# alt-tabr

> A native macOS window switcher written in Rust. Lists every window, even minimized ones, in notch, carousel or Liquid Glass themes. No telemetry.

alt-tabr is a paid macOS app that replaces Command+Tab (or adds Option+Tab) with a switcher that lists every open window instead of every app. It is not affiliated with AltTab, the free open-source switcher.

## Key facts

- Price: $9 for the first 300 customers, then $29 (launch price), one-time. No subscription. Lifetime updates.
- Currency: checkout opens in US dollars; buyers can switch to their local currency. Tax is included.
- Refunds: 30-day money-back guarantee.
- License: up to 3 Macs per license; move it with Deactivate This Mac.
- Requirements: macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon or Intel (separate native builds).
- Built with: Rust and AppKit, shipped as one self-contained binary with no runtime dependencies. No Electron, no webview, no bundled third-party frameworks.
- Permissions: Accessibility only. Never asks for Screen Recording.
- Privacy: no analytics or telemetry.
- Network: goes online once per launch to confirm the license and check for updates (updates can be turned off); otherwise only when the user activates a key or clicks Check for Updates.
- Background use: no timers or polling between shortcuts; the window list exists only while the shortcut is held.

## Themes

- Notch: The default theme hangs from the camera notch, its corners flaring into the bezel. Every window gets a row; Tab moves the highlight.
- Carousel: Icons only, on either side of the notch. The next window hops across the camera into place like a merry-go-round.
- Liquid Glass: A Liquid Glass panel in the middle of the screen on macOS 26 and later, with the system's blurred material on earlier versions.

## Compared with macOS's built-in Command+Tab switcher (alt-tabr uses the same Command+Tab shortcut by default)

- Minimized windows. Built-in switcher: Stay in the Dock, so you land on an app with nothing on screen. alt-tabr: Listed with the rest, and open when you pick them.
- What you pick from. Built-in switcher: Apps: three Safari windows are one icon. alt-tabr: Windows: each one gets its own entry.
- What you see first. Built-in switcher: An app icon. alt-tabr: The window itself, brought to the front, if you turn on previews.
- While switching. Built-in switcher: Q quits an app and H hides it. alt-tabr: W closes a window and M minimizes it, as well as H and Q.
- Spaces. Built-in switcher: Every app, on every Space. alt-tabr: Every window, or only the ones on the Space you're on.

## Features (each off until turned on in Settings)

- Preview windows as you switch (Settings > Switching): Each window comes to the front as you Tab past it, so you see exactly where you'll land before you let go. Esc puts everything back.
- Close, minimize or hide while switching (Settings > Switching): Tidy up without letting go: close the selected window, minimize it, hide its app or quit it. The switcher stays open on the rest.
- Only windows on this Space (Settings > Windows): Keep each desktop to itself. The list shows only the windows on the Space you're on, including ones you minimized from it.
- Maximize with one shortcut (Settings > Window Layout): Fill the screen with the focused window, below the menu bar and clear of the Dock. It stays a normal window instead of going full screen.
- Snap windows to either half (Settings > Window Layout): Send the focused window to the left or right half of the screen, in any app, back to macOS 13. Pick Control, Option or Fn if you'd rather.

## Settings tabs: Switching, Windows, Appearance, Window Layout, General

## alt-tabr compared with AltTab Pro, AltTab Free and macOS Command+Tab

| Feature | alt-tabr | AltTab Pro | AltTab Free | macOS Command+Tab |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9 once* | From $9.99 | Free | Built in |
| Updates | Lifetime | Lifetime costs $24.99 | Free | With macOS |
| Switches between windows, not just apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Lists minimized windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Notch and carousel styles | Yes | No | No | No |
| Fill and half-screen shortcuts | macOS 13+ | No | No | macOS 15+ |
| Live window thumbnails | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Search windows by typing | No | Yes | No | No |
| Permissions it asks for (alt-tabr needs only Accessibility. AltTab also asks for Screen Recording.) | 1 | 2 | 2 | None |
| Written in | Rust + AppKit | Swift | Swift | — |
| Bundled third-party frameworks | None | Sparkle | Sparkle | None |
| Memory at idle | 12 MB | — | 143.4 MB | — |
| Memory while switching | 27.5 MB | — | 133.4 MB | — |
| CPU wakeups in 11 idle minutes | 20 | — | 36,373 | — |
| Energy in 11 idle minutes | 19 mJ | — | 2,779 mJ | — |
| Energy while switching | 2,235 mJ | — | 3,960 mJ | — |

Performance rows compare against AltTab Free; AltTab Pro wasn't benchmarked.

## Benchmarks (lower is better)

### While switching

Both switching windows nonstop for 70 seconds* on the same Mac. Lower is better.

- Memory (Average physical footprint): alt-tabr 27.5 MB, AltTab 133.4 MB
- CPU (CPU time used during the run): alt-tabr 2,559 ms, AltTab 3,394 ms
- Energy (Estimated energy used during the run): alt-tabr 2,235 mJ, AltTab 3,960 mJ
- Wakeups (Times it woke the CPU during the run): alt-tabr 247, AltTab 2,466

* A keyboard macro recorder replayed the same keystrokes for both apps, so each did exactly the same switching.

### Idle

Both left idle on the same Mac for 11 minutes. Lower is better.

