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Witch Changelog

What's new in Witch 4.6.2

Feb 14, 2024
  • Fixed a bug where vertical lists were drawn incorrectly.

New in Witch 4.6.1 (Jan 8, 2024)

  • Improved responsiveness on macOS 14 Sonoma.
  • Improved hot key support for those who use Apple keyboards alongside other keyboard types.

New in Witch 4.6 (Aug 10, 2023)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Improved reliability of switching between windows on different Spaces. (Hat tip to Anthony R.)
  • Worked around a macOS quirk that resulted in web apps failing to acknowledge they had been switched away from, thus considering themselves in focus even when they weren't. (Hat tip to Philip B.)

New in Witch 4.5.4 (Jun 7, 2023)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Switching back and forth between windows on different Spaces now works more reliably, especially when at least one of the apps involved has windows on multiple Spaces. (Hat tip to Adam G.)
  • Fixed a bug where Witch could get confused about Finder windows when there were multiple Spaces.
  • Fixed a bug where opening Witch's settings via keyboard shortcut didn't work.
  • Horizontal switchers now show the app name instead of a placeholder window title when the actual window title cannot be determined.

New in Witch 4.5.3 (Nov 26, 2022)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a bug where a mix of using Witch and switching windows or tabs manually (e.g., via mouse click) could confuse Witch's activity-based sorting. (Hat tip to Michael S. for reporting this one.)
  • Improved robustness in a scenario where an app providing nonsensical tabs info could crash Witch.
  • Improved Spaces support.

New in Witch 4.5.2 (Jul 5, 2022)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Worked around Microsoft Edge's ever-changing non-standard tabs implementation yet again. (Hat tip to Justin D. for reporting this one.)
  • Improved VoiceOver support.

New in Witch 4.5.1 (Jun 29, 2022)

  • New Features:
  • Tabs in the Opera browser are now visible to Witch.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Resolved an issue that broke tab support in Chromium-based browsers. (Hat tip to Nick T. for reporting this one.)
  • Worked around a Finder bug when using a frontmost-windows-only switcher. (Hat tip to Guo L. for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 4.5 (Nov 18, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Corrected the displayed date for the expiration of free updates. As a reminder, our apps don't have expiration dates, only our free updates do. Only the displayed date was incorrect; the internally-stored date was correct. Now both are right.
  • Suppressed "Item-0" entries related to menu bar items on new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros. (Hat tip to Leo G. for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 4.4.4 (Oct 10, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Restored tabs support for Safari 15.1, currently available with the latest macOS 12 Monterey beta.
  • Restored tabs support for Safari 15.4, currently available as Safari Technology Preview. (Yes, those were two separate problems.)

New in Witch 4.4.3 (Sep 14, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Witch no longer ignores background Safari tabs that have never been active before.

New in Witch 4.4.2 (Aug 20, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Improved compatibility with future Safari versions' tabs.
  • Witch 4.4.2 also fixes a regression in the very short-lived Witch 4.4.1, which most of you hopefully didn't encounter.

New in Witch 4.4.1 (Aug 20, 2021)

  • We don't speak about Witch 4.4.1. (See above.)

New in Witch 4.4 (Jul 22, 2021)

  • New Features:
  • Added support for Microsoft Edge tabs.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Improved support for Google Chrome.
  • Worked around an app activation bug in macOS 11.4.

New in Witch 4.3.8 (Feb 4, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a regression that caused the Witch panel to remain onscreen for a half-second or so after use, in some configurations. (Hat tip to Vincent F. for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 4.3.7 (Feb 2, 2021)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Modified packaging to hopefully eliminate macOS Big Sur quarantine issues.
  • Witch now runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

New in Witch 4.3.6 (Nov 20, 2020)

  • New Features:
  • When menu bar mode is enabled for non-cycling Actions (e.g., Deminimize All Minimized Windows), that Action's shortcut key is shown in the menu bar item. (Hat tip to Matt T. for the suggestion.)
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Removed spurious entries for non-windows in the menu bar and Control Center in Big Sur.
  • Improved compatibility with iTerm.
  • An app named Max didn't respond properly to Witch's accessibility requests, so Witch no longer tries to work with Max.
  • The minimized window marker in the Witch switcher now works in real time as long as your Dock's minimize action is set to Scale and not Genie. (Hat tip to Manfred W. for the suggestion.)

