Native instant space switching comes to macOS — without nuking SIP

A tiny app, a big relief

Mac users fed up with the space-switching animation may finally have a lightweight fix. It has been reported that a small menu-bar app called InstantSpaceSwitcher by GitHub user jurplel can make macOS switch Spaces instantly. The pitch is simple and delicious: no long-term tiling overhaul, no paid tool, just instant context flips. Who hasn't been driven mad by that half-second shimmy? It’s one of those little UX gripes that somehow gets under the skin.

How it allegedly works (and why that matters)

According to the project notes, InstantSpaceSwitcher simulates a high-velocity trackpad swipe to trick macOS into performing an immediate transition, and it also exposes quick jumps to numbered Spaces plus a command-line interface. It has been reported that it does not require disabling System Integrity Protection — a major selling point compared with solutions that force you to weaken system defenses. If true, that means you get the speed without the security hand-wringing.

Why this matters: alternatives and trade-offs

This isn’t the only workaround people have tried. “Reduce motion” is the usual first suggestion — but it simply swaps the slide for a fade, which many find equally annoying. Tiling managers like yabai can do instant switching, but they often require disabling SIP and commit you to a steeper configuration curve. Third‑party virtual-space facades and paid tools like BetterTouchTool offer other routes, but they either feel non-native or cost money. InstantSpaceSwitcher promises the middle ground: native-feeling, minimal fuss, and no tamponade surgery on macOS internals.

Adoption, rough edges and next steps

The repo is tiny — allegedly one star (the author’s), and the README doesn’t include full install instructions — so this is still very much an early, community-driven play. One attempted fork, instantspaces, reportedly failed on macOS Tahoe for the tester, which shows there may be compatibility wrinkles. Want to try it? Give the repo a spin, file issues if something’s off, and yes — star it if it saves you from another irksome animation. Small projects live or die by discovery.

Sources: arhan.sh, Hacker News