SameSideDownload
Free menu bar app for macOS

Your Dock, on the screen
you're actually using.

With two displays, clicking an app in the Dock often sends you to its window on the other screen. SameSide brings it up on the screen you clicked from. Click again to jump across.

Download for MacView on GitHub

Free and open source · macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel

Safari is open full screen on both screens. Right now the laptop shows Music and the monitor shows Terminal.

How it works

One click. The right screen.

Unlike tools that drag your windows across screens, SameSide never moves anything. It brings up the window that's already on the screen you're using.

  • Click in the Dock

    Click any app in the Dock, on whichever screen you're working on. Nothing new to learn.

  • The window comes to you

    SameSide brings up that app's window on the screen you clicked from, switching to its desktop or full-screen space.

  • Click again to jump across

    Click the same icon again to go to the app's window on your other display.

No window of that app on this screen? Then macOS behaves exactly as it always does.

Private by design

It does one thing, and nothing else.

The Accessibility permission is used only to notice Dock clicks and bring windows forward. Clicks are always passed on unchanged.

  • 0 network calls

    No networking code at all. It never connects anywhere, so there is nothing to send.

  • 0 files

    No settings, no tracking, no account.

  • 10 MB

    Memory, and no CPU while it waits.

  • MIT

    Open source. Read every line on GitHub.

  • Any app

    Matched by its app ID, with full-screen apps and desktops.

  • No new habits

    You keep using the Dock exactly as you do now.

Install

Two ways to get it.

Download

  1. Download SameSide.dmg, open it and drag SameSide onto Applications.
  2. Open SameSide. macOS says "SameSide" Not Opened. Click Done.
  3. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. macOS asks this only once.
  4. Allow SameSide under Accessibility when asked.
  5. Optional: add it to General › Login Items so it starts with your Mac.

Why the warning? SameSide is free and not registered with Apple's paid developer program. Every line of its code is on GitHub.

Build it yourself

No warning at all. Needs Apple's Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install).

git clone https://github.com/karticksaxena/SameSide.git
cd SameSide
./build.sh
ditto build/SameSide.app /Applications/SameSide.app
open /Applications/SameSide.app

Or ask your AI coding assistant:

Clone https://github.com/karticksaxena/SameSide, read its README, build it with ./build.sh, copy build/SameSide.app to /Applications and open it. Do not change any code.
FAQ

Questions

Does it work with full-screen apps and multiple desktops?

Yes. If the app's window on your screen is full screen or on another desktop, SameSide switches that screen to it.

Does it change how clicks work?

No. Every click still reaches the Dock exactly as before. SameSide only decides which window comes forward. Right-click and Command-click are left alone.

How do I uninstall it?

Quit it from its menu bar icon, delete SameSide from Applications, and remove it from Login Items and the Accessibility list. It stores nothing else.

What if it stops working after a macOS update?

SameSide uses some private macOS functions, like other window tools do. If an update removes one, SameSide simply stops switching and the Dock behaves as usual. Open an issue and it will be fixed.

Try it on your Mac.

Free, open source, and under 1 MB to download.

Download for Mac