Your windows, in a line.

SlideMess puts every Mac window on one long horizontal strip. Nothing overlaps, nothing gets squeezed. You slide left and right with the keyboard, and new windows open right next to the one you’re in.

Download for MacFree for a limited period · macOS 13+ · Apple silicon and Intel

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Thu Oct 22 9:41 AM

Today

Launch checklist9:24 AMRecord the 30 second demo

Shortcuts to remember8:02 AM⌃⌥C centers the window

Previous 7 Days

Reading listMondayScrolling tiling, a short history

Q4 ideasSundayPer-app default widths

GroceriesSaturdayOat milk, coffee beans, limes

22 October 2026 at 9:24 AM

Launch checklist

Ship 0.1.2 before Friday. Keep the download free.

Before release

Notarize the build

Test two displays, strip per screen

Indicator: focused block in orange

Record the 30 second demo

Write release notes

After

Reply to every email from the first week

Collect the most asked-for shortcuts

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Halcyon · Analytics your whole team can read

Release notes

Swift Forums: Window server APIs

Halcyon

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Visitors48,213+12.4%

Sign-ups3,907+8.1%

Conversion8.10%+0.6 pt

Weekly activeLast 12 weeks

NorthwindKESTRELfieldnoteParallel/Lumen & Co

SlideMessMy Mac

SlideMessBuild SucceededToday at 9:38

SlideMess

Sources

SlideMess

AppDelegate.swift

Hotkeys.swift

Indicator.swift

StripLayout.swift

WindowMover.swift

Workspace.swift

Resources

Tests

Package.swift

README.md

StripLayout.swift

Indicator.swift

SlideMessSourcesStripLayout.swiftframes(in:)

1import AppKit

3/// Lays windows out left to right on one endless strip.

4struct StripLayout {

5 var columns: [Column]

6 var gap: CGFloat = 10

7 var scrollOffset: CGFloat = 0

9 func frames(in screen: CGRect) -> [CGRect] {

10 var x = screen.minX - scrollOffset

11 return columns.map { column in

12 let width = column.width.points(in: screen.width, gap: gap)

13 defer { x += width + gap }

14 return CGRect(x: x, y: screen.minY, width: width, height: screen.height)

15 }

16 }

18 /// Scrolls just enough to show the focused column.

19 mutating func reveal(_ index: Int, in screen: CGRect) {

20 let frame = frames(in: screen)[index]

21 if frame.width >= screen.width || frame.minX < screen.minX {

22 scrollOffset += frame.minX - screen.minX

23 } else if frame.maxX > screen.maxX {

24 scrollOffset += frame.maxX - screen.maxX

25 }

26 }

28 mutating func cycleWidth(of index: Int) {

29 columns[index].width = columns[index].width.next

30 }

31}

33enum ColumnWidth: CaseIterable {

34 case third, half, twoThirds, full

36 var fraction: CGFloat {

37 switch self {

38 case .third: 1.0 / 3.0

39 case .half: 0.5

40 case .twoThirds: 2.0 / 3.0

41 case .full: 1.0

42 }

43 }

44}

No issuesLine 14, Column 30 · Swift · Spaces: 4

slidemess — -zsh — 80×24

Last login: Thu Oct 22 09:12:04 on ttys002 dev@MacBook-Pro slidemess % git status On branch main Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'. Changes not staged for commit: (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed) modified: Sources/SlideMess/StripLayout.swift modified: Sources/SlideMess/Indicator.swift Untracked files: Tests/StripLayoutTests.swift dev@MacBook-Pro slidemess % swift build -c release Building for production... [1/9] Write sources [3/9] Compiling SlideMess Hotkeys.swift [5/9] Compiling SlideMess StripLayout.swift [6/9] Compiling SlideMess Indicator.swift [8/9] Linking SlideMess [9/9] Applying SlideMess Build complete! (14.82s) dev@MacBook-Pro slidemess % swift test --filter Strip Test Suite 'StripLayoutTests' started Test Case 'testRevealScrollsMinimally' passed (0.002s) Test Case 'testCycleWidth' passed (0.001s) Test Case 'testCenterFocused' passed (0.001s) Executed 3 tests, with 0 failures in 0.006s dev@MacBook-Pro slidemess %

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Direct messages

PRPriya Raman

JLJonah Lee

MTMei Tanaka

# mac-appShipping the strip 12

Today

Priya Raman9:32 AM

Pushed the new width presets. ⌃⌥R now goes third, half, two thirds, full.

columns[index].width = columns[index].width.next

Jonah Lee9:34 AM

The indicator pill reads so much better with the focused block in orange.

