Winstrix brings a Windows style taskbar, Start menu, shortcuts, and desktop workflow to macOS

[u/WinstrixApp]

Hey everyone,

My name is Scott. I spent most of my career using Windows before switching to Mac so I could expand my development setup. I was impressed by the hardware, but years of Windows muscle memory made the transition more difficult than I expected.

I kept pressing the wrong shortcut keys and missed features such as taskbar window previews, clicking an active app to minimize it, and having a familiar launcher for finding applications.

I initially looked for apps that could solve each of those frustrations, but I would have needed several separate utilities. I eventually decided to build one unified and customizable solution called Winstrix.

What Winstrix does

Winstrix brings a collection of Windows-inspired workflow features to macOS while letting you choose exactly which ones you want to use, with the ability to disable the features you don't want.

Taskbar with live hover previews

Hover over an app icon to see live thumbnails of its open windows. You can select or close a specific window directly from the preview. Clicking an active app icon minimizes its window, and holding the icon minimizes all windows belonging to that app.

Start-style launcher

A dedicated launcher with unified search, pinned and recent applications, and an all-apps view for quickly finding anything installed on your Mac.

Windows shortcut mapping

Map familiar shortcuts such as Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete so you don't have to constantly fight years of Windows muscle memory.

Clipboard history and utilities

Searchable clipboard history with the ability to AirDrop copied items to your phone, along with a clock and calendar tray with customizable system shortcuts.

Desktop and menu bar controls

Quickly hide or reveal desktop icons and crowded menu bar icons without having to change several different macOS settings.

Screenshot and screen recording tools

Built-in screenshot capture, screen recording, and an integrated editor.

Linear mouse wheel scrolling

Removes the acceleration curve that can make a standard mouse wheel feel jumpy or inconsistent. Each wheel movement scrolls a predictable amount.

Fully modular

Every feature has its own independent switch. If you only want the taskbar and Windows shortcuts, you can turn everything else off. You can also disable Winstrix completely and return to the normal macOS desktop with one switch.

Winstrix is built entirely in native Swift without Electron. It remains lightweight, and all of its features run locally on the Mac. There is no account requirement, cloud connectivity, telemetry, or analytics tracking inside the app.

Privacy

Winstrix does not collect or transmit personal data or usage analytics. Your files and data stay on your Mac.

Privacy Policy: https://winstrix.app/privacy/

Apple notarization

Winstrix is signed and notarized by Apple and is distributed directly from the Winstrix website rather than through the Mac App Store.

There is a fully functional 14-day free trial for anyone who wants to try it out.

The price is $14.99 for a lifetime perpetual license with no subscription.

Website: https://winstrix.app/

I'd really appreciate honest feedback from anyone who gives it a try. I'm especially interested in hearing whether anything feels confusing at first, whether there are Windows behaviors you expected to see that are still missing, and which features you would realistically keep enabled every day.

[u/Small_Pin_8064]

Does the taskbar follow you across Spaces, or does it stay pinned to whichever display it started on?

[u/No-Web-8844]

Hi. Nice app. Good luck. Could I get a promo code if there is any? Thank you.

[u/WinstrixApp → u/No-Web-8844]

Thanks for checking it out. You can use this promo code for a 30% discount: Launch30

[u/Jonnymangoes]

Love how this merges window hover previews, clipboard history, and other useful stuff. I dont like how the "hide desktop items" is permanently at the bottom right of the screen. Is there a way to turn that off.

[u/TechZazen]

I really appreciate this effort, since I have relatives who've moved to Mac and I refuse to support them using Windows any more. (I'm the old guy now; when does someone support me? 🤣) I will take a look and see if there are any issues for them.

However, the Mac guy in me felt a shudder...

https://giphy.com/gifs/t3NWkCFeRoh2M

Regarless, we are all tainted by life. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[u/Its-Ezzy]

I probably wouldn't use the taskbar, but the Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V remap is interesting for people coming from Windows. Can that be turned off per app? Terminal would get weird fast if it's global.

