Skip to main content
Mango’s overview mode provides a bird’s-eye view of all your windows across all tags, inspired by Hyprland’s Hycov plugin. This feature makes it easy to locate and switch to any window regardless of which tag it’s on.

​
Overview

Overview mode displays all windows in a grid layout, allowing you to:
  • Visualize All Windows: See all open windows across all tags at once
  • Quick Selection: Click or navigate to any window to focus it
  • Cross-Tag Navigation: Switch to windows on different tags instantly
  • Organized Layout: Windows arranged in a clean grid for easy scanning
  • Smooth Animations: Zoom and fade effects for polished transitions
Overview Mode Demo

​
Activating Overview Mode

​
Toggle Overview

Use a single keybinding to enter and exit overview mode: 
# Toggle overview mode
bind=ALT,Tab,toggleoverview,
Behavior:
  • Press once to enter overview mode and see all windows
  • Press again to exit overview mode and return to normal view
  • Click any window in overview to focus it and exit overview mode

​
Alternative Bindings

# Alternative overview bindings
bind=SUPER,Tab,toggleoverview,
bind=SUPER,o,toggleoverview,
bind=ALT,Escape,toggleoverview,
Choose a binding that fits your workflow and doesn’t conflict with other shortcuts.

​
Overview Configuration

Customize overview mode behavior in config.conf: 
# Hot area size at screen edges (pixels)
hotarea_size=10

# Enable hot areas for triggering overview
enable_hotarea=1

# Overview tab mode (0=normal, 1=tab mode)
ov_tab_mode=0

# Inner gap between windows in overview (pixels)
overviewgappi=5

# Outer gap from screen edges in overview (pixels)
overviewgappo=30

​
Configuration Options

​
hotarea_size
integer
default:"10"
Size of hot corners/edges in pixels. Move cursor to screen corner to trigger overview if enabled.
​
enable_hotarea
boolean
default:"1"
Enable hot corner triggering of overview mode. Set to 0 to disable.
​
ov_tab_mode
boolean
default:"0"
Enable tab mode for overview. Alternative navigation style.
​
overviewgappi
integer
default:"5"
Inner gap between windows in overview grid (pixels).
​
overviewgappo
integer
default:"30"
Outer gap between overview grid and screen edges (pixels).

​
Hot Area Triggering

Overview can be triggered by moving your cursor to screen corners or edges:

​
Enabling Hot Areas

# Enable hot area triggering
enable_hotarea=1

# Size of hot area (10px at corners/edges)
hotarea_size=10

​
How It Works

  1. Move cursor to any screen corner or edge
  2. Hold cursor in hot area for a brief moment
  3. Overview mode activates automatically
  4. Move cursor away or select window to exit
Hot area triggering is optional. You can disable it with enable_hotarea=0 and use only keyboard shortcuts.

​
Window Selection in Overview

Once in overview mode, you can select windows using multiple methods:

​
Mouse Selection

  • Click: Click any window to focus it and exit overview
  • Hover: Hover over windows to preview (if supported)
  • Drag: Drag windows to reorder (functionality may vary)

​
Keyboard Navigation

# Navigate between windows in overview
bind=ALT,Left,focusdir,left
bind=ALT,Right,focusdir,right
bind=ALT,Up,focusdir,up
bind=ALT,Down,focusdir,down

# Select focused window (exit overview)
bind=ALT,Return,toggleoverview,
Navigation keys work in overview mode to move focus between windows:
1

Enter Overview

Press ALT+Tab to enter overview mode
2

Navigate Windows

Use arrow keys to move focus between windows in the grid
3

Select Window

Press Return to select focused window and exit overview

​
Overview Layout

​
Grid Arrangement

Overview mode uses an intelligent grid layout:
  • Automatic Sizing: Window thumbnails sized to fit all windows
  • Aspect Ratio: Maintains window proportions
  • Centered Layout: Grid centered on screen
  • Tag Grouping: Windows can be grouped by tag (depends on ov_tab_mode)

​
Gap Configuration

# Tight spacing for many windows
overviewgappi=3
overviewgappo=20

# Spacious layout for fewer windows
overviewgappi=10
overviewgappo=50
Adjust gaps based on:
  • Number of typical open windows
  • Screen resolution and size
  • Personal preference for density vs. whitespace

​
Tab Mode

Tab mode provides an alternative overview experience: 
# Enable tab mode
ov_tab_mode=1
Tab mode changes how windows are displayed and navigated in overview. Exact behavior may vary - refer to the wiki for detailed tab mode documentation.

