rcmd For Mac

Some keys don’t get enough love, such as the modifiers on the right side of your keyboard. Rarely used, they can get repurposed with unique functionality that may actually earn them some key presses.

rcmd takes the right Command key and gives it a new function: replacing Command-Tab by allowing you to switch between apps using dynamic hotkeys based on each app’s name. It also allows you to create static shortcuts, launch apps, hide them, and more.

rcmd’s core functionality is to allow you to switch to any open app using a combination of the right Cmd key and the first letter of the app’s name. This means that you will always intuitively know what hotkey is needed to switch to a specific app.

Of course, several apps might have names that start with the same letter. In this case, the first use of the hotkey will take you to the most recently active app, and following uses will switch to the next ones.

Another way to manage app names that start with the same letter is to create different static hotkeys for apps with conflicting names. This can be done directly with a keyboard shortcut while the app is focused: just hold down ⌘⌥ (Cmd+Opt) and press any key you would like to associate with that app.

One advantage of static hotkeys is that they can even be used to launch an application that isn’t already running. You can also specify if repeating the hotkey will hide the app or cycle to any other apps that with the same first letter.

rcmd is designed to be used entirely with keyboard shortcuts, but you do have the option to enable a GUI for when you need it. It will appear when holding down the right Cmd key, and you have three visual layouts to choose from.

While the app is also capable of window switching, this will require installing Hammerspoon because of Sandbox limitations.

As an alternative to using Cmd+Tab, rcmd is easy to recommend. It is particularly useful if you usually have a lot of apps open at the same time, as Cmd+Tab becomes very slow when you need to switch between more than two apps.