Alexis Kestler
Hey there! As a fellow Mac user, I know you appreciate having an intuitive system for seamless multitasking. While Apple‘s built-in Stage Manager provides decent window organization, it still leaves a lot to be desired.
After testing over a dozen different utilities over the years, I‘ve found third-party window managers are absolutely essential for productivity. These tools give you fine-tuned control over window placement, sizing, switching, presets, and other options MacOS lacks.
In this guide, I‘ll walk you through the 9 best managers I recommend based on hands-on experience. I‘ve used them all extensively to power my own workflows. Ready to transform chaotic multitasking into streamlined order? Let‘s dive in!
What Exactly is a Window Manager?
First, a quick refresher on what window managers actually do:
They‘re applications that control the placement, appearance and navigation of windows on your desktop. This includes handy abilities like:
- Tiling or stacking windows
- Resizing, maximizing, minimizing, hiding windows
- Snapping to edges or corners
- Switching focus between windows
- Creating and saving window layouts
- Managing windows across multiple monitors
In short, they eliminate the tedious manual organizing we often waste time on. With fast configurable shortcuts, you can arrange apps exactly how you want in seconds. It‘s like a superpower for hyper-efficient multitasking!
Benefits of Using a Dedicated Window Manager
You might wonder why bother when macOS has some window management already? Great question! Here are the key advantages I‘ve experienced:
1. Massive Productivity Boost
With windows neatly organized, you spend zero time manually arranging. Just zap apps into place and focus on work! My productivity skyrocketed after ditching the endless dragging.
2. Killer Customization
You can create window layouts tailored to your unique workflow. Frequently used presets are just a click or shortcut away. It‘s amazing having perfect custom spaces ready for different tasks.
3. Reduced Distractions
Stacking windows in an orderly grid keeps your desktop clutter-free and focused. No more endlessly hunting for buried windows you can never find! Life changing.
4. Seamless Workflow Integration
Hotkeys for window control directly fit into your normal workflow for smooth context switching between apps. I customized shortcuts to match my muscle memory.
5. Multi-Monitor Mastery
A good window manager optimizes screen real estate across 2, 3 or even 4 monitors. My productivity skyrocketed when I could easily snap apps across all displays.
Now let‘s explore some stellar options I highly recommend based on personal experience.
1. Magnet – Simple, Powerful Window Snapping
Magnet is a super lightweight but powerful window management tool. The core function is simple window snapping.
With configurable hotkeys, you can snap a window to the left, right, top, bottom or corners of your screen instantly. Split screen between two apps or maximize one with a single keystroke. Super fast and intuitive.
I especially appreciate these extra handy features:
- Custom snap areas and sizes
- Snap window to screen edges or center
- Keyboard and mouse shortcuts
- Manage windows across multiple monitors
- Save reusable window layouts
For straightforward snapping tasks, Magnet delivers excellent usability. It‘s straightforward, intuitive and very customizable without complexity overload. This simplicity focus makes it easy to integrate Magnet shortcuts into your normal flow. Definitely one of my daily drivers!
2. Divvy – Precision Window Management
Divvy takes window control to the next level. You can resize and position windows with exacting precision.
The main interface is a configurable grid overlay. Snap windows to grid sections or enter specific pixel coordinates. I love tailoring the grid sizes and layouts to suit any workflow.
With hotkeys, you can instantly summon Divvy then quickly snap, maximize or hide windows without touching the mouse. Super efficient!
Other brilliant features:
- Automatic window sizing presets
- Complex multi-action keyboard shortcuts
- Remembers window positions
- Supports multiple monitors
- 30 day free trial
For demanding window management, Divvy gives you surgical precision and automation. It does have a learning curve to master all the robust config options. But for power users, the time investment is well worth it!
3. Mosaic – Intuitive Drag and Drop
Mosaic brings easy, intuitive window control through slick drag and drop handling.
You can visually arrange apps across your workspace by fluidly resizing windows by dragging edges and corners. No need to memorize tons of keyboard shortcuts.
Mosaic fully integrates into the standard MacOS interactions. I especially appreciate these features:
- Grid overlay for snap points
- Automatic window placements
- Multi-monitor support
- Fullscreen and splitscreen modes
- Custom keyboard and mouse shortcuts
For quick visual window management, Mosaic is great. The drag and drop workflow keeps things intuitive rather than hidden behind shortcuts. Perfect for those who prefer more graphical interaction.
4. Moom – Minimalist Window Control
Moom takes a uniquely minimalist approach. It focuses on simple tools exposed through an uncluttered interface.
The main Moom panel provides presets to snap windows left, right, top, bottom and corners. Access this panel via hotkey, menu bar or touch bar.
One of my favorite aspects is the keyboard-driven window management. Moom is fully controllable without touching the mouse.
