# ShiftPlus

> Native macOS workspace manager — restore apps, browser profiles, windows across Spaces and Macs with one hotkey, plus a Raycast extension.

ShiftPlus is a native macOS app that captures and restores your full work setup: apps, browser profiles, window layouts across virtual desktops (Spaces), terminal environment variables, and per-workspace AWS profiles. Switch the whole context with one hotkey, one Raycast command, or one menu-bar click.

It is not a browser extension. It is not Electron. It is a native SwiftUI app that integrates directly with macOS — including private SkyLight APIs for Spaces restoration, which is why it ships outside the Mac App Store.

## Key Features (current v2.2.0)

- **Spaces (Virtual Desktops) Restoration** — captures which Space each app is on, then restores cross-Space layouts on switch. Multi-display, conflict-resolution dialog, skip-by-default UX. On macOS 15 Sequoia, restoring Spaces requires SIP to be disabled (the feature uses private SkyLight APIs).
- **Browser Profile Management** — 10 browsers: Safari, Arc, Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Opera, Firefox, DuckDuckGo, Orion. Auto-detects profiles. Launches Chromium browsers with `--profile-directory`.
- **Workspace Capture & Restore** — capture current setup with `⌘⇧C`; restore later with one click. Records app, window position, monitor, window arrangement, browser profile, Space assignment.
- **11 Window Arrangements** — Left/Right/Top/Bottom half, four quarter corners, Fullscreen, Center, None. Per-app preferred monitor + Space assignment.
- **Raycast Integration (NEW in v2.0)** — companion Raycast extension with three commands: Switch Workspace, Open Quick Link, Activate Last Workspace. Uses `shiftplus://` deep links. No license gate. Privacy-safe local index — no secrets, env vars, or file paths exposed.
- **Terminal Environment Variables** — per-workspace env injection into 15+ emulators (Terminal, iTerm, Warp, Alacritty, Kitty, WezTerm, Ghostty, Hyper, and more). Shell selector (bash, zsh, fish, sh).
- **AWS Profile Dropdown** — reads `~/.aws/config` and `~/.aws/credentials` locally and lets you bind `AWS_PROFILE` per workspace.
- **Quick Links** — per-workspace URL list with 7 categories (Meetings, Documents, Development, Design, Communication, Productivity, Custom). Web URLs and app deeplinks (Spotify, Notes, Zoom, Music, Calendar).
- **iCloud Sync (Pro)** — Apple CloudKit Private Database, end-to-end Apple-encrypted, last-writer-wins. Portable layer syncs (workspace names, URLs, env vars, app configs); device-specific window IDs + Space maps stay local.
- **Global Keyboard Shortcuts** — Quick Switch (`⌘;`), Workspace Switcher (`⌃⌘→`), Capture Setup (`⌘⇧C`), plus per-profile hotkeys via MASShortcut.
- **Menu Bar & Radial Menu** — status-bar icon with profile dropdown, radial menu for visual switching, semantic search in Settings, 12 accent colors, Liquid Glass UI on macOS 15+.
- **Native SwiftUI** — Apple Silicon + Intel universal binary, Sparkle 2.7.1 auto-updates, EdDSA-signed appcast.

## Pricing

- **Free Trial** — 14 days, all features unlocked, no credit card required.
- **Pro 1 Device** — $24 one-time (lifetime license).
- **Pro 2 Devices** — $39 one-time (lifetime license), includes iCloud Sync.
- Checkout via Lemon Squeezy. No subscription, no monthly fees.

## Platform

- macOS only — minimum macOS 14.6 Sonoma; recommended macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
- Universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel).
- Not on Mac App Store (uses private SkyLight APIs for Spaces).
- English primary interface and marketing site, with a German landing page and German guides at `/de/`.
- Current version: 2.2.0 (build 47)

## Privacy

- No ShiftPlus server, no account, no cloud profile of you.
- Workspace data lives locally in `~/Library/Application Support/BrowserProfileManager/`.
- iCloud Sync uses your own iCloud — Apple handles the storage and encryption.
- Crash reports via Sentry (always on). Product analytics via PostHog (opt-in only; never collects workspace content, env var values, file paths, or license keys).
- Sparkle auto-updater sends only app version + macOS version to the appcast feed.

## Use Cases

- Developers separating dev / staging / prod contexts with per-workspace AWS profiles and env vars.
- Freelancers running one workspace per client with isolated browser profiles and quick links.
- Remote workers separating Work (Slack work, Chrome work account, VSCode) from Personal.
- Power users with multi-monitor setups and 5+ virtual desktops that need precise restoration.

## Alternatives Compared

ShiftPlus competes with Spencer (window-position memory only), Workspaces.app, Hookshot, and DIY scripts. ShiftPlus is the only one that combines Spaces restoration, browser profiles, window layout, and per-workspace terminal env in a single native macOS app.

## Links

- Homepage: https://shiftplus.app
- Homepage (German): https://shiftplus.app/de/
- Download: https://shiftplus.app/release/shiftplus-v2.2.3.dmg
- Blog: https://shiftplus.app/blog/
- Release notes: https://shiftplus.app/release-notes/
- Raycast extension: https://www.raycast.com/nghia_luong/shiftplus
- Full product documentation: https://shiftplus.app/llms-full.txt
- Privacy: https://shiftplus.app/privacy-policy/

### German Resources

- https://shiftplus.app/de/ — German landing page for ShiftPlus.
- https://shiftplus.app/de/blog/mac-fensteranordnung-speichern/ — Fensteranordnung auf dem Mac speichern und wiederherstellen.
- https://shiftplus.app/de/blog/mac-schreibtische-organisieren/ — MacBook- und Mac-Schreibtische organisieren, benennen, fixieren und nach Neustart wiederherstellen.
- https://shiftplus.app/de/blog/chrome-profil-wechseln-mac/ — Chrome-Profile auf dem Mac wechseln, inklusive Shortcuts und Alternativen.