New in Witch 4.3.5 (Dec 23, 2019)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Restored support for Dark Mode in macOS Catalina. Note: A reboot may be required to see Witch in Dark Mode after installing this update.

New in Witch 4.3.4 (Oct 14, 2019)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • The Witch System Preferences panel now works properly in macOS Catalina—no more jumping tabs.
  • Witch should now be re-enabled after an update that's done when the System Preferences panel isn't in the foreground. (Hat tip to Brian H. for reporting this one.)
  • Springloading is temporarily disabled after you back out of a hierarchical menu, so that you don't immediately spring back into it.

New in Witch 4.3.3 (Apr 10, 2019)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Worked around an accessibility issue in Safari 12.1 that rendered Witch incapable of accessing Safari's tabs. (Hat tip to Marco G. for first reporting this issue.)
  • Improved compatibility with Chrome Canary. (Hat tip to Ilyna S. for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 4.3.2 (Jan 31, 2019)

  • New Features:
  • Witch's menu bar item will now display the process that activated Secure Input mode—useful info if you use Command-Tab to invoke Witch.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed an issue that prevented 'w' from closing some Chrome tabs. (Hat tip to Xinyang L. for reporting this one.)
  • Added yEd to Witch's list of apps to ignore due to Accessibility API issues.

New in Witch 4.3.1 (Nov 9, 2018)

  • New Features:
  • Added support for Mojave's Dark Mode
  • Oooooh look at that shiny new icon! (You really won't be able to see it in System Preferences, so check it out in a Finder icon view window.)
  • Added explanatory text for missing preview images on hidden and minimized windows. (Hat tip to Rick O. for the suggestion.)
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Worked around an issue switching between Chrome tabs across multiple Spaces, and/or involving full screen windows.
  • Fixed a memory leak.
  • Witch's switcher panel should no longer appear in front of Mojave's AppleScript permissions dialog.
  • Fixed a problem where left-mouse dragging wasn't recognized.

New in Witch 4.3.0 (Sep 24, 2018)

  • New Features:
  • Witch now supports the Touch Bar—you'll see a basic app-only switcher there when the Witch panel is onscreen.
  • The 'e' key will now open the selected item in the switcher, for easier one-handed switching. (Hat tip to Szabolocs K. for the suggestion.)
  • Added a checkbox to the "Outline minimized windows with color" option on the Appearance tab.
  • Added a checkbox to disable AppleScript-based cross-Space switching, which will trigger a dialog in Mojave each time it's used to access a not-yet-seen-before app from Witch's switcher.
  • Added a checkbox to disable showing Mail's unread badge count in the switcher.
  • Hierarchical apps > windows switchers now let you close, minimize, or zoom windows via the parent app's icon in the switcher.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Restored support for listing tabs from Chrome 69.
  • Improved Chrome switching in certain multi-full-screen window situations. (Hat tip to Normen M. for the suggestion.)
  • Tabs from iTerm's preferences window no longer appear in the switcher.
  • Sped up the closing of windows/quitting of apps from the switcher.
  • Search is now always active; a checkbox in Advanced controls whether or not the search field is selected while cycling through the switcher. (You can always get to search by pressing 's'.)
  • Fixed resizing of the System Preferences window as you switch tabs in Witch's preferences on macOS Mojave.
  • Fixed an incorrect link in Witch's help. (Hat tip to Simon R. for finding this one.)

