Not every open application needs to clutter up your Command+Tab switcher. CmdTab provides a robust exclusion engine that lets you curate exactly which apps are visible.
Why Exclude Apps?
There are several reasons you might want to hide an app:
- Always-on utilities: Apps like music players or calendar widgets that you rarely need to switch to explicitly.
- Distraction-free environments: Hiding email or messaging apps while you are working in "Focus" mode.
- Helper apps: Applications that run in the background but occasionally spawn invisible windows that get caught by the macOS window manager.
Adding Exclusions
To hide an application from the switcher:
- Open Settings > Exclusions.
- Click the + Add App button.
- Select the application from the list of currently running apps, or browse for it in your Applications folder.
Once added, the app will instantly vanish from the CmdTab interface, even if it is currently running and has open windows.
Background Agents
By default, CmdTab automatically filters out "Background Agents" (apps that run in the menu bar and do not have standard dock icons). You do not need to manually exclude tools like DropBox, 1Password, or Coffee.
However, if you want a specific background agent to appear in your switcher so you can easily tab to its settings window, you can add it to the Inclusions list in the same settings panel.