WindowFlow is a window switcher that lists all your open application windows, even windows that are hidden, minimized or in another Space.
Moving through the list of windows you get a preview of each one, additionally a mini-desktop shows you the windows location on the desktop giving you a strong visual cue of where to start focusing your attention when switching.
WindowFlow is an alternative to Expose offering a more predictable interface and more powerful than command-tab; and it supports all the standard window control shortcuts to hide, minimize and close
What's New
Version 1.2.1:
Brings compatibility and stability improvements as well as many bug fixes.
Ironically this app has become a little more useful with Lion since Lion doesn't seem to have the all Windows expose any longer. And in fact I could imagine this app becoming popular if it actually duplicated (or had the option to do so) the old all-windows Expose including the tab option which rotated through all the windows of a particular app.
The most glaring omission is that it should list all the tabbed Windows in say Safari. That alone would give it something beyond Expose.
Currently the best, fastest and most stable Window/App switcher available. After trying all the others out there WF felt like a fresh breeze because it's so intuitive and easy on the eyes. Then of course I moved on to the Pro version which now called Optimal Layout.
Probably the most useless app I've ever downloaded. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it (MuPromo). It's just basically a payed version of Expose that uses CPU and RAM.
If WindowFlow doesn't fill a need you have then it's not going to work for you. However some people prefer a simple list of windows which is easy to scan through; Expose can get pretty confusing with lots of windows. But WindowFlow can also be viewed as a more powerful replacement for command-tab.
I agree with Utrunn, by the time I remember the keyboard commands to work WindowFlow and Expose, I could have already switched windows by using the mouse.
This is a waste unless you go to the pro version, which has the window layout feature but other than that why wouldn't you just use command tab to cycle through your windows instead of bloating your system with needless software.
Command+Tab cycles through applications, not windows. There is a difference. If you don't find a window switcher useful, then don't use it, but there's no need to post negative, uninformed comments about it.
Beyond the application vs. window switching distinction, I don't that this is a waste without the pro version. I don't wish to organize my windows with the predetermined sets. I just want a method that I think is better than Expose, and I think WindowFlow does that. I do wish that WindowFlow could be speedier, but that could well come in time. (It's not dirt slow, by any means; but Witch is faster. On the other hand, I don't like Witch because I prefer WindowFlow's method of showing me images of my windows.) I've yet to find the ideal window-switching program, but for me, WindowFlow is the closest. Everybody has their means of doing things. I for one am glad to see this kind of competition.
I'm surprised by the negative tone of these reviews. Largely based on them, I went and checked out Witch before I installed WindowFlow. It's a very nice utility, but it lacks the key feature that I wanted -- the ability to show a list of windows open in other spaces. Witch shows a very nice list of windows open in the current space -- but Expose does that very nicely already.
So I checked out WindowFlow. It does what I want. It presents a list of all the open windows on my system -- I'm afraid I leave a lot of windows open in my various spaces -- and if I pick one, it switches me to the appropriate space. It doesn't work with the CS suite from Adobe but it's working with the other windows open in my system. I've found it very useful.
Anyway, I like WindowFlow and this is an early release. It's just going to get better.
The developer deserves credit for his very reasonable responses to comments and criticisms in this forum. I think that some people, including me, have been unfair to WindowFlow. A couple posters don't seem to understand what its purpose is (window switcher as opposed to application switcher), while others seem very annoyed that there's a pro version with more features and at an additional cost. I think it's important to keep in mind that the pro features add a totally different dimension to the app, and its window-switching abilities are not at all crippled in the standard version. For my part, I didn't look closely enough at the keyboard settings in the preferences and missed some things you could do with WindowFlow, like quit applications and minimize windows, that I inaccurately ascribed as advantages to Witch. (In my own defence, these shortcuts don't show up on the little keyboard shortcut panel, and that's why I assumed they didn't exist.) The developer also makes a fair point that WindowFlow is cheaper than its competition (read: Witch). Anyway, I look forward to seeing where this goes in the near future. One thing I'd love to see in an update is a separate shortcut (i.e. Control-Tab) to cycle only the active application's windows. Thanks.
By default option-tilde works to move backwards through the list of windows if WindowFlow is in front, you can make it a global shortcut by changing it in Preferences.
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WindowFlow is a window switcher that lists all your open application windows, even windows that are hidden, minimized or in another Space.
Moving through the list of windows you get a preview of each one, additionally a mini-desktop shows you the windows location on the desktop giving you a strong visual cue of where to start focusing your attention when switching.
WindowFlow is an alternative to Expose offering a more predictable interface and more powerful than command-tab; and it supports all the standard window control shortcuts to hide, minimize and close windows.
Using WindowFlow you can instantly move groups of windows between Spaces.
+25
Macgruder reviewed on 18 Aug 2011
The most glaring omission is that it should list all the tabbed Windows in say Safari. That alone would give it something beyond Expose.
+8
Aliaksandr Papou reviewed on 08 Dec 2010
+2
+8
xieme reviewed on 18 Oct 2010
-19
+36
Utrunn reviewed on 18 Apr 2010
+9
+31
+1
-20
-11
-11
+8
+721
+9
+260
+7
+7
So I checked out WindowFlow. It does what I want. It presents a list of all the open windows on my system -- I'm afraid I leave a lot of windows open in my various spaces -- and if I pick one, it switches me to the appropriate space. It doesn't work with the CS suite from Adobe but it's working with the other windows open in my system. I've found it very useful.
Anyway, I like WindowFlow and this is an early release. It's just going to get better.
+5
+721
+1
+221
WindowFlow looks ok but i notice in the read me it says "A Pro version is also available and that adds keyboard commands for... tiling windows."
+221
+1
+31
-9
-8
+2
+31
+3
+2
useless app with a thoughtless license-idea behind...
Alonerwolf rated on 11 May 2012
Uncle Lar rated on 14 Mar 2012
Mauko rated on 09 Jan 2012
-1
Oasis rated on 29 Nov 2011
Kurt_an rated on 07 Sep 2011
+172
Gryphonent rated on 07 Sep 2011
Freesheriff rated on 07 Sep 2011
Denzman rated on 06 Sep 2011
Christian.gingras rated on 23 Aug 2011
Marccc rated on 05 Aug 2011