The basics
Flick keeps a live list of every open window, most recent first. Open it, move to the window you want, and let go.
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Open Flick
Hold ⌥ and tap Tab. The panel opens with your previous window already selected.
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Move to a window
Keep holding ⌥ and tap Tab again to move down, or add ⇧ to move up. The arrow keys and the mouse work too.
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Let go
Release ⌥ and the selected window comes to the front, whichever Space it's on.
Go back in one tap
Tap ⌥Tab and let go straight away: you're back in your previous window and the panel never appears. Do it again to flip back. A quick tap of ⌥⇧Tab jumps to the window at the bottom of the list instead.
Close without switching
Press Esc, or click anywhere outside the panel. While you're searching, the first Esc clears what you typed and the next one closes Flick. In an app's window list, Esc goes back to the full list. Otherwise it closes Flick.
Find it by typing
While Flick is open, press Return or just start typing to search app names and window titles. While you hold ⌥, the letters W, M, H and Q close, minimize, hide or quit instead, so press Return and let go of ⌥ first if your search needs them. From anywhere, ⇧⌘Space opens Flick with search ready. See Search.
What's in the list
- Every window, not just apps. Each window gets its own row, from every app with a Dock icon, on every Space and display.
- Most recent first. For alphabetical order, set List order to Name A-Z in Settings › General.
- Minimized windows and hidden apps are included. Pick one and Flick restores it.
- Apps with no open windows get one row with the app's name. Pick it and Flick opens the app; apps like Finder and Mail then open a new window.
- Steady while open. The order holds still while Flick is on screen, so rows never jump. Windows that open in the meantime are added at the end.
- Left out on purpose: Flick's own windows, menu bar apps, floating palettes and panels, Picture in Picture, very small windows, and the tabs behind the front tab of a tabbed window.
Keyboard shortcuts
Almost everything in Flick works from the keyboard; only the right-click menu needs a pointer. The tables use the default ⌥ trigger.
Using ⌘Tab instead?If you chose Command ⌘ + Tab in Settings › Shortcuts, press ⌘ wherever this guide says ⌥: ⌘Tab, ⇧⌘Tab, ⌘W and so on. ⌘` also opens Flick, starting at the last window.
Open and move
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌥Tab | Opens Flick with your previous window selected. While it's open, moves down. |
| ⌥⇧Tab | Opens Flick with the last window selected. While it's open, moves up. |
| ↓ | Moves down. ⌃N and Tab do the same. |
| ↑ | Moves up. ⌃P, ⇧Tab and ⌥` do the same. |
| Hold Tab | Keeps moving while you hold ⌥, at your Mac's key repeat rate. The list wraps around at the end. |
| Let go of ⌥ | Switches to the selected window. |
While Flick is open
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Return | Starts a search. It doesn't switch: let go of ⌥ for that. |
| Start typing | Starts a search with the letter or number you typed. While you hold ⌥, W, M, H and Q are window actions instead. |
| → | Shows the selected app's windows (with Group by app). |
| ← | Goes back to the full list. |
| Esc | Closes an app's window list, or closes Flick without switching. |
| ⌥Esc | Works like Esc, even before the panel appears: closes an app's window list, or closes Flick without switching. It doesn't clear a search. |
Window actions
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌥W | Closes the selected window. |
| ⌥M | Minimizes the selected window. |
| ⌥H | Hides the selected window's app. |
| ⌥Q | Quits the selected window's app. It's a normal quit, so the app can ask you to save. |
While you're searching, ⌘W, ⌘M, ⌘H and ⌘Q do the same with either trigger. Flick stays open after each action and the list updates.
Search
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⇧⌘Space | Opens Flick with search ready, from anywhere. Press it again to close. You can change it in Settings › Shortcuts. |
| Return | Switches to the selected window, or opens the selected app. |
| ↓ ↑ | Moves through the results. Tab, ⇧Tab, ⌃N and ⌃P work too. |
| ← → | Moves the cursor in the search field. |
| Esc | Clears the search. Press it again to close Flick. |
| Editing shortcuts | ⌘X, ⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘A, ⌘Z and ⇧⌘Z work in the search field as usual. |
Searching keeps Flick openOnce you start a search, letting go of ⌥ no longer switches. Flick waits for Return, Esc or a click.
Mouse
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Click a row | Switches to that window. |
| Point at a row | Selects it, once you move the pointer. A pointer that happens to rest over the panel never changes the selection. |
| Right-click a row | Opens the right-click menu: Activate, Close Window, Quit App, Ignore App. Control-click works too. |
| Click a window count | Shows that app's windows (with Group by app). |
| Click “Enter to search” | Starts a search. |
| Click the gear | Closes Flick and opens Settings. |
| Scroll | Scrolls the list without changing the selection. |
| Click outside the panel | Closes Flick without switching. |
Search
Search finds any open window by its app name or title, and opens apps that aren't running yet.