- Memory (Average physical footprint): alt-tabr 12 MB, AltTab 143.4 MB
- CPU (CPU time used in 11 minutes): alt-tabr 17 ms, AltTab 3,132 ms
- Energy (Estimated energy used in 11 minutes): alt-tabr 19 mJ, AltTab 2,779 mJ
- Wakeups (Times it woke the CPU in 11 minutes): alt-tabr 20, AltTab 36,373

Measured on an Apple M1 Pro with macOS 27.0.1, October 19, 2026: alt-tabr (notch style) and AltTab (free version), sampled every second with top and powermetrics. Neither app sent or received any network traffic in either run.

Estimated battery use in a year (8 hours a day on battery, 10 minutes of it switching, 70 Wh MacBook Pro): alt-tabr 2 Wh (3% of a charge), AltTab 15.5 Wh (22% of a charge).

## FAQ

### What is alt-tabr?

A window switcher for Mac. alt-tabr replaces Command+Tab, or adds Option+Tab, with a switcher that lists every open window instead of every app, minimized windows included. It's a native app written in Rust for macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, sold once for $9 with lifetime updates.

### How is this different from the built-in Command+Tab?

It switches windows, not apps. macOS's built-in switcher shows apps, so three Safari windows are one entry. Switch to an app whose windows are minimized and they stay in the Dock. alt-tabr uses the same Command+Tab shortcut, but lists every window, minimized ones included, and opens exactly the one you pick.

### Why not just use AltTab?

Smaller, native and notch-first. AltTab is free, open source and excellent, with live thumbnails, and AltTab Pro adds search and more styles. alt-tabr is smaller in scope: one self-contained Rust binary with themes built around the MacBook notch, one permission instead of two, and nothing running while it waits for your shortcut.

### What is Rust?

The language alt-tabr is written in, chosen for speed and reliability. Rust is a programming language, known for fast, lightweight apps that rarely crash. It catches whole kinds of bugs before the app ever reaches you, the same kinds behind many crashes and security holes elsewhere. For you, that means an app that opens instantly, stays out of the way, uses little memory and battery, and keeps running without hiccups. Microsoft, Google and Amazon use Rust in Windows, Android and their cloud services for the same reasons.

### Which Macs does it run on?

Any Mac running macOS 13 or later. Apple silicon or Intel. There are separate native builds for each, so your Mac runs only code compiled for it. The Liquid Glass theme uses native glass on macOS 26 and later, and the system's blur before that.

### What permissions does it need?

Just Accessibility. Accessibility lets it list and focus windows. It reads window titles from Accessibility instead of capturing your screen, so it never asks for Screen Recording.

### Does it collect any data?

Nothing about how you use it. There are no analytics and no telemetry. alt-tabr goes online once, at launch, to confirm your license with Dodo Payments and check for updates (which you can turn off). Otherwise it only connects when you activate a key or click Check for Updates. It keeps working offline.

### Will it slow my Mac down?

No. It does nothing until you press the shortcut. Between shortcuts it sleeps: no polling, no timers, no window scanning. The window list is read when you press the shortcut and thrown away when you let go.

### Can I keep the normal Command+Tab?

Yes. Set the shortcut to Option+Tab in Settings and Command+Tab goes back to macOS's app switcher.

### Can I use one license key on more than one Mac?

Yes, up to 3 with one license key. Use it on a laptop and a desktop at the same time, for example: enter the same key on each one. There's nothing extra to buy. Getting a new Mac when all 3 are in use? Click Deactivate This Mac in Settings on the old one to free its slot. Forgot to deactivate a Mac you no longer have, or erased it first? Email alt-tabr@mohajeri.dev with your license key and the name of that Mac, and ask to deactivate it.

### Can I buy licenses in bulk for my business?

Yes, by email. Each license key covers up to 3 Macs. If your team or company needs more, email alt-tabr@mohajeri.dev with how many Macs you want to cover, and Nima will sort out bulk licenses for your business.

### Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once and keep the version you bought forever, along with every update after it.

### Which currency will I pay in?

US dollars, or your own. Checkout opens in US dollars. If you'd rather pay in your own currency, pick it from the currency menu on the checkout page and the price converts at the live exchange rate. Sales tax and VAT are already included, so the price you see is the price you pay.

### Can I get a refund?

Yes, within 30 days. There's no trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. If alt-tabr isn't for you, email alt-tabr@mohajeri.dev within 30 days of buying and you'll get a full refund.

## Links

- [Website](https://alt-tabr.com/)
- [Pricing](https://alt-tabr.com/#pricing)
- [Buy alt-tabr](https://alt-tabr.com/buy)
- [Support](mailto:alt-tabr@mohajeri.dev)
- [Privacy Policy](https://alt-tabr.com/privacy)
- [Terms of Use](https://alt-tabr.com/terms)

## Languages

The website is also published in these languages, with the same facts:

- [English](https://alt-tabr.com/) (en)
- [日本語](https://alt-tabr.com/ja) (ja)
- [한국어](https://alt-tabr.com/ko) (ko)
- [简体中文](https://alt-tabr.com/zh) (zh-Hans)
- [Français](https://alt-tabr.com/fr) (fr)
- [Deutsch](https://alt-tabr.com/de) (de)
- [Español](https://alt-tabr.com/es) (es)