Ever since I got my Mac I haven’t felt very productive as I was on Windows. I know it will just take me a while to build up speed with OS X but this application will help me out a lot. On Windows whenever you Alt + Tab you get a list of the open windows. Whenever you Command + Tab on a Mac you get a list of the running applications. I really prefer the Windows way because I like to quickly get to the window I am needing access to.

Whenever you are simply switching between running applications you have to take a couple of steps, you have to switch to the application and then you have to select with your mouse which window in that application you are wanting to focus in on. The less I have to take my hands off of my keyboard the more productive I am.

I have my old Windows keyboard connected to my Mac through my KVM switch. This allows me to be even more productive, at least on my setup. I can use the Alt + Tab command on my Windows keyboard and it will bring up the Witch task manager. I can quickly go to the window I need access to. This is really great for instant messaging because I can quickly get to the IM window and then back to the application I was previously working in.

The installation is pretty simple although I think the ReadMe file is wrong. In the instructions it says to place the file in a folder called “PreferencePanes” in either the system Library folder or in your user directory’s Library folder. The folder, on my system, was not there so I created it and dumped the file there and simply double clicked on the file.

Once you get to the System Preferences part of the application it is a little bit confusing, in “Universal Access” you have to check the box beside “Enable access for assistive devices.” Once you do that you can turn Witch on.

There are a lot of customization options for Witch, which I have not even began to look into. They honestly look complicated and I just haven’t had time to fool with them. So far though, the application works really well and has made me much more productive with my Mac.

Witch Homepage