Start a search
- While Flick is open, press Return or just start typing (while you hold ⌥, W, M, H and Q are window actions, so press Return first for words with them).
- From anywhere, press ⇧⌘Space. Press it again to close.
- Click the Flick icon in the menu bar and choose Search Windows.
- Click Enter to search in the panel.
What it matches
- App names and window titles, updated as you type and as windows open and close.
- Plain text, not fuzzy. The letters you type must appear together: “saf” finds Safari, “sfri” doesn't.
- Several words narrow it down. Every word has to match, so “safari docs” finds Safari windows with “docs” in the title.
- Capitals and accents don't matter.
- The top result is selected as you type, so Return takes you there. Results keep your list order and show one row per window, even with Group by app.
- Your filters still apply. Windows of ignored apps stay out, and so do other Spaces if Show only the active Space is on.
If nothing matches, Flick shows “No matches”.
Open apps that aren't running
Type two or more letters. When five or fewer windows match, an Apps section appears below them with up to five apps whose names match. Type “calc” and Calculator is there.
- Select an app and press Return, or click it, to open it. If no window matches, the first app is already selected.
- Apps that already have a window in the results aren't listed again.
- Flick looks in Applications, the Applications folder in your home folder, and the folders that hold macOS's own apps and utilities. Apps kept in a folder inside Applications don't appear.
- Newly installed apps appear within a minute or so.
- Ignored apps can still show up here when you type their name.
Change the search shortcut
Go to Settings › Shortcuts › Search Mode to record a different shortcut or turn it off. See Shortcuts settings.
Group by app
By default every window has its own row. To fold each app's windows into one row instead, go to Settings › General and set Tab grouping to Group by app.
- One row per app. It stands for the app's most recent window, and a count at the end of the row shows how many windows the app has (from two up).
- Switch to the app by letting go of ⌥ on its row. You land in its most recent window.
- See its windows with → or by clicking the count. Move with ↑ ↓ or Tab, then let go of ⌥ or click a window to switch to it.
- Go back with ←, Esc or the Back button.
- Return or typing in an app's window list starts a search across all your windows.
- Search results and apps without windows are never grouped.
Window actions
Close, minimize, hide or quit without leaving Flick. It stays open and the list updates.
The right-click menu
Right-click or Control-click any row:
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Activate | Switches to that window. |
| Close Window | Closes that window. Not shown for apps without windows. |
| Quit App | Quits the app normally, so it can ask you to save. |
| Ignore App | Hides the app and its windows from Flick's list and adds it to Settings › Exceptions › Ignored Apps. Remove it there to bring it back. |
Esc closes just the menu. Hide and Minimize aren't in the menu; use ⌥H and ⌥M.
From the keyboard
⌥W closes the selected window and ⌥M minimizes it. ⌥H hides its app and ⌥Q quits it. With the ⌘ trigger, or while searching, use ⌘W, ⌘M, ⌘H and ⌘Q. Close and minimize only work on window rows.
Spaces, displays and hidden windows
Other Spaces and full-screen apps
Windows on every Space are in the list, including full-screen apps, which macOS treats as Spaces of their own. Pick one and Flick takes you to its Space.
To list only what's on the Spaces you're looking at, turn on Show only the active Space in Settings › General. With more than one display, the visible Space on each display counts.
More than one display
Flick opens on the display with the pointer, at the left edge, in the center or at the right edge, depending on Position. It lists windows from every display. Switching to a window on another display doesn't move the pointer.
Minimized windows and hidden apps
Both stay in the list. Pick a minimized window and Flick restores it from the Dock; pick a window of a hidden app and Flick shows the app again first.
Settings
To open Settings:
- Click the Flick icon in the menu bar and choose Settings, or press ⌘, while that menu is open.
- Click the gear in the corner of the Flick panel.
- Open Flick again from Finder or Spotlight while it's running. This works even when the menu bar icon is hidden.
Changes apply as soon as you make them. There's no Save button.
General
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Launch at loginDefault: Off | Starts Flick when you log in. If it says Waiting for approval, click Open Login Items and allow Flick. |
| Show menu bar iconDefault: On | Shows or hides Flick's icon in the menu bar. |
| List orderDefault: Recency | Recency puts the window you used last first. Name A-Z sorts by app name, then window title. |
| Tab groupingDefault: Group by window | Group by app folds each app's windows into one row. No grouping and Group by window both show one row per window. |
| Show apps without windowsDefault: On | Lists running apps that have no open windows, one row each. |
| Show only the active SpaceDefault: Off | Hides windows on other Spaces. A full-screen app is its own Space. |
Login items live in System Settings › General › Login Items (called Login Items & Extensions on macOS 15 and later).