### Engineering

- https://shiftplus.app/blog/macos-spaces-without-disabling-sip/ — How ShiftPlus implements macOS Spaces support on a stock SIP-enabled Mac: why the private SkyLight window-move APIs fail silently on macOS 15, and the switch-then-launch architecture that replaced them.

### Guides & Comparisons

- https://shiftplus.app/blog/restore-macos-workspace-automatically/ — Complete guide to capturing and restoring your full Mac workspace: apps, window layouts, browser profiles, virtual Spaces, and iCloud sync.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/manage-multiple-chrome-profiles-macos/ — How Chrome profiles work on macOS, manual-switching pain points, and how to automate link routing with a workspace manager.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/icloud-sync-faq/ — How ShiftPlus iCloud Sync works, which plan includes it, security details, and how to troubleshoot sync across multiple Macs.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/aws-profile-per-workspace/ — Bind an AWS profile to each workspace so every new terminal has the right AWS_PROFILE exported — no dotfile edits, no direnv, no aws-vault.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/best-macos-workspace-manager-2026/ — Honest comparison of the 5 most relevant macOS workspace managers in 2026: Spencer, BetterStage, Workspaces, Ikuna, and ShiftPlus.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/reopen-apps-windows-after-mac-restart/ — Why macOS "Reopen windows when logging back in" is unreliable and how to restore your full workspace in one click after any restart.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/save-restore-window-layout-mac/ — Every option for saving and restoring window layouts on macOS, from snapshot tools to full workspace restore that survives restarts and monitor changes.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/mac-doesnt-remember-window-positions/ — Causes of macOS window position amnesia — wrong monitor, layout lost after sleep — and every fix from display settings to workspace restore.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/moom-alternative-mac/ — Best Moom alternatives for Mac in 2026: snapping tools vs workspace managers that restore apps, tabs, Spaces, and browser profiles.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/rectangle-alternative-workspace-manager/ — When window snapping isn't enough: comparing Rectangle alternatives and when to upgrade to a workspace manager for full context restore.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/switch-chrome-profiles-hotkey-mac/ — Every workaround for switching Chrome profiles with a hotkey on macOS, including binding each profile to its own global shortcut.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/open-links-in-specific-chrome-profile-mac/ — How to open links from Slack, Mail, and other apps in a specific Chrome profile on macOS — Velja, Choosy, and context-first fixes.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/sync-mac-setup-across-devices/ — Layer-by-layer guide to syncing your Mac setup (apps, window layouts, workspace context) across desktop and MacBook.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/mac-apps-open-on-wrong-desktop/ — Why macOS Space assignments break after restarts and display changes, and how to pin apps to the right desktop reliably.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/iterm2-restore-tabs-after-restart/ — Why iTerm2 opens empty after a Mac restart and how to restore your full project terminal tabs, panes, and sessions.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/chrome-restore-windows-after-restart-mac/ — Why Chrome loses all-but-one window after a Mac restart with multiple profiles, and how to bring every profile's windows back.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/stage-manager-loses-window-layout/ — Why Stage Manager loses window groups and sizes, and what actually works for a persistent macOS layout.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/mac-windows-rearrange-external-monitor/ — Why macOS scrambles windows every time you dock or undock, and how to restore your exact multi-monitor layout in one hotkey.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/stop-macos-rearranging-spaces/ — How to stop macOS from rearranging Spaces automatically, and how to restore Space assignments after every restart.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/open-multiple-apps-at-once-mac/ — Four methods to launch a group of Mac apps with one action: Apple Shortcuts, Automator, a shell script, or ShiftPlus.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/stay-app-alternative-mac/ — Five Stay-by-Cordless-Dog alternatives for Mac in 2026: from window-position memory to full workspace context restore.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/moom-vs-magnet/ — Moom vs Magnet for macOS in 2026: honest feature-by-feature comparison and when to use neither.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/moom-vs-rectangle-pro/ — Moom vs Rectangle Pro (both $9.99): layout recall vs custom snap zones — which to buy in 2026.
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/raycast-window-layouts-vs-shiftplus/ — Raycast Pro Window Layouts vs ShiftPlus: window position snapshots vs full workspace context restore (apps, browser profiles, terminal env, Spaces).
- https://shiftplus.app/blog/aerospace-alternative-mac/ — Seven AeroSpace alternatives for Mac in 2026 grouped by job: tiling, snapping, and full workspace restore.

### Pages

- https://shiftplus.app/alternatives/spencer/ — Spencer for macOS reviewed against ShiftPlus: layout memory vs full state restoration, the Mac-restart test, multi-window handling, pricing, and where Spencer is the better tool.
- https://shiftplus.app/alternatives/workspaces/ — ShiftPlus vs Workspaces.app for macOS: what each tool does, feature-by-feature comparison, pricing and trial terms, and which fits your workflow in 2026.
- https://shiftplus.app/integrations/raycast/ — ShiftPlus Raycast integration guide.
- https://shiftplus.app/for-developers/ — ShiftPlus for developers: AWS profiles, env vars, and workspace isolation per project.
- https://shiftplus.app/for-freelancers/ — ShiftPlus for freelancers: per-client workspaces with isolated browser profiles and quick links.
- https://shiftplus.app/for-remote-workers/ — ShiftPlus for remote workers: separate work and personal contexts with one hotkey switch.
- https://shiftplus.app/compare/shiftplus-vs-ikuna/ — ShiftPlus vs Ikuna comparison page.

*Last updated: 2026-08-30*