New in Witch 4.2.0 (Apr 12, 2018)

  • New Features:
  • An Action's tab handling options can now be different for frontmost windows and all windows.
  • Optionally activate the menu bar switcher via a keyboard shortcut.
  • Optionally display the frontmost app's icon—instead of the standard Witch switcher icon—in the menu bar switcher.
  • Added a built-in log message viewer to make it easier for us to help you.
  • Witch's help now includes information on how to use three new Witch features…just try to guess which three.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Greatly improved mini window previews. (Hat tip to Weijia S. for reporting this issue.)
  • Sorting of search matches when searching a single app's windows should now be more logical.
  • Hidden apps' icons are now translucent in the switcher.
  • iBooks can be switched to, though only to one window (due to Accessibility API issues with iBooks).
  • Improved spacing for vertical switchers.
  • Login window should no longer show in the switcher.
  • Worked around an issue with JetBrains' apps when they are located on inactive Spaces.
  • Fixed a rare but painful crashing bug that affected some users.
  • Improved the Mail badge checking script.
  • Solved an issue that caused multiple LaunchBar windows to appear in the switcher.
  • Fixed an issue with accessory windows and "Hide Others." (Hat tip to Rick O. for reporting this one.)
  • Ignore Hidden Windows now works for hidden apps when switching apps only in activity order. (Hat tip to Ben A. for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 4.1.0 (Jun 8, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • Mail's unread messages badge now shows in Witch. (We cannot get Messages unread message count, sorry.)
  • The period key can be used to dismiss the Witch panel, regardless of what it's currently displaying.
  • A soon-to-be-public Badge API helps other developers send their app's badge icon data to other programs, like Witch.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Improved speed of switcher's appearance when working with slow-to-respond apps.
  • Cross-Space switching should be more reliable.
  • Relocated the help button to a more-visible location.
  • Improved fuzzy search logic.
  • Vertical panels no longer resize their width when closing/quitting entries on the list.
  • Fixed a memory leak associated with using pop-up window previews and mini window previews.
  • Lots of little changes to improve Witch's appearance and performance.

New in Witch 4.0.0 (Mar 30, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • Switch between open tabs in many apps. This even works in Safari (and maybe some other apps) in pre-Sierra versions of the OS.
  • Switch only apps, ignoring windows and tabs.
  • Set up multiple switchers—one for apps, one for apps and windows and tabs, etc.—on different hot keys.
  • New horizontal layout, like the built-in ⌘-Tab.
  • Blacklist apps (such as virtual machine app) where you don't want Witch's hot keys active.
  • A checkbox in Advanced tells Witch to bring all windows of the selected app forward (instead of just the chosen window) on switch.
  • Two new keys in the switcher: R brings all windows forward, instead of just the chosen window (if you haven't enabled the above-listed feature), and G takes a screenshot (saved to your desktop) of the switcher.
  • Make the switcher list sort from bottom-to-top (or right-to-left) instead of the default top-to-bottom (left-to-right).
  • New menu bar mode—any switcher can be used on screen, via the menu bar, or both.
  • Search for apps, windows, and tabs by typing—search uses fuzzy logic to show all potential matches.
  • See windows from menu-bar only apps.
  • Sort the switcher by the order of your apps in the Dock.
  • Spring-load apps and windows, so Witch automatically drills down after a specified delay.
  • Fast switching (i.e. releasing your modifier keys before the switcher panel appears) now always takes you to the last active app/window/tab, regardless of the action's sort order.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Witch no longer relaunches its background process whenever you open its preference pane after launching System Preferences. So now you can change settings without losing your frontmost window history, or your references to windows on other Spaces. (The background process still relaunches when you update Witch, obviously.)
  • Window activity sorting is now less likely to get confused by switching across spaces.
  • Witch no longer auto-skips the first window in a list when there are no app placeholders and the frontmost app has no windows.
  • Reopen placeholders (known as Activate in older versions of Witch) now bring all of the selected app's windows to the front, like clicking an app icon in the Dock does.
  • Switching (back) to Acorn should now work more reliably.

