Zap

Minimal macOS window switcher. Native Swift, no bloat. Inspired by AltTab — but stripped down to the essentials.

Features

• Fast window switching via configurable keyboard shortcut (default: ⌥Tab)
• Window thumbnails with async loading and caching
• App icons and window titles
• Shift+shortcut to cycle backwards
• Settings via menu bar (size slider, shortcut configuration)
• No dock icon — lives in the menu bar

Requirements

• macOS 13.0+
• Accessibility permission (prompted on first launch)
• Screen Recording permission (for window thumbnails)

Permissions

Zap needs two macOS permissions to work. You'll be prompted on first launch.

Permission	Why	What happens without it
Accessibility	Intercept the global hotkey and focus windows	Zap can't detect your shortcut or switch windows
Screen Recording	Capture window thumbnails via CGWindowListCreateImage	Switcher shows app icons only, no previews

You can manage these anytime in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Build & Run

swift run           # development
make bundle         # release .app bundle
make dmg            # release .dmg
make install        # copy to /Applications

Install

From source

1. make install
2. Launch — grant Accessibility permission when prompted
3. ⌥Tab to switch windows

From DMG download

Since Zap is not notarized with Apple, macOS will block it with a "damaged and can't be opened" warning. To fix this, run:

xattr -cr /Applications/Zap.app

Or: right-click Zap.app → Open → click Open in the dialog.

After that, grant Accessibility permission when prompted and you're good to go.

Configuration

Click the ⚡ icon in the menu bar → Settings:

• Modifier key: Option, Control, or Command
• Trigger key: Tab, Backtick, or Space
• Size: Scale the switcher panel up or down