Additional stellar features:
- Custom snap points and window sizes
- Multi-action keyboard shortcuts
- Automatic window layouts
- Remembers window positions
- 30 day free trial
For fast keyboard-centric control, Moom is a great fit. The pared down UI keeps things focused without sacrificing functionality.
5. BetterSnapTool – Feature-Packed and Customizable
With its vast feature set, BetterSnapTool is one of the most powerful utilities available.
Intuitive drag and drop repositioning is supplemented by extremely configurable snapping and shortcuts. You can customize almost every aspect of window control to accelerate your unique workflow.
Here are just some of the standout features:
- Incredibly customizable snapping, shortcuts and presets
- Automatic or snapzone window positioning
- Multi-monitor support and shortcuts
- Window focus cycling
- 30 day free trial
If you want intricate, tailored window management, BetterSnapTool is hard to beat. You‘ll need to invest time learning the extensive options, but the efficiency payoff is massive for power users!
6. Amethyst – Open-Source and Free
For open-source fans like myself, Amethyst is a solid free window manager for Mac. As an open project, it sees frequent updates and improvements from the community.
The approach is straightforward – windows automatically tile across your available screen space. Quickly cycle between app windows using configurable hotkeys.
I appreciate these strong points:
- Automatic window tiling
- Keyboard navigation and focus cycling
- Custom layouts and shortcuts
- Spaces and multiple monitor support
- Completely free and open-source
For basic tiling management, Amethyst is a great starting point. If you want more advanced functionality, several plugins are available to expand the toolset.
7. Kwm – Tiling for Power Users
Kwm takes tiling window management to the extreme. This "killer window manager" is targeted at power users for maximum control and efficiency.
Windows automatically occupy available tiling space. But the advanced config options let you customize layouts, shortcuts, behaviors and appearance in incredible detail. Even scriptable config files for next-level automation!
Despite the dense technical capabilities, Kwm remains responsive and performant. The active development community keeps it fast and modern.
Standout features for power users:
- Automatic tiling with incredibly detailed customization
- Vim-like keyboard controls and shortcuts
- Built on a scriptable config file framework
- Custom hooks into macOS behaviors
- Spaces and multi-monitor support
- Free and open-source
If you need as much window control as possible like I do, Kwm really delivers. Be prepared to spend time optimizing configs for your unique workflow.
8. Spectacle – Free Essentials
Spectacle provides a great free starting point for managing windows. The focus is on fundamental snapping tools every user needs.
Quickly snap windows left, right or into maximized, centered or mirrored layouts. Cycle through window focus with configurable hotkeys. Simple but essential time-savers!
Despite the basics-only approach, power users can still benefit by assigning Spectacle shortcuts to complement heavier-duty tools. I keep it around for quick secondary snaps.
Strong points:
- Simple snapping arrangements
- Keyboard navigation and focus cycling
- Multi-monitor support
- Lightweight and responsive
- Completely free
For free essentials without the advanced extras, Spectacle is a stellar pick. Useful on its own or paired with other tools.
9. HyperSwitch – Fast App Switching
HyperSwitch takes a unique approach by focusing exclusively on fast app switching rather than general window management.
Just hit a hotkey to shuffle instantly between open apps and windows. You get a bird‘s eye view of all your open windows, hidden apps, spaces and desktops in one view. Makes shuffling through everything incredibly fast!
Additional handy features:
- Instant visually-oriented app switching
- Bird‘s eye view of all open app windows
- Filter on app name or window title
- Jumps between desktops and spaces
- 15 day free trial
For next-level app switching speed, HyperSwitch is the best I‘ve tried. It complements heavier window managers extremely well. I have hotkeys for both built into my workflow.
The Verdict: Still Worth It in 2023?
With the native improvements Apple has added, are third-party window managers still necessary in 2023?
In my opinion, absolutely! Standalone managers still provide huge efficiency gains over MacOS‘s tools:
- Limited snapping arrangements and shortcuts
- No window layout presets
- Minimal configurability and customization
- Not optimized for large multi-monitor setups
Third-party utilities fill these gaps and give you more granular control. Based on my testing, the productivity and timesavings easily justify using a dedicated tool (or combine multiple for power users!)
And robust managers keep rapidly innovating with new features that stay ahead of Apple‘s offerings. There‘s still plenty of room for even more efficiency gains!
Take Control of Your Windows
That wraps up my guide to supercharging your multitasking with the best window managers for Mac. With keyboard-driven window placement, sizing and focus control, these tools can massively streamline your workflow.
The right option depends on your needs and preferences. Simple snapping? Maximum configurability? Lightweight and free? Advanced capabilities? I hope the detailed options above give you some great ideas to majorly boost your own Mac productivity.
Give a few a try to see which integrations click with your style. I‘m happy to offer any other insights from my testing and experience – feel free to reach out!
Wishing you legendary window managing feats! Once you go pro, there‘s no going back. Your new multitasking superpowers await.