New in Witch 4.0 Beta (Dec 24, 2016)

  • Horizontal switcher:
  • Obviously, Witch now has a horizontal mode. And anything you can do with “vertical Witch” you can also do with “Horizontal Witch.” But more on that in a bit…
  • Switch to tabs:
  • That’s right, tab support! Witch can now switch directly to any tab in many apps, including the biggie, Safari…
  • “What other apps’s tabs will work?,” I can already hear you asking. Any app that uses the built-in support for tabs in macOS should work just fine. So all of Apple’s apps work, obviously, but so do Chrome and Opera. (Firefox, iCab, OmniWeb, and Vivaldi don’t use the system-provided tab feature, so their tabs won’t show in Witch. If you want browser tabs with Witch, use Safari, Chrome, or Opera.)
  • Switch to non-standard windows:
  • If you’re like me, your toolbar is full of useful add-ons, things like Moom and Keymo, and maybe even some stuff from other developers.
  • The windows that open from these menu bar apps aren’t normal—they don’t show in the Command-Tab switcher, for instance. But they do show in Witch 4.
  • No more window shuffling to find that one settings window!
  • Multiple switchers:
  • Witch 4 lets you have many switchers—one vertical and one horizontal, for instance.
  • Each switcher can be set to show windows or just apps. Each can have a different sort order. Each can separately list tabs or not. You get the idea. There are many actions to choose from, too.
  • These were all choices in the old version of Witch…except for that first one, which when used with a horizontal switcher, gives you a nicer-looking alternative to the built-in Command-Tab switcher. And now you can easily add and remove any of these actions from your collection of active switchers.
  • Search window titles:
  • Even with Witch, switching between many open windows can be time consuming—you have to find that one particular window in a potentially huge list of windows. But with Witch 4, it’s easy.
  • Switch via the menu bar:
  • Witch 4 includes an optional menu bar mode that can be added to any and/or all actions you create.
  • Switch apps via the menu bar. Switch windows and tabs via the menu bar. Switch just the frontmost app’s non-minimized windows and tabs via the menu bar. The possibilites are endless…well, no, that’s a cliche, they aren’t endless. But they are many!

New in Witch 3.9.9 (Aug 9, 2016)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixes a bug where email addresses with dot characters in their user name part weren't accepted for license crossgrades.
  • The switcher panel now comes with a blurred background by default. (If you have a custom background color set, uncheck it to see the effect.)

New in Witch 3.9.8 (Jul 27, 2016)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the App Store version of Witch from working in macOS Sierra public beta.
  • Fixed a bug where some entries wouldn't cast a shadow regardless of the user's shadow preferences.
  • Removed Spaces support from the App Store version of Witch (details and solution).

New in Witch 3.9.7 (Feb 1, 2016)

  • New Features:
  • A new option allows showing the switcher panel on the display with the frontmost window
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Updated the Sparkle in-app update mechanism to use a secure connection (HTTPS)
  • Witch now lists standard windows, such as that of Photos, that lack title information

New in Witch 3.9.6 (Sep 28, 2015)

  • Fixed an issue with OS X 10.11 El Capitan's Gatekeeper.

New in Witch 3.9.5 (Jun 12, 2015)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Worked around an issue where raising a window on another display didn't make the display active.
  • Some Yosemiteization has been done.
  • iBooks books listed with a generic title, as they lack an official title. But at least they're listed.
  • Now requires OS X 10.8 or newer.

New in Witch 3.9.4 (Aug 7, 2014)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Prepared for upcoming Gatekeeper changes.

New in Witch 3.9.3 (Oct 21, 2013)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Updated how-to-enable instructions for Mavericks users.
  • Added a workaround for XtraFinder.
  • Other minor bug fixes.

New in Witch 3.9.2 (Oct 2, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • Added high resolution graphics for retina display Macs.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Worked around some issues with Desktops (née Spaces) in Mountain Lion.
  • Resolved an issue that prevented preview images from appearing. (Hat tip to Lars for finding this one.)
  • Worked around duplicate entries for Total Finder in the switcher panel.

