Bind for macOS
Jump straight to the keyboard layout you want
Bind is a menu bar app that gives every keyboard input source its own shortcut. One key or a chord takes you to U.S., Ukrainian, or whichever layout you meant – not the next one in a cycle.
The problem
Control-Space is a roulette
You need Ukrainian, tap Control-Space, and land on the wrong layout. Tap again. Still wrong. macOS walks your input sources in order. Keep three or four layouts around and the one you want is rarely next. The first beat of the sentence is spent guessing.
How it works
Pick a layout. Bind it to a key. Done.
Step 1
Trust Bind in Accessibility
macOS only lets an app hear global shortcuts after you grant Accessibility. Bind needs that so a key works from any app. It does not read what you type.
Step 2
Give each layout a shortcut
Open Shortcuts in Settings – or the overlay from the menu bar. Click a recorder and press a chord like ⌘K, or a single key with no modifiers.
Step 3
Press that key from anywhere
Bind selects that input source and nothing else. No walking the list. No glance at the menu bar to check which layout came up.
What you get
Direct shortcuts, plus a cycle if you still want one
A shortcut per layout
Bind lists the keyboard input sources already installed on your Mac. Each row has a recorder. If two layouts share a combo, Bind marks it In use so you can pick a different key.
Next and Previous when cycling still helps
Two extra bindings walk the list forward or back. Keep Control-Space if you like it. Use the per-source keys when you know exactly where you want to go.
Switch and edit from the menu bar
Click the Bind icon to pick a layout, or open a full-screen overlay and change bindings without hunting for the Settings window.
Stays out of the way
Menu bar only unless you turn on Show in Dock. Optional switch sound and Open at Login. The app collects no data.
Screenshots
How Bind looks
Settings, the menu bar panel, and a full-screen overlay for editing shortcuts without leaving whatever you were doing.
Questions
A few things worth knowing
How do I get Bind?
It is free. Enter your email on this page and the installer starts downloading. I keep that address as a record of the download.
Why does Bind need Accessibility?
Global shortcuts – including a single key with no modifiers – only work after macOS trusts Bind. Accessibility is the permission that makes that possible. Bind does not collect what you type.
Can I keep Control-Space?
Yes. Bind does not replace the built-in cycle shortcut. Use both: cycle when you want to walk the list, Bind when you want a specific layout.
Which Macs does it run on?
macOS 12 Monterey and later. The menu bar panel, Settings, and login item work on Monterey. Newer macOS versions get the newer system APIs where they exist.
Does Bind collect data?
The app does not. There is no account, no analytics, and no network calls in Bind. Shortcuts stay on your Mac. This website stores the email you enter to download.
What if two layouts share the same shortcut?
Bind flags the combo as In use. Clear one of the recorders and assign a different key. Next and Previous use the same conflict check.