Appearance
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| PositionDefault: Left | Left and Right attach the panel to that edge of the screen. Center floats it in the middle. |
| Hide app namesDefault: Off | Rows show only the window title, on up to two lines. |
| Wider switcherDefault: Off | Makes the panel wider, so long titles have more room. |
| Text sizeDefault: Normal | Large makes text 20% bigger in the panel, Settings and the welcome window. |
| Ripple animationDefault: On | The wave that runs through the list when search opens. Turning it off may improve performance. |
Changes show up right away, even in a panel that's already open. The panel is always dark, whatever your Mac's appearance. On macOS 26 it's made of Liquid Glass; on macOS 14 and 15 it uses a frosted material.
Shortcuts
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable switcher shortcutDefault: On | Turns ⌥Tab (or ⌘Tab) on or off. The search shortcut keeps working either way. |
| Option ⌥ + Tab or Command ⌘ + TabDefault: Option ⌥ + Tab | The key you hold. Command ⌘ + Tab replaces the macOS app switcher (⌘Tab, ⇧⌘Tab and ⌘`) while Flick is running. |
| Enable search shortcutDefault: On | Turns the search shortcut on or off. |
| ShortcutDefault: ⇧⌘Space | Opens Flick straight into search. Reset to Default brings back ⇧⌘Space. |
To record a new search shortcut, click the shortcut field and press the keys. It has to include ⌘, ⌥ or ⌃. Esc cancels and Delete restores the default. Flick's own shortcuts pause while you record.
If your choice is normally used by macOS or by app menus, such as ⌘Space for Spotlight, a note under the field warns that Flick will take it over. A shortcut that's the same as your switcher shortcut (⌥Tab, or ⌘Tab with the Command trigger), or ⌘Tab while macOS still owns it, won't work, and the note says so.
Exceptions
Apps in Ignored Apps, and their windows, are left out of Flick's list and window search.
- Add an app: click + Add App and choose one or more apps, or right-click a row in Flick and choose Ignore App.
- Remove an app: click the minus button next to it.
About
Shows Flick's version and build number, and the Reset All Settings… button. Resetting returns shortcuts, appearance, window options and ignored apps to their defaults. It doesn't change the Accessibility permission or Launch at login.
Menu bar
Flick runs from the menu bar and has no Dock icon. While Settings or the welcome window is open, it gets a Dock icon and menus like any other app; they go away when you close the window.
| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Accessibility permission needed | Appears only while Flick doesn't have the permission. Opens System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. |
| Search Windows | Opens Flick with search ready, like ⇧⌘Space. |
| Settings | Opens Settings (⌘, while the menu is open). |
| Show Onboarding | Opens the welcome window again, where you can grant the permission and pick your shortcuts and position. |
| Quit | Quits Flick (⌘Q). If Flick was using ⌘Tab, the macOS app switcher comes straight back. |
Hide the icon
Turn off Show menu bar icon in Settings › General, or hold ⌘ and drag the icon out of the menu bar; Flick turns the setting off to match. Flick keeps running either way.
To get back to Settings, open Flick again from Finder or Spotlight, or click the gear in the panel. If Flick isn't running, this command in Terminal opens it straight into Settings:
open -a Flick --args --settingsWith the icon hidden, quit Flick from Settings: choose Flick › Quit Flick, or press ⌘Q. Removing Flick completely? See Uninstall.
Accessibility
Keyboard only
You can do almost everything without a mouse: open Flick, move, search, open apps, browse an app's windows, and close, minimize, hide or quit them. Only the right-click menu needs a pointer. The mouse never steals your place: pointing selects a row only after you actually move the pointer.
VoiceOver
The panel is labelled “Window switcher”. Each row reads the app, the window title and its state, such as minimized, full screen, app hidden or the number of windows. Rows offer a Show Actions action for the right-click menu, and grouped rows add one to show the app's windows.
Reduce Motion
When Reduce Motion is on in your Mac's Accessibility settings, Flick skips the panel's opening animation, the ripple and the slide into an app's windows, and the list jumps instead of scrolling smoothly. To turn off just the ripple, use Ripple animation in Settings › Appearance.
Larger text
Set Text size to Large in Settings › Appearance for 20% bigger text in the panel, Settings and the welcome window. This is Flick's own setting; it doesn't follow the macOS text size. Wider switcher and Hide app names give long titles more room.
Troubleshooting
The most common problems and how to fix them. For a first-time setup walkthrough, see the installation guide.
A window is missing from the list
Check whether its app is in Settings › Exceptions › Ignored Apps, and whether Show only the active Space is on in Settings › General.
Some windows are left out on purpose: menu bar apps, floating palettes and panels, Picture in Picture, very small windows, and the tabs behind the front tab of a tabbed window. If a whole app shows as a single row instead of its windows, see the next answer.
