> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://withbeckon.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The ring

> Opening it, picking an app, and closing it.

## Open it

| Do this | What happens |
| - | - |
| **Hold ⌥Space**, flick toward an app, **let go** | Switches to that app. |
| **Tap ⌥Space** | The ring stays open for a click. |
| **Hold or press the middle mouse button** | The same as the shortcut: hold and flick, or press once to keep it open. |
| **Menu bar icon → Show Ring** | Opens it at the pointer, ready for a click. |

The ring opens around the pointer, wherever it is. Near the edge of a screen it shifts just
enough to stay on screen.

You can change the shortcut in **Settings → General**. See [Settings](/docs/guides/settings).

## Pick an app

Beckon picks by **direction**: the app in the direction you move from the ring's middle is the
one you get. A short flick, about the size of a fingertip, is enough. You don't have to land on
the icon.

The app you're heading for grows, a short marker on the ring points at it, and its name shows
in the middle. That's what letting go will pick.

![The ring heading for Safari: a marker points at it and its name shows in the middle](https://mintcdn.com/beckon/ZZ3Mx-oqja_BgUg6/images/ring-light.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZZ3Mx-oqja_BgUg6\&q=85\&s=49cb357184b947f48d010293db4797e0)

While you hold the shortcut, a flick that overshoots a little past the ring still counts. Much
further out, nothing is picked and letting go cancels.

## Close it without switching

* Holding: let go without moving, or move back to the middle first.
* Kept open: press **Esc**, click anywhere outside the ring, or press ⌥Space again.

While the ring is open, clicks never reach the apps underneath, on any screen. A click outside
the ring only closes it.

## With the ring open

| Key | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Esc** | Closes the ring. |
| **Return** | Picks the highlighted app or window. |
| **⌘,** | Closes the ring and opens Settings. Works while you're still holding ⌥Space. |
| **Right-click** an app | The Dock's menu for it. See [Replace the Dock](/docs/guides/replace-the-dock#the-docks-right-click-menu). |

## What's on the ring

* **Order:** Finder is always at 12 o'clock. Your Dock's apps follow clockwise in Dock order,
  then any other open apps, newest last. Apps keep their places, so after a few days your hand
  learns the directions.
* **Running apps** have a small dot on the inside of the ring, as in the Dock. The frontmost
  app's dot is brighter. Apps without a dot are in your Dock but closed.
* **Window counts:** an app with two or more windows has a badge with the number. See
  [Windows](/docs/guides/windows).
* **Folders and the Trash** come after the apps, as in the Dock (Pro).
* **More than 24 apps:** the last slot becomes **+n**. Point at it and the rest fan out beyond
  the ring.

![The +n slot with the apps that didn't fit fanned out beyond the ring](https://mintcdn.com/beckon/ZZ3Mx-oqja_BgUg6/images/more-apps-light.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZZ3Mx-oqja_BgUg6\&q=85\&s=1d55411f53f62a1839ead30a0dbcd3c3)

Which apps appear is up to you: your Dock's apps and open apps, Beckon's own pinned list, or
open apps only. See [Replace the Dock](/docs/guides/replace-the-dock#which-apps-the-ring-shows).

## Switching works like the Dock

Picking an app does what clicking it in the Dock would: a hidden app comes back, an app with no
windows opens a new one, and an app that isn't running launches.

> [!NOTE]
>
> With **Reduce Motion** on (System Settings → Accessibility → Display), the ring appears without
> its short opening animation.


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