Workspaces 2.2 Brings a New Settings Window and Faster Search

Apptorium released Workspaces 2.2 on 24 August 2026, the first feature update to its project launcher for Mac in more than three years. The release introduces a completely new Settings window, a context menu for launching workspaces from the menu bar, and a set of Search improvements that make opening a project quicker from the keyboard. A follow-up, Workspaces 2.3, arrived on 3 September 2026. Both are free for anyone who already owns Workspaces 2, and they are especially relevant if you switch between several modules, projects or a dissertation throughout the week.

What's new in Workspaces 2.2

If you haven't used it before, Workspaces lets you group everything a project needs into one place: folders, files, apps, websites, URLs, Terminal commands, Mail messages, Shortcuts and plugin actions. Click Start and it opens the resources you choose; click Finish and it can tidy up after you, for example by quitting apps with the QuitApps plugin. Version 2.2 focuses on making that loop faster.

A new Settings window

The headline change is a rebuilt Settings window. It replaces the older preferences layout and gives Apptorium a foundation for the plugin management that followed in 2.3.

Launching from the menu bar

You can now right-click the Workspaces icon in the menu bar to launch a workspace directly, without opening the main window or Search first. For anyone who keeps the app running in the background, this is the quickest way to get a project going.

Search improvements

• Better keyboard navigation: Shift-Tab moves backwards through Search, and Command-R runs the selected workspace.
• Single-click opening: workspaces and individual resources open from Search with one click.
• Reveal in Finder: supported resources can be shown in Finder straight from the Search window.
• Remembered position: the Search window reopens where you left it.
• Optional auto-close: a new setting closes Search automatically once you open the editor.

Smaller additions

Workspaces and resources can now be started from inside the editor, and a What's New window shows recent changes within the app. The 2.2 release notes also list fixes for keyboard shortcut editing and for the editor behaving unexpectedly when the app became active, plus a fix for an issue on the macOS 27 beta.

Since then

Workspaces 2.3, released on 3 September 2026, builds on the new Settings window by showing when plugin updates are available. If you downloaded Workspaces from Apptorium's website or use it through Setapp, you can update plugins directly from Settings. The Add Resources menu now supports search and keyboard navigation, you can copy a resource's URL from the Search panel, and a new Command-Option-E shortcut opens the configuration for Action plugins in the editor.

Why it matters for students

Most students don't work on one thing at a time. A typical week might mean jumping between a statistics module, a group presentation, a lab report and a part-time job, each with its own folders, reading, websites and apps. Workspaces is built for that kind of switching, and the 2.2 changes cut down the time it takes.

• One click per module. Build a workspace for each module containing the lecture slides folder, your notes document, the virtual learning environment page and the reading list. Launching it from the menu bar context menu gets you set up in seconds.
• Dissertation and research projects. Long-running projects collect a lot of material: a reference manager, a data folder, a writing app, a few key papers and perhaps a Terminal session for analysis scripts. A single workspace brings them all back each time you sit down to write.
• Coding coursework. Computer science students can pair a project folder with their editor, a Terminal command, the assignment brief and the relevant documentation pages, then use Finish to quit everything when the session ends.
• Getting started faster. The keyboard-driven Search improvements mean you can find and run the right workspace without reaching for the trackpad, which helps when you're trying to fit in a short study session between lectures.
• Notes and tasks per project. Each workspace can hold its own notes and tasks, which is handy for tracking what's left to do on a specific assignment.

Requirements and upgrade details

• Workspaces requires macOS 14 or newer.
• Versions 2.2 and 2.3 are free updates for existing Workspaces 2 owners. Apptorium sells Workspaces as a one-time purchase for the current major version, with all 2.x updates included, and has said that Workspaces 3 will be a paid upgrade.
• The app is available from Apptorium's website, the Mac App Store and Setapp, and there's a 30-day free trial if you want to test it on your own projects first.

Get Workspaces 2 with a student discount

Student App Centre members get 50% Off Workspaces 2, halving the cost of a one-time licence that covers every 2.x update. Head to the Workspaces 2 student discount page to claim it. New to Student App Centre? Start a 7-day free trial of membership and you can use the discount right away.