Customize the Switch menu

You can add, remove, or rearrange Switch menu items, you can choose how to sort running applications and whether to mark 32-bit applications, you can show application windows, and you can exclude specific applications so that they do not appear in the Switch menu.

To customize the Switch menu:

Open the Application Wizard pane in System Preferences, click Menus, and click the Customize Menus button. In the dialog that appears, click Switch.

  • To add an item to the Switch menu, click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the list and choose the new item.

  • To rearrange items in the Switch menu, drag them in the list.

  • To remove one or more items from the Switch menu, select them in the list and click the Remove (-) button at the bottom of the list or press the Delete key.

    To select items that are next to each other (contiguous) in the list, press the Shift key and then click the first and last item; to select items that are not next to each other in the list, press the Command key and then click each item.

  • By default, running applications are sorted alphabetically in the Switch menu. To list them from the most recent one to the oldest one, select the ”Sort running applications chronologically” checkbox.

  • To reopen applications when switching instead of simply making them active, select the ”Reopen applications when making them active” checkbox. Reopening applications generally causes a window - a document or another appropriate window - to be displayed and become active.

  • To show application windows so that you can bring specific windows to the front when switching between applications, select the ”Show application windows” checkbox.

    Important: To show application windows in the Switch menu, make sure that Application Wizard can control your computer using accessibility features. Open the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences, click Privacy, select Accessibility, and select the checkbox next to Application Wizard.

  • By default, the Switch menu marks 32-bit applications. To remove the 32-bit marks, deselect the ”Mark 32-bit applications” checkbox.

  • If you have applications that you never need to activate, you can exclude them so that they do not appear in the Switch menu.

    To exclude an application, click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the excluded applications list, browse and select the application, and click Add. You can also exclude applications by dragging them from the Finder or from the Applications panel to the list.

    Use the Applications panel

    If the application you want to exclude is contained in a file package, Control-click the package and choose Show Package Contents from the shortcut menu. Display the application you want to exclude (it will probably be located in the Resources folder in the Contents folder of the package) and drag it from the Finder to the excluded applications list.

    Note: Application Wizard does not list excluded applications in the Switch menu but continues to hide and show them as you choose Hide Others and Show All.

  • To replace an excluded application, select it in the list and choose Change Application from the Action pop-up menu (looks like a gear). Browse and select the new application and click Change. To remove an excluded application, select it in the list and click the Remove (-) button or press the Delete key.