Initials Download

MAC APPS & ACTIONS · NATIVE · OPEN SOURCE

Hold right ⌘.
Press a letter. You're there.

Give your favorite apps a letter. Right ⌘+M switches to Music; press again to hide it. Skip the Dock and the walk through ⌘Tab. You can also configure left ⌘, or double-tap Command to see a panel of your letters.

Download for Mac — free Watch the guide

v1.4.1 · 2.6 MB · macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon
Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple

Both Command keysDefault setup preserves ⌘C / ⌘VAbout 19.9 MB memoryCLI included
The native letter panel in English: C for Calendar, F for Finder, M for Music and S for Safari
Left ⌘Left ⌘ opens the panel → press M for Music

TWO WAYS · EITHER COMMAND KEY

Hold to jump. Double-tap to choose.

Set each Command key independently: hold plus a letter, double-tap for the panel, or both. The defaults are hold on right ⌘ and double-tap on left ⌘. Left-hand hold is optional.

Hold ⌘ + a letter

Right ⌘ or Left ⌘ held + letter

  • Pinned letters: open an app, switch to it if it is running, or hide it if it is already in front. Press again to return.
  • Unpinned letters on right ⌘: cycle through running apps whose names start with that letter. For example, W can cycle between WeChat and Weather.
  • Left ⌘ only takes pinned letters: unassigned shortcuts keep working. If a left-hand binding takes over a common shortcut such as ⌘C, Settings flags the conflict.
  • Combinations with Shift, Option or Control pass through. If both Command keys are held, right ⌘ takes precedence.

Double-tap ⌘, then a letter

⌘ ⌘ → letter

  • Quickly tap Command twice to show that side's letter panel, then choose a letter. Enable it on either side or both.
  • The panel does not take window focus. Esc or four seconds without a key closes it.
  • A shortcut such as ⌘C, a long hold, a mouse click between taps, or one tap on each side does not count as a double-tap.

Letter bindings

One letter can run an action, too.

Show Downloads, open or reveal the latest download in Finder, or open the latest screenshot. Open a chosen folder, file or URL, or run an existing macOS shortcut.

Settings → Add… → choose an app or action, then a letter. Actions run each time; apps keep their switch-and-hide behavior.

Letter binding editor: Open Last Downloaded Item
Open Last Downloaded Item: open the most recently added completed item in Downloads with its default app.

Downloads are ordered by date added, falling back to creation time; hidden and incomplete items are skipped. Screenshots use your system screenshot folder, Desktop by default.

Actions support config export, import and iCloud sync. Folder and file targets support ~/ paths; named shortcuts must exist on each Mac.

initials bind g show-downloads
initials bind o open-last-download
initials bind r reveal-last-download
initials bind p open-last-screenshot
initials preview g o r p --json

Settings

A letter table. A few switches.

Click the menu bar ⌘ icon → Settings. Keyboard controls: ⌘1/⌘2 switches between right and left ⌘, ⌘N adds a binding, ⌫ removes one, ↩ changes its app, and ⌘W closes Settings.

Choose to remember settings with iCloud Drive: enable sync on both Macs using the same Apple ID to share letters and options. Local settings work offline. Fresh installs start with sync off. Export Settings… and Import Settings… also support migration; imports back up your file and keep missing apps.

Actual English Settings view for right Command, with trigger switches and letter bindings
Right ⌘: choose hold and/or double-tap. Use Add… to choose an app and a letter, or Import from Hammerspoon for your existing rcmd mappings. Real English UI, rendered offscreen with example settings.
Actual English Settings view for left Command, with a separate example letter table
Left ⌘: an example with both triggers enabled and its own table, keeping C and V free. This is a real offscreen UI render, not a demonstration of permission being granted.
The actual English letter panel in dark mode
The letter panel follows the system's light or dark appearance.
  • Two triggers per Command key: hold plus a letter, or double-tap for the panel. Enable either or both.
  • Hide the frontmost app: press its letter again to bring it back.
  • Cycle running apps for unpinned letters: turn this off to respond only to letters you have assigned.
  • Share the right-hand table with left ⌘: on by default. Turn it off to configure left-hand bindings separately.
  • Open at login: start automatically and stay in the menu bar.