New in Witch 3.9.2 Beta (Aug 3, 2012)

  • Thanks to our dedicated Mountain Lion testers (that’d be all of you), we’ve been able to identify and, we hope, resolve a couple of issues with Witch. But before we release this in general, we’d like your help testing it—we’re particularly interested in those who use Spaces, image previews, and Total Finder.
  • Fixed in this beta:
  • The pop-up window previews should now work again; some users reported they failed to work in Mountain Lion.
  • Multiple Desktop (Spaces) support is back, mostly. In Mountain Lion, Witch can once again display entries for windows on other Desktops, but we can’t provide Desktop numbers for those windows. (Those numbers, though, were mostly bogus in Lion anyway, as the OS could and did change the numbering at any time.) Instead, you’ll see a gray outline rectangle around the icon for windows on other Desktops.
  • While not directly Mountain Lion related, this build also includes a workaround for duplicate Total Finder windows in the Witch switcher panel.
  • Further details regarding this Beta version are available at http://manytricks.com/blog/?p=2295.

New in Witch 3.9.1 (Jun 5, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • Added ability to enable or disable font smoothing in the Witch switching panel. (Smoothing off = thinner fonts.)

New in Witch 3.9.0 (Apr 18, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • Added a Font pop-up menu to the Behavior tab, to allow users to choose their own switcher font.
  • Added a visual indicator for shortcuts created using keys on the numeric keypad. (Hat tip to Darren C. for the suggestion.)
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Witch will now work much better with Butler, Teleport, and Synergy.
  • Hot keys (such as z for zoom, m for minimize) affecting the frontmost window now work in more applications, including Chrome.

New in Witch 3.8.0 (Mar 1, 2012)

  • Witch's switcher panel will now scroll, if necessary, to display the full list of open windows.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • With debug logging enabled (defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "PMDebugLog" -bool YES), Console will show how long it took each application to reply to Witch's "please list your open windows" queries.
  • A change in the Apple bold system font may leave Witch's panel font looking a bit thick for your liking. Use this hidden default to use an alternative font: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Alternate Panel Font" -bool YES
  • Other minor changes and bug fixes.

New in Witch 3.7.0 (Jul 1, 2011)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Ready for use with certain new features of certain future operating systems.
  • Cyrillic equivalents of w, q, etc. for closing, quitting, etc. now work properly.
  • Fixed a bug that caused window ordering to change when closing windows from the switcher using certain sort orders and keyboard shortcuts.

New in Witch 3.6.3 (Apr 13, 2011)

  • A problem causing double windows to appear in Total Finder has been fixed.
  • Prepared Witch for Lion's impending release.
  • Witch now works properly with Xcode 4's new windowing scheme.
  • (App Store version only) Witch is now better at updating the status (on/off) of both Spaces and Assistive Devices.

New in Witch 3.6.2 (Mar 3, 2011)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • The backtick/tilde key on US keyboards now automatically works for "cycle backwards" in Witch's switcher panel, and doesn't need to be mapped as a keystroke. So if you're using Option-Tab to cycle forward through windows, press Option-` after the switcher panel appears to cycle backward through the windows. (Hat tip to Dan B. for reporting this one.)
  • Certain applications, including Path Finder, will no longer show two entries for each window in the switcher panel. (Hat tip to elithebarrowboy for reporting this one.)

New in Witch 3.6.1 (Feb 17, 2011)

  • New Features:
  • Now displays untitled windows from many applications—including Mail drafts without subject lines, and Elgato's applications. (Use the pop-up preview to see the contents of untitled windows.)
  • A new slider controls how long Witch will wait for slow-responding applications before giving up and displaying the switcher panel without those programs' windows.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Users with Matrox multi-display graphics modules on their laptops can now use Witch more successfully. (Please contact us for further assistance.)
  • The setting for enabling/disabling pop-up window previews has been moved to the Appearance tab (to make room for the timeout delay slider).

New in Witch 3.5.8 (Jan 12, 2011)

  • New Features:
  • Windowless apps can now be forced to the bottom of the switcher panel (when in application-specific sort modes) via a hidden defaults command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Punish Windowless Applications" -bool true [Hat tip to Andy S. for the suggestion.]
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a typo in the Behavior panel. [Hat tip to Ned F. for spotting this one.]
  • Minor other changes and fixes in various areas, including updated help files.

