Workspaces

A Workspace keeps live windows assigned to layout slots on one display and macOS Space. Hiding the editor leaves the Workspace active, so reopening it shows the same layout and window membership.

Workspaces require an active license and Enable Workspaces in Settings → Layout. Quick Layout still works without a license for placing one window at a time.

Start or reopen a Workspace

Focus a window, press Hyper + Space, then release Hyper. HyperSwitcher opens the Workspace for that window’s display and current Space. If no regular window is focused, it uses the display under the pointer.

Pressing Space while Quick Layout is open carries the selected region and its adjusted proportions into a new Workspace. If that display and Space already has a Workspace, HyperSwitcher reopens its existing layout instead.

Each display and Space can have one Workspace.

Build the layout

1. Choose a slot with the arrow keys, or H, J, K, and L when Vim navigation is enabled.
2. Focus a window by clicking it or using an app shortcut.
3. Press Return to assign the window to the selected slot.
4. Repeat until every slot is filled.

The focused window’s app icon shows a blue plus when Return will add it to an empty slot. If you select that window’s existing slot, no action badge appears because the assignment would not change.

Use While filling a Workspace in Settings → Layout to choose what happens after each assignment:

• Focus next window focuses an unassigned window automatically. This is the default.
• Keep placed window focused lets you choose the next window yourself.
• Assign newly focused windows assigns each eligible window you focus to the selected empty slot, then selects the next empty slot.

With automatic assignment, the window focused when the editor opens is only a starting point; press Return if you want to assign it. After that, focus another regular window by clicking it or using an app shortcut. This includes HyperSwitcher’s own regular windows. The Workspace pill and accessibility instructions show when the empty slot is ready, and each focus change can assign at most one window.

HyperSwitcher skips minimized windows, existing Workspace members, windows known to be on another Space, and any window focused while an occupied slot is selected. Moving to an empty slot does not assign that window retroactively; focus a different eligible window instead. A failed placement leaves the Workspace unchanged and is not retried for the same focus change.

Automatic assignment stops when the editor closes, the Workspace fills, you change Space or profile, or Accessibility permission or Workspace license access is lost.

Hold the Layout action key while pressing arrows to combine neighboring regions while building. It is Shift by default, or physical Right Shift while the second shortcut layer is available. You can also record a custom key in Settings → Layout. A Workspace can contain up to eight slots.

Press Minus or the physical Equals/Plus key to make the selected slot’s deepest row or column smaller or larger by one grid unit. Press Zero to equalize that local split. These controls work while you build a Workspace and after it is established.

If the Workspace has no assigned windows, the proportions change immediately. Once it has members, HyperSwitcher resizes every member together. If any window cannot move to its updated slot, all attempted windows return to their previous frames and the editor stays open.

After a successful placement, HyperSwitcher selects the first empty slot. Reopening an incomplete Workspace also starts with its first empty slot selected. Filling the final slot establishes the Workspace and hides the editor.

Replace a window

Reopen an established Workspace, select an occupied slot, focus the replacement window, and press Return. A blue swap badge marks the pending replacement, and the editor hides after the change succeeds.

Window assignments change only after the complete move succeeds. If an add or replacement fails, the Workspace stays unchanged and HyperSwitcher restores the affected windows to their original positions.

Show the whole Workspace

Open the editor with Hyper + Space, then press Space. HyperSwitcher restores each member to its assigned slot, hides the editor, and brings the available Workspace windows forward. This works for incomplete Workspaces too.

The Animate window placement setting also controls this restoration. When animation is on, the Workspace windows move together over the configured duration. macOS Reduce Motion disables the effect.

Minimized members stay minimized and keep their assignments. If one window cannot return to its slot, the editor stays open and HyperSwitcher puts every attempted window back where it was.

Normal app shortcuts and Workspace-window cycling focus only the requested window. Use Space in the editor when you want to show the whole Workspace.

Resize an active Workspace from Quick Layout

Focus a Workspace member, hold Hyper, and press Minus or the physical Equals/Plus key. When the Workspace has another member, HyperSwitcher adjusts the deepest row or column around the focused slot by one grid step instead of removing the window from the Workspace. Press Zero to equalize that split.

The controls keep this Workspace meaning before and after the Quick Layout preview appears. Repeated presses before the preview are applied immediately and in order.

The affected windows keep the configured layout gaps. They move together when Animate window placement is on, unless macOS Reduce Motion is enabled. If any member refuses its new frame, HyperSwitcher puts every affected window back and keeps the previous Workspace layout.

Cycle through Workspace windows

Record Cycle workspace windows in Settings → Shortcuts. The recorder is disabled with an explanation while Workspaces are off or a license is unavailable.

Press the shortcut while a Workspace member is focused to move to the next available member in visual slot order. If focus is outside a Workspace, the shortcut starts with the first available member of the Workspace on the pointer display and current Space.

Closed, missing, minimized, and off-Space members are skipped while cycling.

Move a Workspace to another display

Press Tab in the editor to move the Workspace and its assigned windows to the next display without a Workspace. HyperSwitcher skips occupied displays and leaves the Workspace where it is if no other display is free.

The move preserves the layout, window membership, selected slot, and minimized state. If any member cannot move into its destination slot, all attempted windows return to their previous positions and the Workspace stays on its original display.

Keep membership current

Maximizing a member with the Quick Layout action key temporarily zooms it without changing its Workspace assignment. Repeat the action to restore the frame currently assigned to its slot.

Other successful Quick Layout moves remove the member from the Workspace and leave its slot empty. Resizing or equalizing it with Minus, Equals/Plus, or Zero adjusts the Workspace instead. Opening or cancelling Quick Layout without moving the window leaves its assignment unchanged.

HyperSwitcher also removes closed or missing members, members moved or resized outside the Workspace, and members moved to another display or Space, the next time you use that Workspace.

Hide, delete, or end a Workspace

Press Escape, Backspace, or Forward Delete to hide the editor without ending the Workspace. A second Hyper + Space does the same. Press Command + Backspace to delete the Workspace for the current display and Space. Changing Spaces also hides the editor but leaves that Workspace attached to its original Space.

A Workspace is a live session that ends when HyperSwitcher quits, you switch profiles, turn off Layouts or Workspaces, or lose Workspace license access. Visiting its Space does not activate it automatically.

For the full selection model and Quick Layout controls, see Quick Layout.