RELATED TOOLS

Direct access with a letter. Keep it simple.

Checked against the linked official project descriptions on September 24, 2026. Performance figures above apply only to Initials; they are not cross-product benchmarks.

InitialsrcmdOctoCmdrcmd-liteThor
SwitchingEither ⌘: hold + letter, double-tap for a panel, or bothRight ⌘ + letterRight ⌘ for the panel, then a letterRight ⌥ + letterSet a shortcut for each app
Unpinned lettersCycle running apps with that initialMatch by initialMatch by initialTemporarily assigned to running apps—
Other featuresFile and download actions; URLs and shortcuts; matching CLISee its websiteScreen text search, keyboard clicking and scrolling modesHint panel—
SourceOpen source · MITSee its websiteOpen source · Apache-2.0Public sourceOpen source · MIT

For people who want direct access to favorite apps, locations and actions with a letter.

Resource use

Resource use and response time.

Pure AppKit with no third-party dependencies. Keys arrive through a system event-tap callback that only makes a few comparisons, and the switch itself runs outside the callback; config changes arrive via kqueue instead of polling, and a 30-second check only confirms the key tap is still on.

2.6 MB

Download

Download size; 3.6 MB installed.

19.9 MB

Idle memory

Memory during the stated sampling window, measured as phys_footprint.

0.07 %

Idle CPU

Average CPU over 60 idle seconds.

230 ms

Speed

Measured operation (median).

v1.4.1 (14) · Mac16,12 / Apple M4 / macOS 27.2 · Runtime numbers (idle, ready cold launch, letter panel) retain the original 2026-10-15 measurement of local historical acceptance build 1.4.1 (14), with its executable SHA256 unchanged. Its signed bytes differ from current public release 1.4.1 (14); these runtime results are not representative of that public package. Download size is the notarized DMG for public release 1.4.1 (14); installed size was verified on the installed same-source build on 2026-10-16. Runtime metrics were not re-measured. · Measured 2026-10-15. Runtime measurements from local acceptance build v1.4.1 (14) are not representative of the current release v1.4.1 (14); the download size describes that public package. Measured on the listed version and device; the current version and measurement scope are described on this page.

App-switching latency is not measured: the available measurements cover cold launch and offscreen letter-panel rendering, not foreground app switching.

Install

Three steps. One permission.

Requires macOS 14 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac (M-series).

  1. 1

    Download and drag to Applications

    Download the DMG from Assets on the GitHub Release page. Open it, drag Initials to Applications, then open it from Applications. The download is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple.

  2. 2

    Allow Accessibility access

    Settings opens on first launch. Click Open Accessibility Settings…, then enable Initials under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. Back in Settings, look for ✓ Accessibility granted — active . No restart is needed.

    Why this is needed: Initials uses a system event tap to recognize its Command shortcuts and prevent handled keys from reaching the current app. It does not record or save typed text.

  3. 3

    Assign apps to letters

    Click Add… to choose an app and a letter. If you use Hammerspoon rcmd, select Import from Hammerspoon. Once you have checked that Initials works, use Turn off Hammerspoon rcmd so only one tool handles the shortcut.

COMMAND LINE

The same configuration as Settings.

After installation, the CLI is at /Applications/Initials.app/Contents/Resources/bin/initials. Add a symlink to your PATH if you want to call it as initials. Changes take effect immediately.

initials list                     # Both letter tables
initials set m Music              # Right Command + M; name, bundle ID or app path
initials set w WeChat --side left # After: initials share off
initials unset m
initials import                   # Import Hammerspoon right_command mappings
initials status                   # Running, access and interception status
initials hold on --side left      # Handle pinned letters on left Command
initials tap on --side right      # Double-tap right Command for the panel
initials tap off --side left      # Turn off left Command double-tap

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 not found, 2 usage error, 3 Initials is not running (status). Configuration: ~/Library/Application Support/cyou.tianli.initials/config.json.

