How Applications settings work
The Applications panel has two tabs:
- Applications — Non-Finder app defaults and per-application overrides.
- Default Settings sheet — Non-Finder app defaults.
- Finder Only — Settings that apply only to the Finder.
Applications tab — Application List
Use the + button to add an application to the list. Select an item in the list to control features exclusively in that application.
- To add an application, press the + button.
- To remove one, select it and press the - button.
- To remove every application at once, press Clear List.... Clear removes every application from the Application List. Default Settings and Finder Only settings are not changed.
- Some applications cannot be added (for example Finder and Adobe Premiere Pro). Finder uses the Finder Only tab; Premiere is managed automatically — see Adobe Premiere Pro below.
Applications tab — Per Application Settings
These controls appear when you select an application in the Application List. They override Default Settings for that app where a control offers Use Default Setting. Title-bar double-click handling is always chosen explicitly for listed apps (Global Event Monitor by default). The topics below follow the same top-to-bottom order as the Apps panel.
- Disable Action shortcuts
Disables global action shortcuts while this application is frontmost or targeted.
For example, if a program uses ⌘M for its own feature, add it to the list and enable Disable Action shortcuts. WindowMizer will not intercept the shortcut. You can still double-click the title bar to reduce the window.
- Forward 'New' shortcut
Controls whether ⌘N (or the configured New shortcut) on a placeholder is forwarded to the parent application.
- Use Default Setting — Uses Forward 'New' shortcut (default) from the Default Settings sheet.
- Forward shortcut
- Do Not Forward shortcut
- Application Switcher quit
Controls whether WindowMizer handles ⌘Q while the Application Switcher (⌘Tab) is open. When enabled, WindowMizer restores placeholders for the highlighted app, then quits that app.
- Use Default Setting — Uses Application Switcher quit (default) from the Default Settings sheet.
- Enable
- Disable
Finder is never quit through this path.
-
Title Bar double-click handling
Specifies the method WindowMizer uses to process title-bar double-clicks for this listed application. Unlisted applications always use Global Event Monitor. To use a System Event Tap for an app, add it to the Application List and choose that option here.
-
System Event Tap
Uses a low-level system event tap to intercept double-clicks and prevent the OS from handling them when they occur in a window title bar.
-
Global Event Monitor
Uses an event monitor to notify WindowMizer when a double-click occurs. For this method to work, the System Settings option Double-click a window's title bar to minimize must be disabled. See System Settings. This is the default for listed apps and for all unlisted apps.
-
Disable double-click Actions
Disables WindowMizer title-bar double-click actions in this application. Double-clicks are handled by the app instead. For example, Stickies already collapses its own windows when you double-click the title bar; add Stickies and choose this option so WindowMizer does not interfere.
-
Title Bar style
Chooses how the collapsed reduce-to-titlebar placeholder looks for this listed application.
- Use Default Setting — Uses Title Bar style (default) from the Default Settings sheet.
- Classic Title Bar — Uses a standard fixed-height AppKit title bar strip.
- Dynamic Title Bar — Shows a replica of the real window’s title bar (Screen Capture). Height can be customized below.
When Disable Screen Capture Kit in WindowMizer is checked on the General panel’s System Related tab, placeholders use the native AppKit title bar strip (Classic-like) regardless of this setting.
-
Title Bar height
Applies only when Title Bar style is Dynamic (controls are disabled for Classic). Choose Automatic height or Custom height.
- Automatic height — Uses the real window’s title bar or toolbar height from Accessibility when available. If the height cannot be determined, WindowMizer uses an OS default (typically 28 or 32 points, depending on your macOS version).
- Custom height — Sets an explicit height in points with the stepper. This height is used for title-bar double-click hit-testing and for the visible height of a Dynamic collapsed placeholder.
Applications that are not in the Application List may still use bundled height presets at runtime when style is Dynamic. Listed applications always use the value you set here.
With Title Bar style set to Dynamic, open these sheets to customize placeholder chrome for the selected app. The buttons are unavailable when style is Classic (AppKit draws the strip).
- Button Layout...
Adjust traffic-light button offset from left, offset from top, button size, and button spacing. Each control can use Automatic or Manual Override. Button size Manual ranges from 12 pt to the system template size (about 14 pt).
