What is Contexts?
Contexts replaces macOS's Command-Tab with a window-based switcher. Press Control-Space and a search field appears: typing a few characters from an app name or window title filters the list, acronym matches sort first, and once you have picked a window for a query that query always selects it. It also provides its own Command-Tab and Command-Backquote switchers that list windows separately, an auto-hiding sidebar grouped by Space, and a two-finger scroll gesture that steps through windows from the edge of the trackpad. A licence costs $9.99 and a free trial is available. The app is commercial and closed source, and its most recent release is 3.9.0.
Verified product facts
- Type
- window switcherEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- One-time purchaseDeveloper-stated
- Price
- USD 9.99(US App Store)Developer-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Current version
- 3.9.0Developer-stated
- Official website
- contexts.co/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
What Contexts does
Switch between application windows effortlessly — with Fast Search, a better Command-Tab, a Sidebar or even a quick gesture. Free trial available.
What you can use Contexts for
- Switching directly to one of many open windows of the same app
- Finding a window by typing two or three characters rather than cycling through a list
- Moving between windows spread across several Spaces or more than one display
- Replacing Command-Tab with a switcher that lists windows rather than applications
Who is Contexts for?
- Mac users who keep many windows of the same app open
- People who work across several Spaces or several displays
Who is Contexts not for?
- Anyone who needs free software — Contexts is paid and closed source
- Users who want the Dock or the menu bar replaced — Contexts only changes how windows are selected
Limitations
- The most recent release is 3.9.0, published on 27 August 2022
- The site states the app works on macOS Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia but publishes no single minimum version; the changelog's last explicit statement was Catalina and Big Sur
- It is closed source and no licence text beyond the end-user agreement is published
- A licence costs $9.99; there is no free tier, only a trial
Strengths and trade-offs
What Contexts does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Search-based switching reaches a window in two or three keystrokes rather than cycling through a list.
- Search shortcuts make a query deterministic: once you pick a window for a query, that window is always the first result for it.Developer-stated
- Handles multiple Spaces and multiple displays, including a sidebar per display and filtering that excludes off-screen windows.
- Native Apple Silicon support, added in version 3.9.0.
- A free trial is offered, so the switcher can be tried against your own window habits before paying.
Trade-offs
- A licence costs $9.99, where several window switchers are free and open source.Editorially reviewed
- The most recent release is 3.9.0 from August 2022, so the app is not under active release cadence.
- The site states which macOS versions it works on but does not publish a single minimum version.Editorially reviewed
- It is closed source, so the switcher cannot be inspected or built independently.Editorially reviewed
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the disk image from contexts.co and drag the app into Applications; the same download is the free trial.
- First launch
- The app runs as a free trial until a licence is bought from the developer's store.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Can take over Command-Tab and Command-Backquote with window-based switchers, and can be given its own keyboard shortcuts; modifier keys are recognised separately on the left and right, so Fast Search can be bound to one side only.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
Four ways to reach a window
Contexts offers the same destination through four different interfaces, which is unusual — most switchers pick one.
Search is the one the developer leads with. Press Control-Space, type a few characters, press Return. Matching is deliberately loose: characters may appear anywhere in the app name or the window title, and they need not be consecutive. Matches at the start of the app name, or of a word in the window title, score higher, so typing the acronym of a window’s title usually puts it first. Once you have chosen a window for a given query, that choice is remembered and the same query selects it from then on — which is what makes the system deterministic rather than merely fast.
Fast Search is search without a window: hold a modifier key, type one or two characters, release. Contexts distinguishes the left and right versions of each modifier key, so Fast Search can be bound to, say, the left Option key only.
A replacement Command-Tab and Command-Backquote list windows separately rather than collapsing them into their app, which is the specific complaint the developer makes about the built-in switcher. The list can be filtered by Space and sorted so that rarely used windows sink to the bottom or disappear. Command -W, -Q, -M and -H act on the selected item.
A sidebar and a gesture. The sidebar groups windows by Space, shows Dock-style count badges and auto-hides; each display can have its own, listing only the windows on that display. The gesture does the same job without moving the cursor: start scrolling with two fingers from the top edge of the trackpad at either end, and the list appears and moves with your fingers.
Spaces and multiple displays
Contexts is built for people who use several Spaces or more than one display. The switcher appears on every display by default rather than on one, so it is always in front of you, and the sidebar can be per-display. Filtering by Space is available in the search window, the switchers and the sidebar, and it can be set to include windows from all Spaces, only visible and full-screen Spaces, or only what is currently on screen.
Pricing, trial and release cadence
A licence is $9.99, bought through the developer’s FastSpring store, and a free trial download is offered first. The app is commercial and closed source, and no licence text beyond the end-user agreement is published.
The most recent release is 3.9.0, published on 27 August 2022, whose entire release note is “Adds native Apple Silicon support.” The site still states compatibility with Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia, so it has been kept working on newer systems, but there has been no new version in several years. That is worth weighing against the price: the trial is the honest way to find out whether it still behaves the way you need on your current macOS.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Contexts, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
3.9.0
Adds native Apple Silicon support; the release note is otherwise a single line.
Source: Documentation
3.8
Themes updated for macOS Big Sur; the release note states the supported macOS versions are now Catalina and Big Sur.
Source: Documentation
Questions about Contexts
How much does Contexts cost?
US$9.99 for a licence, bought through the developer's store. A free trial download is offered first.
Which macOS versions does Contexts work on?
The site states Contexts 3.9 works on macOS Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia. It does not publish a single minimum version, and the changelog's last explicit statement was Catalina and Big Sur.
Does Contexts support Apple Silicon?
Yes. The version 3.9.0 release note is 'Adds native Apple Silicon support.'
Can Contexts replace Command-Tab?
Yes. It provides its own Command-Tab and Command-Backquote switchers that list windows separately rather than apps, and additional switchers can be assigned to other keyboard shortcuts.
How does the search decide what to show first?
Matches may be non-consecutive characters anywhere in the app name or window title, and matches at the start of the app name or of a word in the title score higher, so an acronym is usually enough. A query you have used before is remembered and promotes the window you chose.Developer-stated
Alternatives to Contexts
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
AltTab
Windows-style Alt-Tab window switcher for macOS.
Both replace the macOS window switcher with a preview-based one; Contexts is a paid closed-source app, while AltTab is free and open source with an optional paid tier.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
DockDoor
Free and open source window peeking & alt-tab for macOS.
Both surface individual windows rather than apps — DockDoor does it by hovering a Dock icon and with a Windows-style Alt-Tab, Contexts by search, a sidebar and a gesture.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Assignee
Simple, instant app switcher.
Both are switchers that aim to cut the time spent finding the right window; Assignee does it by binding custom shortcuts to frequently used apps, Contexts by searching titles and apps.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Contexts on the Mac App StoreGrade A
- Contexts — official websiteGrade B
- Contexts — documentationGrade C
