e.g.
- Space›S launch Safari
- Space›E
File->Export as PDF... - Space›F›D open the Downloads folder
Space stays Space
Even with Space set up for shortcuts, it still works as usual.
Typing stays typing
Tap Space to type normally. Hold it and press a trigger to run a shortcut. SpaceLauncher tells the difference . The catch: when you type fast, the next key often goes down before Space comes back up. General tools like Karabiner, Hammerspoon, and Keyboard Maestro can approximate pieces of that timing. SpaceLauncher is built around it.
As you might expect, holding Space by itself waits for a shortcut instead of repeating spaces. To type several spaces in a row, hold Shift-Space.
Space-and-drag still works
Apps that use hold-Space mouse gestures keep them. Hold Space, then click and drag to pan a Photoshop canvas as usual. If the hint window gets in the way, set a delay before it appears.
Shortcuts
How far a shortcut can go — and how to keep track of them all.
One key, or a few in a row
After Space, press one key — or several, in order. Space›F›D opens Downloads.
You can even set Space›AWESOME to run an AppleScript that says, “You’re awesome.”
No need to let go
Keep Space down and run several actions — no releasing in between.
A shortcut can even repeat — say, Space›= zooms in with a simulated ⌘+, and pressing = again keeps zooming.
What if I forget?
Just hold Space. The hint window shows what you can press next. Follow the tree from Space F, then D, and Downloads opens.
Actions you use often become less prominent, so the ones you still need help with stand out. Drag the window where you like; make it appear instantly, after a pause, or never.
Or search your shortcuts
While the hint window is open, press / and type to search all your shortcuts. If / is taken, pick another key.
The same key, the right action in every app
Each shortcut can be limited to the apps where it makes sense.
And if SpaceLauncher should do nothing at all in some app, add it to the disabled list.
Bring your own leader
Space is the default because your thumb is already there. But it does not have to be — any key can lead, in whichever way suits it. Time runs left to right; the band shows while the leader key is down.
A quick tap keeps the key’s normal function; hold it for shortcuts.
Ready immediately; replaces the key’s original function.
Press and release the combination, then type the trigger keys.
Tap the modifier on its own, then type the trigger keys.
Each shortcut chooses its own leader, so a Space setup and a Caps Lock setup can live side by side.
More details in the guide.
Actions
What a shortcut runs. Any shortcut can run any of these.
Open things
- Open App — launch, with arguments if you need them
- Already running? Hide it instead, or switch back to the previous app
- Open URL — in your default browser or a specific one
- With the Tab Slot browser extension, opening a URL reuses its existing browser tab instead of creating a duplicate in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
- Open File · Open Folder — optionally with an app you choose
- Open Finder
Control the app you're in
- Run Menu Command — run any menu item of the frontmost app; e.g. Space›E →
File->Export as PDF...(How menu commands work) - Simulate Keystroke — any key with any modifier combination, from
F11to⌃⌥⇧⌘A
Run your own scripts
- Run AppleScript
- Run Shell Command
- Execute File — with arguments
System
- Notification — click it to open a URL
- Switch Input Method
- Sleep
- Toggle Key Bindings Window — open or close SpaceLauncher's own Key Bindings window
Built to be trusted
Your typing stays on your Mac
SpaceLauncher needs Accessibility access to see your keystrokes — there’s no way around that; it’s how anything built on the Space key works. What you type stays on your Mac — and you’re free to verify SpaceLauncher’s network traffic anytime with Proxyman, Charles, or Wireshark.
Your setup stays yours
Your setup is not locked away. You can export your config as documented, plain-text JSON, then parse it, migrate it, diff it, or script against it. Your bindings — each shortcut paired with the action it runs — travel too: export them as .slbindings files or copy them through the clipboard; importing can merge or replace.
SpaceLauncher also keeps local rolling, timestamped backups, so a damaged configuration can be recovered. When you save shortcuts, conflict detection warns about exact sequence and prefix conflicts before they become surprises.
Try SpaceLauncher
Free to try. $19.99 one-time purchase.
Requires macOS 12+. Apple notarized.
Already tried it? Buy a license.
Questions and Answers
Is SpaceLauncher free?
No — SpaceLauncher is paid software: $19.99, one-time purchase, no subscription.
SpaceLauncher can be evaluated for free — nothing locked, no time limit. A license is required for continued use; only you can tell when evaluating has turned into using, so SpaceLauncher does not enforce a limit.
The reminders follow the same idea: none at all for the first thousand or so actions, then an occasional one at launch. By then, the evaluation is probably over.
Does SpaceLauncher replace Spotlight, Raycast, Alfred, or LaunchBar?
No — those are built for finding things. SpaceLauncher is for the actions you already repeat every day. It grew out of years of using those tools; read the story.
A good rule: give an action a key only after you notice yourself repeating it. Until then, keep using those tools: finding is what they do best.
What are the system requirements?
SpaceLauncher requires macOS 12.0 or later.
Can I change the hint window's location?
Yes. Hold Space until the hint window appears, then drag its title bar to move it.