- Window Corner Radius...
Adjust collapsed placeholder corner radius using Automatic or Manual Override.
Default Settings sheet
Default settings for all applications except the Finder. The Finder is configured on the Finder Only tab.
Default settings are used for applications that ARE NOT in the Application List. They are also used for applications that ARE in the list and configured to Use Default Setting.
Set the global defaults in Default Settings..., then override per application by adding it to the Application List and changing only the controls you need.
These values are the baseline for all applications except Finder:
- Any application not in the Application List uses this sheet for Forward New, Application Switcher quit, and Title Bar style. Title-bar double-click handling for those apps is always Global Event Monitor.
- Any application in the list that leaves a control at Use Default Setting uses the matching value from this sheet for that control.
- Forward 'New' shortcut (default)
Default Forward New shortcut behavior. When forwarding, the ⌘N shortcut is forwarded from the placeholder to the parent application.
- Forward shortcut
- Do Not Forward shortcut
- Application Switcher quit (default)
Default restore-then-quit behavior in the Application Switcher. When enabled, WindowMizer restores placeholders for the highlighted app, then quits that app. This prevents leaving an application's windows in the dock the next time it is opened.
- Title Bar style (default)
Default style for collapsed reduce-to-titlebar placeholders in all applications except the Finder. Classic uses a standard fixed-height title bar. Dynamic shows a replica of the real window’s title bar; the dynamic height can be customized on a listed application when that app’s Title Bar style is Dynamic (or inherits Dynamic from this default).
- Classic Title Bar — Standard fixed-height AppKit title bar strip.
- Dynamic Title Bar — Replica of the real window’s title bar (Screen Capture).
Listed applications that set Title Bar style to Use Default Setting inherit this value.
Use Reset... on the sheet to restore these global defaults. Reset does not change the Application List or Finder Only settings.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is managed automatically. It cannot be added to the Application List. WindowMizer reduces Premiere’s main project window and undocked panels by resizing the real window (no placeholder strip).
- Double-click a Premiere title bar, or use the Reduce action shortcut (for example ⌘M), to reduce or restore.
- To target an undocked panel with the shortcut, click that panel first (Premiere often keeps keyboard focus on the main document).
- Undocked panels cannot be reduced to a thumbnail — title-bar reduce only.
- Undocked panel reduce works best with Small Tabs unchecked (Panel Group Settings). That is Premiere’s default when a panel is first undocked; with Small Tabs on, the reduced strip may be slightly taller than the tab row.
- Premiere’s Home / start screen is ignored for reduce and action shortcuts (native Premiere behavior only).
There is no Premiere section in Settings. Advanced users can disable or restore title-bar double-click handling with Terminal, then quit and relaunch WindowMizer:
- Disable Premiere title-bar double-click Actions
defaults write com.windowmizer.WindowMizer premiereEventHandling -int 4
- Re-enable (System Event Tap — recommended)
defaults write com.windowmizer.WindowMizer premiereEventHandling -int 1
- Optional — disable WindowMizer action shortcuts in Premiere
defaults write com.windowmizer.WindowMizer premiereActionShortcutsDisabled -bool YES
To turn shortcuts back on: defaults write com.windowmizer.WindowMizer premiereActionShortcutsDisabled -bool NO
Finder Only tab
Settings on this tab apply only to the Finder. Finder is not added to the Application List; configure it here instead.
Title Bar
- Title Bar style
Chooses how Finder collapsed placeholders look.
- Classic Title Bar — Standard fixed-height AppKit title bar strip.
- Dynamic Title Bar — Adapts to show the toolbar when it is visible in the real Finder window.
- Disable Proxy Path menu in Title Bar
Disables the command-click path popup in Finder collapsed placeholder title bars. This setting applies only to Finder windows.
Actions & Shortcuts
- Disable Action shortcuts
Disables global action shortcuts while Finder is frontmost or targeted.
- Disable 'New' shortcut forwarding
Stops forwarding the New shortcut from Finder placeholders to Finder.
- Disable 'Go' shortcut forwarding
Stops forwarding the Go shortcut from Finder placeholders to Finder.
- Disable double-click Actions
WindowMizer ignores title-bar double-clicks in Finder windows.