New in Witch 3.5.6 (Dec 8, 2010)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • The Witch panel can no longer get 'stuck' onscreen in rare circumstances. [Hat tip to Nick D. for the report.]
  • Tweaked internal timers to prevent possible disappearance of Witch panel in rare situations. [Hat tip to Nick F. for the report.]
  • Reduced default fade-out duration for the Witch switching panel.
  • Added a hidden pref to completely disable Witch's fade-out effect: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Panel Fades Out" -bool NO [Hat tip to Chris P. for the suggestion.]
  • Added a hidden pref to disable hidden windows' icon overlay: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Show Minimized Bevels" -bool NO

New in Witch 3.5.5 (Sep 21, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Witch's Exceptions (on the Behavior tab) now work better with the * wildcard—you can use one or more to indicate matches for any one or more characters. So *fish*boat will match starfisherboat, ourfishaboating, etc.
  • Witch now works very well with App Tamer, a utility that allows you to freeze programs when they're in the background. Thanks to St. Clair Software for helping us figure out how to make these two programs work together.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Changed the algorithm for how Witch handles non-responsive windows. The end result should be fewer delays in waiting for the Witch panel to appear when certain programs are busy in the background.

New in Witch 3.5.4 (Sep 9, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Added ability to place Witch panel on display containing the mouse (instead of the one with the menu bar).

New in Witch 3.5.3 (Aug 16, 2010)

  • Witch now properly displays keys set in the Additional Actions section of the Triggers tab.
  • When the 'Releasing all modifier keys activates the selected window' option is unchecked, Witch now properly respects the switcher panel delay setting, and won't show its window if you release the activation keys before the delay time is reached. If you prefer the old behavior, you can get it back by quitting Witch, opening Terminal, and running this command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Activate On No Modifiers (Ignore During Panel Delay)" -bool TRUE

New in Witch 3.5.2 (Jul 7, 2010)

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed an inconsistency in how Witch handles apps with windows in other Spaces, when Spaces support is disabled.
  • Fixed a bug that occurred when a user had set the keyboard repeat rate to 'off.'

New in Witch 3.5.1 (Jun 23, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Added a new Gradient slider to the 'Selection background color' option on the Appearance tab.
  • Previews can now be activated on demand only via the 'P' key (or the Space Bar)—so you can leave previews disabled in Witch's preferences, but still use them when you want them. (Hat tip to Matt Neuburg for the suggestion.)
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a problem where the timer for previews wasn't calculating correctly. (Hat tip to James Riordon for reporting this one.)
  • Fixed a briefly-appearing translucent shell that appeared on fast switching. (Hat tip to Andrew Chadwick for reporting this one.)
  • Removed some needless Console messages. (Hat tip to Matt Neuburg for noticing the spewage.)
  • Upgraded help system now supports search, and it's ready for more features in the future.

New in Witch 3.5 (Jun 14, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Show a live preview of every open window—just leave a window selected for two seconds (changeable) in the switcher to see its preview.
  • Added a pref to control the interval before the live preview window appears (including Never and No Delay).
  • Optionally use a small version of the live preview in place of the usual icons in the switcher.
  • Added a pref to let the selector wrap around (as it does when using the keyboard) when scrolling via a scrollwheel or trackpad. (Hat tip to Gabriel von Heinje for the suggestion.)
  • Added in-app purchasing, to ease the buying process.
  • Space number badges now scale with the size of the Witch switching panel.
  • The Space number badges checkbox now has two states. When checked, badges will be shown for all Spaces, including windows in the current Space. When shown as a minus sign (mixed state indicator), badges will not be shown for windows in the current Space. (Hat tip to Carl Jacobsen for the suggestion.)
  • Jump to the top (T, Home) or bottom (B, End) of the window list via keyboard shortcuts. (Hat tip to Nicholas Sloan for the suggestion.)
  • Added a hidden pref to use only Quick Look previews, instead of previews for all windows. Disable Witch first, then use this Terminal command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Use Quick Look For Previews" -bool TRUE — we're not sure why anyone might want this, but just in case they do, it's there.
  • Added a hidden pref to change the size of the 'selected item' highlight in the window list. Disable Witch first, then use this Terminal command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Selection Style" -int n — replace n with 1 or 2 to see the two options; set it to 0 for the default. (Hat tip to Gabriel von Heinje for the suggestion.)
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fast toggling between windows when only two apps are open now works. (Hat tip to Javier Ruiz Hidalgo for reporting this one.)
  • Switching between the last two windows now works properly when one of the apps is on Witch's 'ignore' list. (Hat tip to Daniel for reporting this one.)
  • Switching now works properly after closing the last open window of the frontmost application, even when 'skip when cycling forward' is enabled.

