[AeroSpace Git Stars]
Quick intro
For years, I struggled to find a tiling window manager that met all my requirements:
- Fast switching between workspaces and windows – I can’t stand the default macOS delay when switching windows.
- Good default keybindings and base configuration, along with proper documentation.
- Fully customizable keybindings – I want the ability to bind any action to a key.
- Highly customizable – I need complete control over my setup.
- Declarative configuration – So I can version it in Git and reuse it across machines.
- Free and better open-source
The only tiling window manager that checked all these boxes was i3, but unfortunately, it's only available for Linux. I love macOS, so this was a sad story :(
For many years, I used yabai, which was the best macOS alternative, fulfilling almost all my needs. However, it had some issues - it could be laggy and buggy sometimes. Plus, to unlock its full potential, you had to partially disable System Integrity Protection, which always felt like a hack.
Enter AeroSpace
Recently, I discovered AeroSpace, a window manager really inspired by i3, and it actually works really well. It’s a relatively new project (launched in 2023), yet it has already gained over 10k stars on GitHub.
SketchyBar
[My SketchyBar]
Another fantastic and beautifully designed tool I’ve been using is SketchyBar.
A highly flexible, customizable, fast, and powerful status bar replacement for people who like playing with shell scripts.
SketchyBar integrates smoothly with AeroSpace, and you can easily display your workspace information in multiple rows within your config. I’ve set it up, and here are the configs I’m using:
Both tools complement each other perfectly for a streamlined and customizable experience on macOS.
[Basic AeroSpace + SketchyBar usage]
If you’re looking for a i3-like tiling window manager for macOS without the drawbacks of yabai, AeroSpace is definitely worth checking out!