Focus Window Under Pointer
by ZwayStudiosupdated
Focus Window Under Pointer is an optional feature in Chrome Profile Switcher 1.5.0. Rest the pointer on any window in any app and it gets keyboard focus without being raised to the front, so your first click does what you meant. It is off by default and you can turn it on from the menu bar icon or in Settings.
Why a Mac often needs two clicks
On macOS, a window has to be the active one before it takes your keyboard and, in many apps, before a click inside it does anything useful. When you click a window that is not active, that first click often just activates it. The second click presses the button or places the cursor.
If you work with several windows side by side, such as an editor, a terminal and a browser, you pay that extra click many times a day. We wrote more about this in why you click twice on a Mac.
Focus without raising
The usual answer on other systems is “focus follows mouse”: the window under the pointer becomes the active one. The catch is that many tools also bring that window to the front, which can shuffle overlapping windows around as you move the mouse across the screen.
Focus Window Under Pointer gives the window keyboard focus without raising it. Your layout stays where you put it. You can type into a window that is partly behind another, and your first click lands on the button you aimed at.
How to turn it on
- Click the Chrome Profile Switcher icon in the menu bar.
- Turn on Focus Window Under Pointer. You can also find it in Settings.
To turn it off, use the same switch.
The safety rules
Focus that moves on its own can get in the way if it fires at the wrong moment. The feature follows a few rules to stay out of your way:
- It waits for the pointer to move and then rest on a window. Passing across a window on your way somewhere else does nothing.
- It never acts while a mouse button is held, so drags and selections are not interrupted.
- It never acts while a menu is open.
- It ignores the Dock, the menu bar, Mission Control, Spotlight and notifications, so hovering those never steals focus from the window you were using.
How it compares
AutoRaise is a free, open source focus follows mouse tool for macOS (github.com/sbmpost/AutoRaise). It has a configurable delay and can focus without raising. If you want a dedicated tool with more settings, it is a good choice.
Terminal’s own setting. macOS Terminal supports focus follows mouse natively with defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -bool true. It works only between Terminal windows, not across apps.
Okie Dockie also includes focus follows mouse without raising, plus click-through, among its free features (as of 29 September 2026).
Our version is a single switch inside an app you may already run for browser profile icons, with the safety rules above built in. For a wider look at the options, read our guide to focus follows mouse on a Mac.
Requirements
Focus Window Under Pointer ships in version 1.5.0 of the free beta, which needs macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel. Download it here or read the changelog.