Windows, not apps
Every window is a card with a preview, in the order you used them. The previous one is always a tap away. Without Screen Recording, the card shows the icon and Tern still switches.
1.2.1
Free, open source, no account
Alt-Tab for Mac, window by window.
Tern is a free window switcher for Mac. Press ⌥ ⇥ to switch, type to find the window, and hide the apps that just get in the way. Open source, macOS 13 or later.
macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple silicon and Intel · English and Portuguese
Not notarized by Apple yet: on first launch, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway. Step-by-step in Help.
Hold ⌥ and tap ⇥ to move. Let go to focus.
Safari
Xcode
Figma
Notes
Visual Studio Code
Terminal
Slack
Spotify
Mail
Arc
Finder
Messages
Features
The switcher your Mac is missing.
macOS ⌘⇥ shows one icon per app. Tern shows each window as a card, in the order you used them.
Type to find it
With the switcher open, start typing. “vsc” finds Visual Studio Code by the app name or the window title. Search is free.
Hide what gets in the way
⌫ takes the app out of the switcher until you bring it back. ⌥⌫ hides just that window.
Snooze
⇧⌫ hides the app for an hour. In Settings, until tomorrow or forever too.
Modes and Focus
An extra set of hidden apps. Switch it from the menu bar, or tie the mode to a macOS Focus.
Shortcuts and links
From the Shortcuts app or a tern:// link: open the switcher, hide an app, or change the mode. ⌘ W closes the highlighted window without leaving.
Shortcuts
All from the keyboard.
⌥⇥ is the default; record another shortcut in Settings. Tern intercepts it so it doesn’t also fire in the frontmost app.
- Open and move forward ⌥ ⇥
- Move back ⇧ ⇥
- Focus the window ⏎
- Search type
- Hide the app ⌫
- Snooze for 1 hour ⇧ ⌫
- Hide just the window ⌥ ⌫
- Close the window ⌘ W
- Minimize ⌘ M
- Quit the app ⌘ Q
- Close the switcher esc
Arrow keys move the selection too. While searching, ⌫ deletes text and esc clears the search: letting go of ⌥ confirms only when you haven’t typed.
tern://
Open it from anywhere.
In the Shortcuts app: open the switcher, hide an app, show it again, or change the mode. The same works from a tern:// link. Those links don’t close windows or quit apps.
tern://openopens the switchertern://hide?app=com.spotify.client&for=1hhides Spotify for an hourtern://unhide?app=com.spotify.clientshows it againtern://mode?name=Workturns a mode on; without the name, turns it off
Compare
Tern, ⌘⇥, and AltTab.
| Tern | macOS ⌘⇥ | AltTab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch window by window | Yes | No, apps only | Yes |
| Type to search | Free | No | Pro feature |
| Hide apps and windows | App, window, title, snooze | No | By app |
| Modes tied to Focus | Yes | No | No |
| Open source | MIT | No | Yes |
AltTab is more mature and is notarized. Tern is not yet: on first launch, use Open Anyway. There is a longer comparison.
no paid tier
Free.
Free.
Forever.
- Type-to-search
- App and window exclusions
- Title rules
- Snooze
- Modes and Focus
- Shortcuts and tern://
- Price
- Free
- License
- MIT
- System
- macOS 13+
- Architecture
- Apple silicon and Intel
- Version
- 1.2.1 ·
- Account and tracking
- None
If it saves you a few seconds every day…
…you can buy me a coffee. Tern is made by one person, in spare time.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Mac have Alt-Tab?
macOS does not have Alt-Tab. ⌘ ⇥ switches apps, not windows. To move between windows of the same app, the shortcut is ⌘ and the grave accent. Tern uses ⌥ ⇥ to switch window by window.
How is Tern different from ⌘⇥?
macOS ⌘ ⇥ shows one icon per app. If Safari has three windows, ⌘⇥ still treats them as a single Safari. Tern shows each window as a card, in the order you used them. You can also type to search and hide apps from the switcher, which ⌘⇥ cannot do.
Is Tern free?
Yes. Tern is free and open source under the MIT license. Type-to-search, exclusions, snooze, and modes are in the download. No account and no paid tier. If it's useful to you, you can support it on Ko-fi.
Why does Tern ask for Accessibility?
macOS only lets an app read window titles and bring a window forward with Accessibility turned on. Tern does not read window contents. Without that permission, the shortcut cannot switch windows.
Why does macOS warn on first launch?
Tern is not notarized by Apple yet. It is signed with its own certificate, and the source is on GitHub. On first launch, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway. The help page has the steps.
Can I hide an app from the switcher?
Yes. In the switcher, ⌫ hides the whole app and ⌥ ⌫ hides just that window. You can also hide by title, for an hour, or tie a mode to a macOS Focus.
How is Tern different from AltTab?
Both are open-source window switchers for Mac. In AltTab, type-to-search is a Pro feature. In Tern, search is free. Tern is built around hiding apps and windows; AltTab is more mature, is notarized, and badges windows on other Spaces. There is a comparison.
Do I need Screen Recording?
No. Screen Recording is optional and only used for card thumbnails. Without it, Tern still switches windows.
Switch windows without thinking.
Download Tern, grant Accessibility, and press ⌥ ⇥. If you already have it, the app installs 1.2 on its own.
Download for macOS