Know what is on every desktop. Jump there instantly.
macOS calls them Desktop 1 to Desktop 12 and slides through each one to get anywhere. Spacepal gives every Space a name and a live preview, shows them all with one shortcut, and switches without the slide.
Version 1.0.3 · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel · 4 MB · signed and notarized by Apple
- 14-day free trial, no card
- One-time purchase, no subscription
- Nothing leaves your Mac
- System Integrity Protection stays on
An interactive mock-up in your browser, not a recording. Click a tile, press 1 to 6, or ⌥Tab while the demo is on screen.
Recorded on a Mac, not drawn.
The overview and window search, screen-recorded from Spacepal 1.0 on macOS 26. Space names and windows are sample content so no one's real desktops are shown.
Spaces are great until you have more than three.
Apple built the desktops. It never built a way to tell them apart, get between them quickly, or keep windows where you put them.
Mission Control shows tiny thumbnails labeled Desktop 1, 2, 3. macOS has no way to rename them.
With Spacepal: every Space has a name, icon and color in the menu bar, in Mission Control and in a big overview. Search finds a window by its title on any Space.
How renaming desktops works on a MacGetting from Desktop 1 to Desktop 6 means sliding past every Space in between. Reduce Motion only turns the slide into a fade.
With Spacepal: ⌃⌥6 goes straight there. Press it again to come back. No SIP changes, no Dock hacks.
Switching Spaces without the animationAfter a restart or unplugging a monitor, windows pile up wherever macOS decides.
With Spacepal: it saves where your windows live and offers to put them back after a restart or when the display returns (macOS 26.4 and later, and 14.0 to 14.4).
Windows on the wrong desktop after a restartGoing from Desktop 1 to Desktop 6.
macOS animates through every Space on the way. Spacepal asks macOS for the destination directly, so you land there in one step.
See it. Get there. Keep it that way.
Spacepal sits in the menu bar and keeps the Spaces you already have. Quit it and your Mac is exactly as before.
See every Space
- Names, icons and colorsShown in the menu bar and right inside Mission Control.
- Overview with live previews⌥Tab shows every Space on every display, with the apps on each.
- Search everythingType a Space name, a note, an app or a window title.
- Notes and time per SpaceRemember what a Space is for and see where your day went.
Get there instantly
- One shortcut per Space⌃⌥1 to ⌃⌥0, arrows, and back to the last Space.
- Find any window⌃⌥F searches window titles on all Spaces and takes you there.
- Move windows⌃⌥⇧ plus a number sends the front window to that Space.
- Notch, hot corner and scrollOpen the overview or switch from wherever your pointer is.
Keep it organized
- Layouts that come backAfter a restart or when you plug a monitor back in, on macOS 26.4+ and 14.0–14.4.
- Space Lock and app rulesStop apps dragging you to another Space; keep Slack where it belongs.
- AutomationsOpen apps and links or run a Shortcut when you enter a Space.
- Profiles and templatesWork and Home setups, plus starter layouts for developers, designers and more.
All features · Every shortcut · Raycast, Shortcuts, AppleScript and more
One Space per project, client or task.
How Spacepal differs from the alternatives.
Spacepal is built around a full-screen overview with a live preview of every Space. If you only need a name in the menu bar, a free tool may be enough, and we say so in each comparison.
| Feature | Spacepal | macOS alone | DeskStag | WhichSpace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview with a preview of every Space | Yes | Small thumbnails in Mission Control | Not stated | No |
| Names inside Mission Control | Yes | No | Yes | Not stated |
| Switch without the slide animation | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated |
| Move a window with a shortcut | Yes | Drag only | Not stated | Yes |
| Search windows on all Spaces | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated |
| Window layouts after restart or monitor change | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated |
| Price | One-time, 14-day trial | Free | One-time, 14-day trial | Free, open source |
| System | macOS 14+ | Built in | macOS 13+, Apple silicon | macOS 14+ |
Competitor details checked 2026-10-27 from their own websites and GitHub. "Not stated" means we could not confirm it either way. Full write-ups: DeskStag, WhichSpace, SpaceJump, Hyperjump, Mission Control.
Safe to try, easy to undo.
No SIP changes
Spacepal works with System Integrity Protection on and nothing runs as root. It uses the same window server interfaces Space tools have used for years.
Your screen stays yours
Previews are taken on your Mac and stored on your Mac. No analytics in the app. Read exactly what it asks for and why in the privacy page.
Quit and it is gone
Your Spaces are the normal macOS ones. Quit Spacepal and everything works as before. Try it for 14 days, and if you buy and it does not work for you, ask for a refund within 30 days.
Spacepal is a small, independent Mac app from Halberd LLC, built by one developer, Dan Bayer. It was made for working across a dozen or more desktops every day, and it is tested on a Mac with 16 of them.
There is no support team in between: email support@getspacepal.com and it reaches the developer. Bug reports from the trial shape what ships next.
Want it before launch? Apply for the beta: 100 testers get a free license for honest feedback.
Dan Bayer, developer
Pay once. Keep it.
No subscription. Download Spacepal, use everything free for 14 days, and buy a license when you are sure. The launch price holds for early buyers.
one-time, per person
- Use it on up to three Macs
- All updates for a year, then keep the version you have
- 14-day free trial, no card needed
- 30-day refund if it does not work for you
- macOS 14 Sonoma and later, Apple silicon and Intel
Also coming to the Mac App Store. The direct version has a few extras the App Store does not allow, such as the four-finger tap and adding desktops from the menu.
Things people ask before installing.
Does it need System Integrity Protection turned off?
No. SIP stays on and nothing runs as root. Spacepal reads your Spaces through the window server and switches with a synthetic trackpad gesture, the same way macOS handles a swipe.
Which permissions does it ask for, and why?
Accessibility, to switch Spaces and move windows, and Screen Recording, for the previews. Without Screen Recording you still get names, colors, shortcuts and the overview, with a colored card instead of each preview. Details on the privacy page.
Is it a tiling window manager like yabai or AeroSpace?
No. Spacepal keeps your windows where you put them and works with the native macOS Spaces. If you want every window tiled automatically, a tiling manager fits better.
Does it work with several displays?
Yes. The overview groups Spaces by display, and each Space keeps its own name wherever it is.
Can it move windows that are not in front?
On macOS 14.0 to 14.4 and on macOS 26.4 and later, Spacepal moves any window directly. On the versions in between, macOS only lets it move the window in front, so layout restore, app rules and putting windows back after a monitor change do not work there. Everything else does.
What about full-screen apps?
Full-screen apps appear in the overview and can have their own name. Windows cannot be moved into a full-screen Space; that is a macOS rule.
What happens when macOS updates?
Spacepal checks the system interfaces it uses each time it starts. If Apple changes one, it tells you which feature stopped working instead of crashing, and an update follows.
App Store or direct?
Both will be available. The direct version is sold here and updates itself; the Mac App Store version updates through the App Store and lacks a few features Apple's sandbox does not allow. See the full FAQ.
Stop guessing which desktop is which.
Name your Spaces once, see them all with ⌥Tab, and get anywhere in one keystroke. Free for 14 days.
Download free trial