+1 3

Mei Tanaka9:37 AM

Tried it on the studio display. Each screen keeps its own strip, no jumping.

Sam Ortiz9:41 AM

Nice. Tagging 0.1.2 once the tests are green.

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This is a normal Mac. Windows pile up on top of each other.

How it works

There’s nothing to set up beyond one permission.

01
Install and allow Accessibility
Drag SlideMess to Applications, open it, and grant Accessibility when macOS asks. That is the only permission it uses.
02
Keep working as usual
Your open windows line up side by side. Every new window lands right after the one you’re focused on, so related things stay together.
03
Slide with the keyboard
⌃⌥H and ⌃⌥L move focus left and right. The strip scrolls just enough to show the window you picked.

Preset widths. Each window can be a third, half, two thirds or the full width of the screen. One shortcut cycles through them.

Swipe to scroll. Hold Control and Option and swipe with two fingers to walk along the strip.

One strip per display. Every monitor scrolls on its own, so your second screen stays put while you move around the first.

Shortcuts

Everything lives under Control and Option, so it stays out of the way of app shortcuts.

Keys	What it does
⌃⌥H/⌃⌥L	Focus the window to the left or right. ⌃⌥← and ⌃⌥→ work too.
⌃⌥⇧H/⌃⌥⇧L	Move the focused window one place left or right
⌃⌥R	Cycle width: 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, full
⌃⌥F	Make the focused window full width
⌃⌥C	Center the focused window on screen
⌃⌥1…9	Jump straight to window 1 through 9
⌃⌥T	Float a window off the strip, or put it back
⌃⌥Q	Pause SlideMess, or resume it

Why a strip

Overlapping windows bury each other. Grid tilers squeeze everything to fit one screen. Snappers help with two windows and then run out of ideas. A strip just keeps going.

	Overlapping windows	Grid tilers	Snapping tools
Every window stays a usable size
Opening a window leaves the others alone
Nothing hides behind anything else			Mostly
Move between windows from the keyboard	App by app
Works without writing a config file		Rarely
Comfortable with 10+ windows open

Questions

Is it safe to install?

SlideMess is a native Swift app. It asks for one permission, Accessibility, which is what lets any window manager move and resize windows. It does not need Screen Recording, it does not ask you to turn off System Integrity Protection, and it does not inject code into other apps.

What about multiple monitors?

Each display gets its own strip. Windows on your laptop screen scroll independently of the ones on your external monitor, and ⌃⌥N sends the focused window to the next display’s strip.

What happens to fullscreen apps?

They are left alone. A fullscreen app lives in its own Space, and SlideMess does not touch it. When you leave fullscreen, the window goes back to the strip.

Can some windows stay floating?

Yes. Press ⌃⌥T on a window to lift it off the strip. It behaves like a normal macOS window until you press the shortcut again.

Can I turn it off for a minute?

⌃⌥Q pauses SlideMess and your windows stay exactly where they are. Press it again to pick up where you left off.

Why does it need a license key?

The key is free for now and arrives by email in a few seconds. It lets us reach you about updates, and it works on up to 3 Macs. Free is a limited-period offer, so keys taken now keep working.

What do I get with Pro?

Pick any colour for the focus border and the strip indicator, plus every Pro feature we add later. It is $19 once (₹999 in India), with no subscription.

Which Macs does it run on?

Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Pricing

Free for a limited period. Pro is a single payment for life: $19, or ₹999 in India.

SlideMess

Free

Limited-period offer

Every window and shortcut feature
Updates install themselves
Up to 3 Macs per key
Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 13+

Download for Mac

SlideMess Pro

$19once, for life

One payment. No subscription.

Everything in Free
Pick any highlight colour
Every Pro feature we add later
Pay once, yours for life

Pay with PayPal or card. Key emailed right after.

Your windows, in a line.

How it works

Install and allow Accessibility

Keep working as usual

Slide with the keyboard

Shortcuts

Why a strip

Questions

Pricing