OS Open Contexts: a free Mac window switcher with a sidebar and saved window groups

Hi r/macapps! I’m Sihua Zheng (zshnb), the developer of Open Contexts.

Problem

When you have several Chrome, Finder, or editor windows open, macOS Cmd+Tab gets you to the app, but you still have to find the window you want.

Open Contexts lets you switch between individual windows and organize them by task:

Cmd+Tab lists windows in most-recently-used order.
Cmd+backtick lists windows of the current app. Both shortcuts are customizable.
A sidebar on the left, right, or bottom keeps windows within reach.
Create named groups, drag windows from different apps into them, and pin their order. Groups are saved across restarts.

Groups organize the window list; they don’t reopen apps or restore desktop layouts.

Comparison

Compared with Contexts, Open Contexts adds saved custom task groups with pinned windows. Contexts offers search and trackpad switching gestures, which Open Contexts doesn’t support yet.

Compared with AltTab, the focus here is a compact title list paired with a persistent sidebar and saved task groups. If visual previews are essential to your workflow, AltTab offers those.

Pricing and permissions

$0, with all features included. Open source under Apache 2.0. No account or subscription. Requires macOS 13+.

The app requires Accessibility permission to identify and activate windows. Window and group data stays on your Mac, and the app has no built-in usage analytics. The privacy policy covers update requests and website analytics separately.

Website and download · Source code

Developer information

GitHub / projects · LinkedIn
Contact: zhengsihua.sevenine@gmail.com
Privacy Policy · Terms of Service

I’d particularly appreciate feedback on window grouping: what would make it useful in your everyday workflow?

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