orcv

Virtual displays on an infinite canvas — tmux for macOS windows

Category
Utility
WM Type
License
free
Open Source
Yes
Keybindings
Yes
Scripting
No
Last Update
2026-03-09

Features

  • Infinite Canvas With Zoom And Pan
  • Virtual Display Creation
  • Savepoints For Instant Context Switching
  • Window And Mouse Teleportation
  • Picture-In-Picture Overlay
  • Undo/Redo Navigation
  • Auto-Arrange Functionality
  • Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts

About

orcv is a macOS app that lets you create and arrange virtual displays on an infinite zoomable canvas, inspired by the mental model of tmux but built for window management. Savepoints enable instant context switching between full working environments, and a picture-in-picture overlay lets you navigate and teleport windows or your mouse between displays without losing focus. Fully open source with auditable GitHub Actions builds.

Who It's For

orcv is for developers and technical users who think about their window environment the way they think about tmux: a persistent, structured canvas that holds multiple working contexts, where you can jump between them instantly and inspect them from above. If you've ever wished you could "zoom out" to see all your windows laid out spatially, create savepoints for your current setup, and teleport a window (or your mouse) between displays without losing focus — orcv is built around that mental model.

How It Works

orcv creates virtual displays arranged on an infinite zoomable canvas. You zoom out to see all virtual displays at once, zoom in to work within one. A picture-in-picture (PiP) overlay lets you navigate the canvas and teleport windows or your mouse cursor between displays while remaining in a working window. Savepoints capture the current state of your virtual display canvas — which windows are where — and restore it instantly, similar to tmux's session save/restore. Undo/redo navigation lets you step backward through canvas states.

Compared to Similar Tools

orcv occupies a distinct niche: it's the only tool on this list that creates an infinite virtual canvas for window organization. Compared to FlashSpace (workspace manager), orcv provides spatial navigation rather than named workspace switching. Compared to Workspace+ (workspace snapshots), orcv's savepoints are more continuous and the infinite canvas model is fundamentally different. orcv is best suited to users comfortable with tmux-style persistent session management applied to a graphical window environment.

Requirements

  • macOS version: check GitHub releases for requirements
  • Free and open-source — source at github.com/jasonjmcghee/orcv
  • Auditable builds via GitHub Actions

Getting Started

Download from the GitHub releases page and launch. Grant necessary permissions. Use the overview mode to see your full canvas, create virtual displays, and place windows on them. Set up keyboard shortcuts for savepoints and PiP navigation.

Discussion