Mac UX just got personal. Desktop Composer from Apptorium goes beta with per-profile theming you can flip in a click. Profiles remember wallpaper, light/dark, Dock setup, icon visibility, widgets, the menu bar, accent color, folder colors, and even Terminal and Xcode themes across apps like SideNotes, FiveNotes, ForkLift, Alfred, Bear, and NotePlan. [1]
- Desktop Composer lets you create profiles and instantly switch the entire desktop look, with every setting snapping to the chosen theme. It even spans legacy apps and tools you rely on daily. [1]
- The beta is free during testing; post-beta it becomes a one-time payment, likely in the $7.99–$19.99 range—plus Setapp availability planned. [1]
- A commenter asked about per-app theming per se and floated terminal-commands ideas to force light/dark modes for individual apps, illustrating the demand for granular control. [1]
Meanwhile, a separate thread dives into a different kind of macOS customization: a stacked zones window manager. The idea splits the screen into fixed zones, each acting as a stack where you send a window with a hotkey and cycle through the stack. It’s about focus and visibility, not rigid tiling. Some readers point to yabai, while others argue it’s too inflexible, and a developer notes they’re prototyping a solution. [2]
All told, the conversations signal a trend toward highly personalized UI and flexible window-management workflows on macOS. Watch this space for how per-profile themes and stacked-workflow ideas converge in upcoming releases.
References
Desktop Composer Beta: Customize and instantly switch your Mac’s look
Mac beta Desktop Composer launches per-profile theming; instant switch debated; Windows plan absent; pricing debated; Gray cited; feedback mixed overall.
View sourceWhy I want a “stacked zones” window manager for macOS — not another tiling one
Mac users discuss stacked zones window management, weighing yabai against Raycast, BTT, Charmstone, and others for focus and visibility.
View source