​
Overview Animations

Overview mode features smooth animations for a polished experience: 
# Enable animations
animations=1

# Tag animation for overview transition
animation_duration_tag=350
animation_curve_tag=0.46,1.0,0.29,1

# Window open/close in overview
animation_duration_open=400
animation_duration_close=800

# Fade effects
animation_fade_in=1
animation_fade_out=1
fadein_begin_opacity=0.5
fadeout_begin_opacity=0.8

​
Animation Effects

  • Zoom Out: Windows smoothly zoom out to grid positions
  • Fade In: Windows fade in as overview appears
  • Fade Out: Smooth fade when exiting overview
  • Zoom In: Selected window zooms back to full size

​
Use Cases

Window Recovery

Find lost windows that ended up on unexpected tags

Task Switching

Quickly switch between tasks across different tags

Workspace Review

Get an overview of all active work before ending session

Window Organization

Review all windows to decide which to close or reorganize

​
Workflow Integration

​
Quick Task Switching

  1. Press ALT+Tab to enter overview
  2. Visually locate your target window
  3. Click window or navigate with arrows
  4. Return to full-screen work immediately

​
Window Cleanup

Use overview to identify windows to close:
  1. Enter overview mode to see all windows
  2. Note which windows are no longer needed
  3. Exit overview and close unnecessary windows
  4. Keep workspace organized and performant

​
Multi-Tag Workflows

Overview excels with tag-based organization:
  • Code on Tag 1: Editor and terminals
  • Research on Tag 2: Browser and documentation
  • Communication on Tag 3: Email and chat
  • Media on Tag 4: Music and videos
Overview lets you jump between these contexts instantly without remembering which tag holds which window.

​
Performance Considerations

​
Many Windows

Overview performs well with many windows:
  • Efficient rendering of window thumbnails
  • Smooth animations even with 20+ windows
  • Automatic grid sizing adapts to window count

​
Optimization Tips

# Reduce gaps for many windows
overviewgappi=3
overviewgappo=15

# Adjust animation duration for snappier feel
animation_duration_tag=250
animation_duration_open=300

​
Comparison with Other Features

​
Overview vs. Window Cycling

FeatureOverview ModeWindow Cycling (SUPER+Tab)
VisualSee all windows at onceCycle through one at a time
NavigationDirect selectionSequential navigation
TagsCross-tag visibilityCurrent tag only (typically)
SpeedFast for known positionFast for recent windows

​
Overview vs. Tags

  • Tags: Organize windows into workspaces
  • Overview: Transcend tag boundaries to see everything
  • Together: Tags keep things organized, overview helps you navigate

​
Advanced Configuration

​
Combining with Focus Settings

# Don't auto-focus windows on activation
focus_on_activate=0

# Allow cross-tag focus in overview
focus_cross_tag=1

​
Custom Overview Binding

# Use middle mouse button for overview
mousebind=NONE,btn_middle,toggleoverview,0

# Use hot corner and keyboard
enable_hotarea=1
bind=SUPER,space,toggleoverview,

​
Tips and Best Practices

Use an intuitive key like SUPER+Tab or ALT+Escape that feels natural for “show all windows.”
Hot area triggering can be faster than keyboard shortcuts once you build muscle memory.
If you typically have 10+ windows, reduce gaps. For 5-10 windows, increase gaps for easier clicking.
Use tags to group related windows, then use overview when you need to jump outside your current context.
Reduce animation duration if overview feels sluggish. Increase if transitions feel too abrupt.

​
Troubleshooting

Check that enable_hotarea=1 and increase hotarea_size to make corners easier to hit. Try hotarea_size=20.
Reduce overviewgappi and overviewgappo to give more space to window thumbnails.
Reduce animation durations: animation_duration_tag=200 for snappier transitions.
Ensure your focus direction bindings don’t have conflicting modifiers. Try arrow keys without modifiers while in overview.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us