A dial at your cursor
Press Option-Space and the dial opens where your pointer already is, so there is no trip across the screen. Change the shortcut to anything you like in settings.
Recento Dial · Part of Recento Pro
Reach anything without remembering a shortcut
Recento Dial is a radial app launcher for Mac. Press Option-Space and a dial opens right at your cursor, holding the apps, folders and links you use most, plus your saved workspaces and shelves.
macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon & Intel
You can only learn so many keyboard shortcuts, and the Dock is always on the far side of the screen. Opening the same handful of apps, folders and sites all day means a lot of small trips you should not have to make.
Recento Dial puts them in a ring around your pointer. Press one shortcut, flick toward what you want, and it opens. It is a radial app launcher for Mac that also reaches the bigger things in Recento Pro: a whole saved workspace, or a Recento Drop shelf.
What Recento Dial does
Pin apps, folders and links
Put the things you open every day on the dial: an app, a folder, or a web link. Group extras into a small menu of their own so the top level stays short.
Workspaces and shelves, one click in
Your saved Recento Workspaces and Recento Drop shelves each get one slice. Click it and the dial swaps to that list, so a whole working setup or a shelf of files is two clicks away.
Click, flick or use the keyboard
Tap the shortcut and aim with the mouse, or hold it, flick toward a slice and let go. You can also use the arrow keys, press Return, scroll to turn the dial, or press 1 to 9 and 0 to open a slice outright.
Leave it on screen, quietly
Prefer something you can point at? Keep the dial on screen as a faint icon that brightens when you use it. It opens on a click, or on hover if you choose.
Put it anywhere
Drag the dial wherever suits you. Drop it near a screen edge and it snaps flush to it, and it remembers where you left it.
Sized and labelled your way
Pick a small, medium or large dial, show names on every slice or only on the one you aim at, and add number badges so the keyboard shortcuts are easy to learn. Long names are shortened on the dial and shown in full when you point at them.
Settings a right-click away
Right-click the dial to open or close it, keep it on screen, switch hover opening on or off, or jump to its settings.
How it works
- 1Download Recento Pro and open Recento Dial from the app grid.
- 2Pin a few apps, folders or links, and choose which groups (Workspaces, Shelves) appear.
- 3Press Option-Space anywhere. The dial opens at your cursor.
- 4Click a slice, flick toward it, or press its number. Open a group to see what is inside, and use Back to return.
- 5If you like, turn on Keep on Screen and drag the dial to a corner.
Who it's for
- Mouse and trackpad users who would rather flick than memorise shortcuts.
- Designers and video editors who keep a hand on the mouse and want apps and folders close by.
- Developers who jump between the same project folders, tools and dashboards all day.
- People who use Recento Workspaces or Recento Drop and want their setups and shelves at the cursor.
Free and paid
| Feature | Free version | Recento Pro |
|---|---|---|
| The dial, shelves & workspaces | Included | Included |
| Pinned items | 4 | Unlimited |
Recento Pro is $9.99 a month after a 2 day free trial (cancel any time) or $99 once for a lifetime licence, and it unlocks every module.
Plans, trial and refund terms are on the Recento Pro pricing section.
Privacy and permissions
- No permission is needed to open the dial with its shortcut, aim with the mouse, click, flick or scroll.
- Accessibility (optional): keyboard control of the dial (arrow keys, Return, number keys) works most reliably with Accessibility allowed. The mouse always works without it.
- What stays on the Mac: your pinned items and settings are stored on your Mac. Recento Dial sends nothing anywhere.
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- Any Mac: Apple silicon or Intel
- The Workspaces group needs Recento Workspaces turned on, and the Shelves group needs Recento Drop. If either is off, its group simply does not appear.
Questions
What is a radial app launcher?
It is a ring of choices that opens around your pointer. You point or flick in a direction to pick one, which is faster than travelling to the Dock or menu bar and easier to learn than a long list of shortcuts.
What is the default shortcut?
Option-Space. You can change it in Recento Dial's settings, and Recento warns you if the keys you pick are already used by macOS or another Recento action.
What can I put on the dial?
Apps, folders and web links, plus small menus that group several of them. Your saved workspaces and Recento Drop shelves appear as their own slices when those modules are on.
Can I use it without a mouse?
Yes. Once the dial is open, use the arrow keys and Return, or press 1 to 9 and 0 to open a slice directly. Keyboard control works best with Accessibility permission allowed.
Can the dial stay on screen all the time?
Yes. Turn on Keep on Screen and it rests as a faint icon wherever you put it, brightening when you use it. A click opens it. Hovering can open it too if you turn that on.
How many items can I pin for free?
The free version lets you pin 4 items. Recento Pro removes the limit. The dial itself, and the Workspaces and Shelves groups, are free.
Does it get in the way of what I am doing?
No. The dial only takes the mouse while your pointer is over it, so clicks and scrolls elsewhere go to the app underneath. Clicking outside an open dial closes it.
Put your favourite apps one flick away
Download Recento Pro, press Option-Space, and start pinning.
More from Recento Pro
Recento Workspacessave a whole setup and restore it from a dial slice.
Recento Dropfloating shelves for files, reachable from the dial.
Recento Slidea keyboard-first bar for your clipboard and shelves.
Shortcutsgive any app its own keyboard shortcut.
Recento Tracksee which apps deserve a spot on your dial.