SwitchGlass is a cool new app switcher for macOS

News
By
published
Non-Retina iMac
Non-Retina iMac (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • SwitchGlass is available now.
  • It's an app that gives you a dedicated way to switch apps.
  • It's like the spiritual successor to DragThing.

SwitchGlass is a new app that gives users more control over app switching and it was created to replace the popular DragThing app that was killed off recently.

DragThing was a 32-bit app and wasn't updated to 64-bit when macOS Catalina ceased support for older apps.

But why might you need another app switcher when macOS already has the Dock? I'll let developer John Siracusa explain.

SwitchGlass is for people who want an interface element dedicated entirely to application switching, with a customizable appearance and location for each attached display. When used alongside the Dock, SwitchGlass provides a second target for mouse-based app switching. With the Dock hidden, it provides an app-switching interface without any clutter from the other functions of the Dock.

Siracusa also covered off some of the things users can do with SwitchGlass installed.

  • Click an app icon to bring all windows from that app to the front.
  • Hold down the Shift key while clicking an app icon to bring just one window from that app to the front.
  • Right-click (or Control-click) an app icon to activate a context menu from which you can show or hide an app.
  • Drag one or more files onto an app icon to open those files with the app.
  • Hold down the Command key while clicking on an app icon to reveal the app in the Finder.

If SwitchGlass sounds like something that could improve your Mac life you can download it now from the Mac App Store for $4.99.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.