Insanely fast access toany menu item, in any app.No mouse. No memorization.

Instant Keyboard Ninjitsu.

Requires Mac OS X 10.9+
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TL;DR
A Brief Introduction to OptionSpace

OptionSpace lets you instantly access any menu item without having to use the mouse or memorize any keyboard combinations.

  1. 1Press Option+Spacebar
    Or you can set a custom shortcut
  2. 2Type a few letters of your menu item
    Clever fuzzy search algorithms instantly filter your menu items
  3. 3Press Enter
    OptionSpace activates your menu item

note: video is slowed down for demo

How does OptionSpace help me?

OptionSpace makes you more productive; it's easier to use than keyboard shortcuts, and faster than the mouse. Here's how:

  • No key combos to memorize or recallOr mess up! Stop wasting time and effort memorizing keyboard combinations. Stop pressing it wrong. Let OptionSpace help.
  • Keep your hands on the keyboardMoving your hand to your mouse only takes a second, but you do it thousands of times each day. You could save 8 days a year!
  • Reduce wrist strain from mouseCarpal Tunnel Syndrome causes major problems for people who work with their hands. Reducing wrist strain helps avoid it.
  • Do more with your appsThe apps you use can do all sorts of things you don't know about, because hunting around in menus sucks. OptionSpace FTFY.
  • Stay focused on your workEven a momentary disruption yanks you out of the zone. With OptionSpace, just type what you want to do and keep on working.
  • OptionSpace is a SmartyOptionSpace uses fuzzy search algorithms with match weighting, prioritizes commonly used items, and even understands acronyms.
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The Feedback
What REAL users are saying about OptionSpace
I'd probably consider this right up there with Spectacle as a must have workflow tool on all my machines.
- CK, User
Woah. This app just made every app on my computer better.
- GM, User
I absolutely NEED this.
- PW, User
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The Details
Occasionally Asked Questions
Does OptionSpace replace keyboard shortcuts?
Use Keyboard shortcuts
Frequently Used Menu Items with
EASY Keyboard Shortcuts
Use OptionSpace
Frequently Used Menu Items with
AWKWARD Keyboard Shortcuts
Occasionally Used Menu Items with
Keyboard Shortcuts
Menu Items without
Keyboard Shortcuts

For the most part, no. OptionSpace takes the power of keyboard shortcuts and extends it.

Everyone has the set of keyboard shortcuts that they use often, and that are easy to press. But that leaves a lot out:

  • Menu items with awkward/hard-to-press shortcuts
  • Menu items with shortcuts that you don't use often enough to memorize
  • Menu items without shortcuts

If you have to stop to think about the keyboard shortcut, or to get your fingers into the right position, you've already lost focus. If you have to switch to the mouse, you've lost focus.

OptionSpace gives you access to everything, without distraction.

What do you mean when you say OptionSpace is "clever"?

A few things OptionSpace does that are clever:

  • Uses fuzzy matching, with weighting to prefer closest matches
  • Remembers which menu items you use most and which searches you've used previously to match those items, favoring them accordingly
  • Checks for acronym matches (e.g., "sfw" for "Save for Web...")
  • Much more coming soon!
Why is it called OptionSpace?

At any given moment sitting at your computer, there is a finite set of potential actions you could take. We call these possibilities your Options, and the entire group of all available actions is your OptionSpace. Our goal is to index as many of these Options as possible, making them searchable and instantly accessible.

Oh, and, coincidentally, Option plus Spacebar is the default keyboard shortcut to activate OptionSpace. But you can change it to whatever you like! (We'll still call it OptionSpace.)

Why should I use OptionSpace?

The most important thing OptionSpace does is help you stay focused. When you're working, even momentary distractions can add up to major losses in productivity.

  • Stop hunting for that obscure menu item you remember but can't locate in the menus
  • Reduce time wasted moving your hand back and forth between the keyboard and the trackpad/mouse
  • Prevent lost concentration due to unnecessary context switching
  • Reduce wrist strain from using the mouse
  • No need to memorize or recall esoteric key command combinations
  • Stop digging through awkward submenus
  • No need to create custom key commands for menu items that don't have them by default
This seems familiar.

Yep, OptionSpace has parallels with a number of existing tools.

We wanted to love the Mac's built in Help > Search menu, but it never worked well enough to rely upon.

It has annoyingly brittle search, some oddly glaring bugs1, a somewhat awkward key combo2, and commits what some have called a UI blunder of catastrophic proportions 3.

OptionSpace is also a bit like a little brother of Spotlight/Quicksilver/Alfred/Launchbar. OptionSpace searches through and activates commands within the app you're using, instead of navigating file systems and applications, like the others.

What we really wanted was something more like the Command Palette in Sublime Text. Quickly and easily activate any option, and be a bit smart while you're at it. But we wanted it in every app.

That's why we're building OptionSpace.

1. What kind of errors? For example, you can search for the title of a menu item with a submenu under it, but you can't then select from the submenu without the mouse. That's a dealbreaker.

2. Not the end of the world, but a three-key combination for such a powerful tool? Of course it can be changed through System Preferences, but how many people take the time to do that?

3. Okay, it's not quite that bad. Seemingly minor, but actually insanity-inducing: if you're going to allow the user to search by typing in a box, the first result should automatically be highlighted so you don't need to down arrow before hitting return. C'mon people, this is the 21st century. We live in the future. Act like it.

"Spotlight" is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. "Alfred" is a registered trademark of Running with Crayons Ltd. "Launchbar" is a trademark of Objective Development Software GmbH. OptionSpace is not authorized, endorsed or sponsored by any of these organizations.

Menu items are great, but what about _______?

We have a bunch of ideas on ways to make OptionSpace more powerful while remaining laser-focused on executing actions within an app via the keyboard.

Think you know something we should add? Something we should remove? Let us know! Drop us a line at team@optionspace.co and give us an earful (er... eyeful?).

Why did you build OptionSpace?

Developers understand that focus is a very valuable thing. When you're coding, getting distracted for even a moment can have drastic effects on productivity. Because of this, many popular coding tools are built to help the user minimize distraction by simplifying the triggering of common actions (for one example, Quick Open-style commands).

We built OptionSpace because we wanted to bring some of those principles from text editors, IDEs, and the command line into all of our other apps, while making a tool simple enough that anyone could benefit from it.

Secondly, we think that there is a lot of (well-deserved!) attention paid to voice recognition, accelerometers, and other new input mechanisms, while the good old-fashioned keyboard gets ignored. Many people get most of their work done sitting in front of a physical keyboard.

At Team OptionSpace, we believe that instead of running away from it, we should embrace the keyboard.

Go on, give it a hug. Like you mean it! Now go download OptionSpace and let your keyboard show you all of the amazing things it can do.

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Apps ❤ Keyboards
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All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. OptionSpace is not authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by the owners of any of these trademarks or registered trademarks.
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