THREE SHORT CLIPS · ENGLISH CAPTIONS

Meet the interface.
Make it your own.

See the right-hand table, the letter panel and separate left-hand settings. Pause, seek, go full screen or download each clip. No audio is required.

Real native UI rendered offscreen with example settings. This is not a continuous live recording. The English clips use Initials 1.1.0 native views, only Apple apps, and labelled detail crops. They explain Settings and the panel; they do not demonstrate global app switching, app hiding or a successful Accessibility authorization.

01 · Right ⌘ letter table

18 seconds · Match letters to apps and find the hold and double-tap switches.

Download this clip ↓

02 · Read the letter panel

14 seconds · Letters, app names and keyboard hints, in light and dark mode.

Download this clip ↓

03 · Separate left ⌘ bindings

18 seconds · Sharing and separate tables. This example uses J, K and Y, leaving C and V free.

Download this clip ↓
Download the complete guide (50 seconds) ↓Download English captionsView media version and scope

HELP AND PRIVACY

A few answers before you start.

Nothing happens when I press right ⌘ + a letter

Check the menu bar ⌘ icon. Gray means access is missing or the app is paused. Open Settings and use Open Accessibility Settings… if prompted. You can also run initials status in Terminal and check whether intercepting is yes.

It stopped working after an update

macOS may invalidate an older permission. In the Accessibility list, toggle Initials off and back on. If needed, remove it with the minus button and add it again.

Double-tap is too sensitive, or does not trigger

By default, each tap and the gap between taps must be under 0.3 seconds. Disable double-tap in the Left Command settings if you do not need it, or run initials tap off --side left.

Can it conflict with Hammerspoon rcmd?

Both tools may handle the same key. Once you have checked Initials, use Turn off Hammerspoon rcmd in Settings so only one handles the shortcut. Use the same button to restore it later.

Does switching input methods change the letters?

Initials uses physical key codes for the letter mapping, independently of the active input method. Non-QWERTY layouts may differ from the printed letters on your keyboard.

Can I let the current app receive the shortcut?

Right Command with Shift, Option or Control passes through. To disable right Command entirely, run initials disable right.

Will enabling left Command affect ⌘C and ⌘V?

Left Command hold only takes assigned letters; other shortcuts keep working. Left and right share a table by default. If that table includes C, V or W, Settings and initials list flag the conflicts. Turn off the shared-table option and assign a few less-used letters on the left.

Does it support Intel Macs, Windows or Linux?

The current download supports Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14 or later. There is no Intel, Windows or Linux download.

Is it free? Does it need an account or the internet?

Initials is free, with MIT-licensed source. App switching works without an account or network and records no input. Optional iCloud Drive sync uses your Apple ID and only shares app choices and shortcut settings, with no developer server. Turn it off in Settings. Downloads and this website require a network.

How do I restore settings on a new Mac?

Use the same Apple ID, enable iCloud Drive and choose sync in Initials Settings on both Macs. Settings are stored in Initials/config.json in iCloud Drive, with transfers handled by macOS; app switching keeps using the local copy. You can also export on the old Mac and import on the new one. Accessibility and Open at Login are configured separately.

How do I update the app?

Choose Check for Updates… from the menu bar or Settings. When a new release is available, upgrade in the window. The package, app identity and developer signature are verified; settings are kept and a failed replacement rolls back.

Does this website track my use?

This page has no third-party tracking scripts or analytics cookies. The server keeps normal access logs and aggregates page and download requests for operations and promotion evaluation. These aggregates do not identify people across sessions or track activity inside the app.

How can I report a problem?

Use GitHub Issues · Feedback to report your macOS version, Initials version, relevant settings and reproduction steps. Please do not include private typed text or your complete personal configuration.

Initials icon

Give your favorite apps a letter.

Free. Open source. Works offline.

Download v1.4.1

Installer and release checksum record:GitHub Release

SHA-256:0c5f90f0cd69ccc2bf0651f3a3945abd16ccacd68ebbd6182b63ecc56ed76707