New in Witch 3.2 (May 25, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Spaces support for users of Mac OS X 10.6 and newer. If you've enabled Spaces, Witch will default to showing all windows from all Spaces (you can disable this on the Behavior tab). You can also (on the Appearance tab) enable Spaces badges (and set their color), which will show the Space number for each window.
  • Witch will now optionally (via a setting on the Appearance tab) use document-specific icons whenever possible. You can also optionally display the owning application as a badge on the document icon, if you wish. (Hat tip to Zak Saurin for the suggestion.)
  • Press A (and Shift-A) with the Witch panel visible to jump from one program to the next, regardless of the number of open windows associated with each program.
  • Press J and K to cycle down and up through the Witch panel—this is the new vi mode for command line fans. (Hat tip to Jason Ish for the suggestion.)
  • Press F with the Witch panel visible and a document window (or app with no windows open) selected, and that document (or app) will be revealed in Finder.
  • Created a preference setting, on the Behavior tab, to control the delay before Witch's panel appears (defaults to 0.2 seconds).
  • Colors for both Spaces and Shortcut badges can now be controlled on the Appearance tab.
  • Modifier keys can be set independently (left and right side behave as separate keys) if you enable the behavior in Terminal with this command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Require Exact Modifier Key Matches" — disable Witch before using that command. (Hat tip to Olivier for asking that we 'unfix' this bug we fixed in Witch 3.1. Also, please note that you might have to re-define your hot keys to actually make this work.)
  • Added a Send Feedback link to the About panel, to make it easier for you to let us know about Witch problems, features, etc.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Reorganized the preference pane to better reflect the function of certain preferences.
  • Further updates to help files to reflect new structure and features.
  • Solved a problem with license filenames saved from webmail applications in Safari.
  • An outdated 'Update available' status message is no longer seen on the About tab immediately after updating.
  • App name fallbacks no longer display file extensions.
  • Worked around a caching issue that could prevent users from upgrading from Witch 2 to Witch 3 under certain conditions.

New in Witch 3.1 (Apr 30, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Added a tiny delay prior to showing the Witch panel, so Witch won't appear on screen if used as a fast-toggle between windows.
  • Hidden windows are now indicated by slightly translucent icons.
  • Hidden windows can now be grouped together (as can minimized windows; see this hint) via this Terminal command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Separate Hidden Windows" -bool true
  • Extra spacing between apps when grouped by app can now be set to zero, via this Terminal command: defaults write ~/Library/Application\ Support/Witch/Settings "Do Not Space Applications" -bool true
  • License files can now be double-clicked in your license email to automatically install them in Witch.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • Fixed a major memory leak; you should now see stable (and much lower) memory usage, varying mostly based on the number of open windows you're actively switching between - many users reported this problem. (On a side note, Peter would like to take this opportunity to express his long-standing heartfelt aversion to garbage collection.)
  • Help files have been rewritten (English only) to match version 3's features.
  • If you haven't set Command-Tab as a Witch trigger, we won't trap those keystrokes. This should eliminate the 'fast cycling' (built-in) Mac OS X switcher, as well as hopefully prevent loss of keyboard control for some Spaces users.
  • Now properly assigns both the left and right side Command key in Command-Tab combos - reported by brokentoken.
  • Glass trackpad equipped Macs (and Magic Mouse-using Mac users) will see greatly improved trackpad- and mouse-based scrolling - reported by mietek.
  • Clicking a window's title bar no longer disables Witch when you've set the keyboard shortcut to Command-Tab - reported by Thomas Stapleton.
  • Witch's panel no longer opens behind any Open or Save dialogs - reported by littleallan99.
  • Command-Escape can now be assigned as a shortcut again - reported by Andre.
  • Long application names are now restricted to 50% of panel width whenever the panel's maximum width is exceeded (thanks 'Logitech Harmony Remote Software' for showing us this was a problem).
  • Cleaned up the presentation of Parallels Desktop's windows in Witch: In Coherence Mode, we now show a list of windows while hiding the dummy apps, whereas in Crystal Mode, we show only the dummy apps. This is the best we can do, given the limitations of how Parallels implemented their window management.
  • Worked around an update framework issue that resulted in wrong "last checked" dates being displayed for automatic update attempts under certain circumstances.
  • Worked around a System Preferences caching issue that made Witch display pre-update version numbers after updating via double-click.
  • Version and build numbers in Witch's About tab can now be copied and pasted, making it easier for you to tell us which version of Witch you're running. (The first number in parentheses is the build number for the preference pane; the second is the number for the daemon that runs in the background.)

