The Canopy blog

Why I built Canopy: the window switcher I wanted macOS to have

Why I built Canopy, a visual window switcher for Mac: a designer's screen full of windows, a switcher that only knew apps, and an idea borrowed from trees.

Leeah MurrayMaker of Canopy CMD

Where it all started: every Safari window as a picture, with the rest of the project one key away.

Every macOS window shortcut, ranked

Every built-in Mac keyboard shortcut for switching, hiding, tiling and finding windows, ranked by how much time each saves, plus bonus tricks people miss.

The Canopy teamCanopy CMD

One key, every window, including the minimized terminal.

Cmd+Tab was built for apps. We work in windows.

Cmd+Tab was built for apps, but your work lives in windows. Why that gap slows you down, the built-in Mac tricks that help, and how to close it for good.

The Canopy teamCanopy CMD

Get the launch email.

One email the day Canopy launches, with launch-week pricing. Nothing else.

Compare Canopy

How it stacks up against AltTab, Contexts, Cmd-Tab and Mission Control, honestly.

See the comparisons →

Canopy stories

2 posts

Why I built Canopy.

Why I built Canopy: the window switcher I wanted macOS to have

Why I built Canopy, a visual window switcher for Mac: a designer's screen full of windows, a switcher that only knew apps, and an idea borrowed from trees.

⌘Tab was built for apps.

Finding the thread again.

Cmd+Tab was built for apps. We work in windows.

Cmd+Tab was built for apps, but your work lives in windows. Why that gap slows you down, the built-in Mac tricks that help, and how to close it for good.

Focus and attention

3 posts

Leave yourself a trail.

Focus and attention

Why visual cues make interrupted work easier to resume

Visual cues help you resume interrupted work faster, but only the right kind. What memory research says about cues, and how to build louder ones on your Mac.

Focus and attention

The hidden cost of getting back to what you were doing

Getting back on task after an interruption often costs more than the interruption itself. What one field study found, and easy ways to shorten the trip back.

It was here all along.

Focus and attention

Your work is already open. Why is it so hard to find?

Can't find open windows on your Mac when everything's right there? Why open work gets buried, plus friendly fixes to make it easy to spot again.

Mac tips

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Zoom out, or step in?

Seven windows, one glance.

Mission Control vs. Cmd+Tab vs. Canopy: three different ways to navigate a Mac

Mission Control vs. Cmd+Tab vs. Canopy: what each one shows, the hidden tricks in each, where each falls short, and which to reach for when you need a window.

Too many Safari windows? Here's a better way to switch between them

Too many Safari windows open on your Mac? Why they all look alike, the built-in fixes and their catches, and a friendlier way to switch to the one you need.

Every shortcut, ranked.

Every macOS window shortcut, ranked

Every built-in Mac keyboard shortcut for switching, hiding, tiling and finding windows, ranked by how much time each saves, plus bonus tricks people miss.

Stop minimizing.

Work and personal, apart.

What changes when you stop minimizing windows

Minimizing hides windows from Cmd-Tab and Mission Control. What to do instead, the settings that help, and a one-week experiment to break the habit.

Setting up Safari profiles for work and personal

How to set up Safari profiles on a Mac so work and personal browsing stay separate: logins, history, extensions and favorites, each with its own color.

App picks

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Where the details live.

Less clutter, nothing closed.

6 Mac apps for designers who live across Figma, Photoshop, Finder and the browser

6 Mac apps for designers across Figma and Photoshop, Finder and the browser: faster folders, easier drags, lighter exports, steady fonts and windows.

More than one way through.

7 Mac apps that reduce digital clutter without making you close everything

7 Mac apps that reduce digital clutter without making you close anything: find any window, arrange them, dim the rest and carry files between them.

The best Cmd+Tab alternatives for Mac

The best Cmd+Tab alternatives for Mac, compared fairly: AltTab, DockDoor, Contexts, Witch, rcmd and Canopy, plus built-in tricks worth trying first.

One step, then the next.

5 Mac apps for ADHD-friendly creative workflows

5 Mac apps for ADHD-friendly creative workflows: catch ideas fast, shrink the first step, see time pass, find a body double and skip the long setup.

Think with your eyes.