press the period (.) key to reveal all windows for the focused app and navigate directly to a specific one.

Edge activation provides a second entry point: hover the bottom corner of the screen and scroll with two fingers to surface the switcher without any keyboard interaction. This is useful in mouse-heavy workflows where your hands aren't already on the keyboard.

The overlay uses native macOS aesthetics and supports both light and dark mode. All preferences are stored locally — no cloud sync, no analytics, no external connections.

Compared to Alternatives

Compared to macOS Cmd+Tab, DashPane is faster for large app counts: fuzzy search reaches any open app in two keystrokes, while Cmd+Tab requires cycling through every app in order. Compared to Raycast (free tier), which includes an app switcher alongside window management and general launcher capabilities, DashPane is a single-purpose tool — tighter scope but no launcher overhead. Compared to 1Piece (free), which bundles app switching with custom grid window management, DashPane focuses exclusively on the switcher experience without window positioning features.

Requirements

• macOS version: check dashpane.pro for current requirements
• Accessibility permission required
• Apple Silicon native; Intel compatibility unspecified
• $4.99 one-time, no subscription — includes all future updates
• No SIP changes required

Getting Started

Purchase from dashpane.pro and launch. Grant Accessibility permission on first run. Press Ctrl+Space to open the switcher and type to search. Reassign the activation shortcut in DashPane Preferences if Ctrl+Space conflicts with another tool. The edge activation trigger is configurable in the same preferences panel.