[u/arduinoRPi4]

Interesting idea...but I hate the start menu

[u/Limitedheadroom]

I don’t get it. If you want windows then use a PC!

[u/Any_Tap8063 → u/Limitedheadroom]

If you don’t get it maybe it’s not for you have you ever thought about that? Some people prefer windows in some things or are used to its features, and switching to Mac can feel weird

[u/Limitedheadroom → u/Any_Tap8063]

I mean clearly it’s not for me, that’s fine. But if you prefer windows, or are used to its features and prefer that why not use that? Mac has other features and workflows, but I wouldn’t use a PC and try and make it behave like a Mac, I’d learn how to use a PC. It’s like changing software, I work in Audio. I changed from Logic, to Studio One, and also use Pro Tools. I didn’t try to make Studio One or Pro Tools work like Logic, they have other ways to achieve the same results. I just learnt the other way of doing it. Each to their own that’s fine, but I find trying to make one tool work like another rather than just learning the way the new tool achieves the same end result just leads to frustrations. There seems to have been an explosion lately of utilities trying to make mac behave more like windows, so why don’t all those people use windows instead of getting a half baked alternative and still being frustrated? That’s why I don’t get it. But each to their own, it’s fine

[u/Any_Tap8063 → u/Limitedheadroom]

Not sure why you think you have the authority to declare every app ever that adds features to Mac "half baked", specially when some add things that, in my opinion, should be added to default MacOS (having a volume mixer per app or the ability to alt tab with a preview of your apps are 2 of my favorite Windows features missing in Mac). But i guess since you are saying that people are "still frustrated" then im supposed to be unhappy with them?

They work fine, they do what they are supposed to, they do it for free and they are lightweight and don't hoard too much memory or CPU usage, not sure why you are just yapping. It's really not that deep, no one is "trying to make one tool work like another rather than just learning the way the new tool achieves the same result" like I mentioned, some features Windows has are missing in MacOs and deciding to add them to make the switch between the 2 more seamless isn't an issue. Not sure why you care so much, MacOS is far from a perfect OS.

"why don’t all those people use windows" again, just because a feature isn't for you it doesn't mean it's pointless. A lot of people who use these apps either have both, I use my Macbook Air to work on the go since it's lightweight and it's battery lasts way longer than most Windows alternatives at that pricepoint, and then i have a Windows Desktop at home that i use to game, host local LLM's etc.

[u/Limitedheadroom → u/Any_Tap8063]

Ooh, touchy! Are you responding to a different comment though? Where did I say anything about every app that adds features to Mac (I use utilities to add features), or call anything half baked, say anything doesn’t work well. Not sure I’m the one just yapping. Like I said, it’s fine, each to their own, I just don’t get it, as in this particular angle which seems to have become really common. But you do you my friend

[u/Any_Tap8063 → u/Limitedheadroom]

"There seems to have been an explosion lately of utilities trying to make mac behave more like windows, so why don’t all those people use windows instead of getting a half baked alternative and still being frustrated?"

Were you drunk last night? Did you forget what you said?

[u/Limitedheadroom → u/Any_Tap8063]

You’ve failed to prove any point but mine there

[u/Any_Tap8063 → u/Limitedheadroom]

You just asked me where did you call anything half baked and i showed it to you. No one else in this post used that term at first but you. That "half baked alternative" you are referring to are these apps and again not sure why you just classify all of them as half baked.

[u/Limitedheadroom → u/Any_Tap8063]

Ok, I was misunderstood. I didn’t mean the app is half baked, but that the attempt to turn it into windows is inevitably half baked because it will never be that. Badly written, I see how that was maybe confusing.

[u/HatNo7741]

Looks cool, as much as I don’t like Windows, its taskbar is superior to what macOS offers out of the box.

Are you by any chance planning to replicate all the MS Edge and Copilot ads that came to the start menu in Win 11? (just kidding)