New in Witch 3.0 (Apr 8, 2010)

  • New Features:
  • Implemented the single most-requested feature ever: You can now use Command-Tab and Shift-Command-Tab (or Command-`) to trigger Witch, effectively replacing Mac OS X's built-in application switcher.
  • Witch now closes windows and quits applications on the fly, just like Mac OS X's application switcher does. (If you prefer the old behavior where those things didn't happen until Witch went back into hiding, check the corresponding checkbox near the bottom of the Behavior section of Witch's preference pane.)
  • Control the width of the Witch panel, so that windows with extra long titles—such as those found on many web sites—don't make the Witch window incredibly wide.
  • Witch now supports saving your Appearance settings (see the Presets pop-up). You can then easily revert to a saved version, or share your appearance settings with other users.
  • Changing Witch's appearance settings now brings up a live preview if Witch is enabled.
  • Witch now runs in 64-bit mode if required, so you don't have to restart System Preferences when accessing Witch's preferences on Mac OS X 10.6 anymore.
  • Automatic updates via Sparkle.
  • Activate (just brings a given application to the front) and Relaunch (might also open a new window, just like clicking a Dock icon might) items are now displayed less obtrusively for applications that don't have any open windows.
  • The abovementioned Activate items for applications that don't have any open windows are now enabled by default. (As always, see the Behavior section of Witch's preference pane to change this to your liking.)
  • Mirroring the Command-Comma preferences key combo found in most Mac OS X applications, hitting the Comma key while Witch is on screen now opens Witch's preference pane.
  • Available languages: English, French, German.
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements:
  • When installing a newer version of Witch (such as this one) over an existing one, Witch's background process is now restarted automatically. So there's no need to manually disable and re-enable Witch during updating anymore.
  • Fixed an issue that would prevent Witch from quitting when disabled.
  • Fixed various other minor bugs.
  • Added display of build numbers in the About panel to help with troubleshooting

New in Witch 2.0.2 (Nov 3, 2008)

  • [new] To make minimized windows more discernible, their icons are now displayed inside their own little "docks". (You can edit those docks' border color in the "Appearance" section of the Witch preference pane.)
  • Available languages: English, French, German.

New in Witch 2.0.1 (Jun 24, 2008)

  • [fixed] KeyCue no longer interferes with Witch's windows selector.
  • [new] Icon by Lars Herrmann.
  • [new] French localization by Ronald Leroux.
  • Available languages: English, French, German

New in Witch 2.0 (Apr 22, 2008)

  • [new] You can now have Witch display shortcuts for jumping to windows directly ("Behavior" > "Windows List" > "Show shortcut badges").
  • [fixed] Sorting windows by window activity is now much more reliable. (This issue was known as "the iTerm bug".)
  • [improved] Updated Witch's source code and user interface in numerous places to make Witch work better with Mac OS X 10.5. (Some users may have noticed those rather dramatic console.log messages concerning some deprecated CoreGraphics functions that were logged for older Witch versions, for instance.)
  • Available languages: English, German.

New in Witch 1.0.2 (Feb 15, 2008)

  • Both Witch's preference pane and the background process are universal binaries now. This means that Witch runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.
  • Available languages: English, French, German