What Is a Radial (Pie) Menu App for macOS, and Why Use One?
Radial menus put actions in a circle around your cursor. Learn why they are faster than linear menus and how a pie menu app works on a Mac.
How a radial menu works
A radial menu, also called a pie menu, places actions in a circle around the pointer. Every item is the same short distance away, and each sits in a fixed direction. That is the whole trick.
On a Mac, a radial menu app appears when you press a hotkey or a mouse button, so you never travel to the menu bar or the Dock.
Why radial menus can be faster
Direction becomes muscle memory. After a few days you stop reading labels and simply flick toward the sector you want. Fitts's law also favors the design: targets are wide wedges that start right at the cursor.
WorkRing uses eight sectors, a number that is easy to remember and still gives each target a generous angle.
What to put in the ring
Start with what you repeat all day: a few Shortcuts, your most used folders, two or three apps and a snippet. Then add per-app profiles so the ring adapts to the app in front.
Download WorkRing
WorkRing opens an 8-sector ring right at your cursor. Run Shortcuts, jump to folders, launch apps, paste snippets and send keyboard shortcuts, all without leaving the spot where your hand already is.
Download for Mac