Rectangle
FreeGives macOS the window snapping Windows has had for years
A window manager for macOS that snaps windows to halves, quarters or thirds via keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to a screen edge. The built-in Split View only handles two windows and forces full-screen mode; Rectangle arranges them on the normal desktop and carries the same shortcuts across multiple displays.
Why we picked it
MIT-licensed, 29,900 stars.
People switching from Windows to a Mac usually notice the same thing in week one: dragging a window to the left edge does not make it take half the screen. macOS has Split View, but it requires holding the green button, forces full-screen mode, locks two windows together and leaves no room for a third. Rectangle fills that hole — ⌃⌥← for the left half, ⌃⌥↑ for the top half, quarters in each corner, and windows flung between displays with one keystroke.
It inherited Spectacle's users. Spectacle stopped being maintained in 2019 and its author pointed people to Rectangle directly in the README; settings can be carried over.
To be clear about:
- It needs Accessibility permission, which is what macOS requires for moving other apps' windows.
- There is a paid Rectangle Pro with custom layouts and finer gestures. The free version's snapping is not cut down and is enough for everyday use.