Using the free version? It switches between your 5 most recent windows; a license unlocks every window. See pricing.
An app shows one row instead of its windows
Flick asks each app for its windows through Accessibility. An app that's busy or not responding can show up late, or as a single row with its name. Flick keeps retrying, and one stuck app never slows down the rest.
Some apps draw windows that macOS doesn't report as standard windows. With Show apps without windows on (the default), such an app appears as one row, and picking it still brings the app forward.
Windows from some apps, like Slack or VS Code, don't appear
Some apps built with Electron only report their windows when asked. Flick asks automatically when it sees one of their windows on screen but gets no window list back. Bring one of the app's windows onto your current Space, then open Flick again.
Flick says it needs accessibility permissions
Click Open Accessibility Settings in the panel, or Accessibility permission needed in the menu bar menu, and turn on Flick in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. If Flick isn't in the list, click + and add it. Flick notices within a few seconds; there's no need to restart it. The installation guide walks through it.
Accessibility is on, but Flick still can't see any windows
Sometimes macOS keeps showing Flick as allowed after Flick has been replaced with a different copy, while the permission no longer applies to it. In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility, select Flick and click − to remove it, then click + and add Flick again.
⌥Tab does nothing
Check that Flick is running: look for its icon in the menu bar, or open Flick again. Holding ⌥ on its own does nothing; tap Tab while you hold it.
In Settings › Shortcuts, check that Enable switcher shortcut is on and that you're using the trigger you chose: if it's set to Command, use ⌘Tab. If another app already uses ⌥Tab, Flick can't have it. Quit that app or change its shortcut, then quit and reopen Flick, or switch Flick to ⌘Tab.
⌘Tab still opens the macOS app switcher
Flick takes over ⌘Tab only when Command ⌘ + Tab is selected in Settings › Shortcuts and Enable switcher shortcut is on. It also needs the Accessibility permission: until that's on, Flick leaves ⌘Tab to macOS so you always have a working switcher. While you're recording a shortcut in Settings, macOS gets ⌘Tab back for a moment.
Letting go of ⌥ didn't switch
You'd started a search, either by pressing Return or by typing. Once you're searching, Flick stays open until you press Return to switch, press Esc or click a row.
Typing while holding ⌥ closed or minimized a window
While you hold ⌥, the letters W, M, H and Q are window actions, not text. Typing “mail” with ⌥ held minimizes the selected window. To search for words with those letters, press Return, let go of ⌥, then type.
There are two Flick processes in Activity Monitor
That's expected while Flick is using ⌘Tab. The second one is a small safety net: if Flick ever quits unexpectedly, it hands ⌘Tab back to macOS. Leave it running.
Flick opens on the wrong display
Flick opens on the display that has the pointer. Move the pointer to the display you're working on before you press ⌥Tab.
The menu bar icon is gone
Usually Show menu bar icon was turned off, or the icon was ⌘-dragged out of the menu bar. Open Flick from Finder or Spotlight: if it was already running, Settings opens, and you can turn Show menu bar icon back on in General. If it wasn't running, that first open starts it; open it once more to get to Settings. See Hide the icon.
Questions
Does Flick collect any data?
No. Flick makes no network requests, has no analytics and needs no account. It reads window titles through Accessibility only to draw the list, and never saves or sends them. Your settings stay on your Mac. Read the privacy policy.
Why does Flick need Accessibility permission?
macOS only lets an app see, switch, close and minimize other apps' windows through Accessibility. It's the only permission Flick asks for: no Screen Recording, no Input Monitoring.
Does Flick replace ⌘Tab?
Only if you want it to. Flick uses ⌥Tab by default. Choose Command ⌘ + Tab in Settings › Shortcuts and Flick takes over ⌘Tab, ⇧⌘Tab and ⌘` while it's running. Switch back to Option or quit Flick and the macOS app switcher returns, even if Flick quits unexpectedly.
Does it work with Spaces and full-screen apps?
Yes. Windows on every Space and every display are in one list, full-screen apps included, and picking one takes you to its Space. To see only the current Space, turn on Show only the active Space.
Which Macs and macOS versions does it support?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. On macOS 26 the panel is made of Liquid Glass; on 14 and 15 it uses a frosted material.
Can Flick switch to browser tabs?
Not yet. Today Flick switches between windows. Browser tabs (Safari, Chrome, Arc and more) and editor tabs (VS Code, Cursor, Xcode) are on the way. Coming soon
Is there a free version?
Yes, and it never expires. The free version switches between your 5 most recent windows, and a one-time license unlocks every window. Flick 1.0 is coming soon; see availability and pricing.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Email [email protected] within 7 days of purchase for a full refund. See refunds for details.
Still stuck?Email [email protected] with your macOS version, your Mac and what you've tried, or visit the Support page.