This Mac App Switcher Is Much Faster Than Command-Tab
Command-Tab is one of the most used keyboard shortcuts on my Mac. It allows me to quickly switch between open apps, which is essential to my workflow. But I often use too many apps at once, and so I started to run into the limitations of Command-Tab.
The biggest annoyance is that I have to press Tab too many times to open the app I want, since Command-Tab switches apps one at a time. So I use third-party alternatives to launch and switch between my favorite apps. My favorite is Dory ($10) — it’s fast, has a beautiful interface, and makes opening the apps I want super quick and easy.
How Dory Works
When you launch Dory, you’ll be prompted to set up a keyboard shortcut for switching between apps. I set it up by double-clicking the right Command key to avoid interfering with other macOS keyboard shortcuts. But you can use whatever shortcut you’re comfortable with. You can even use a keyboard and mouse shortcut, which is ideal for any desktop Mac user.
Dori’s app switcher can be configured to one of three layouts: list, palette, and fan. The first (list) is the simplest of the three. It displays all your open apps in a horizontal list, and you can tap on the one you want to launch. The palette layout displays your open apps in a unique layout that looks like a set of swatch cards. The fan layout uses a circular menu to list all your open apps. I like the uniqueness of the palette layout (you can see it in the header of this article), but I chose the fan layout because it perfectly combines practicality and appearance.
The Dory app switcher also conveniently displays a single letter next to your apps (e.g. F appears in Finder), and you can press that key to switch to it. This means you can open the Dory app switcher and press just one key to jump to your favorite app, which is great if your workflow involves regularly switching between 3-4 apps. If multiple apps share the same letter, the switcher will narrow the list down to just those apps.
The fan layout also has an expand animation that plays when you open it. It’s pretty neat, but if you don’t want to see it every time you switch apps, you can adjust the animation speed to make the switcher more dynamic. And if the app switcher is too small for you, all three layouts let you adjust its size. Both of these options are available in Dory’s general settings page, which opens automatically when you launch the app.
Setting up special keys to launch specific applications
My favorite feature of Dory is the ability to assign specific keys to launch specific apps. To explore this feature, go to Dory’s advanced settings. There, you can select any app on your Mac and assign it a specific launch letter. For example, you can select Ulysses and assign the letter U to the app. Then, click the rocket icon on the settings page to enable and assign the launch key. This will allow you to use Dory as an app launcher.
From here on out, simply click on the launcher shortcut, then click on the newly assigned letter to open the corresponding app. Dory will ask you to confirm your choice, and you’ll simply need to press Enter or click on the app’s tile in Dory before the app will launch. While the confirmation prompt adds an extra step, it also prevents accidental launches of apps, so I can see why the developer made Dory this way. Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip the confirmation step yet.
You can also hide certain apps from the Dory app switcher, such as those that are always open in the background but rarely used. In Dory’s advanced settings, select the app you want to hide and tap the eye icon next to it to make it visible or hidden.