As an influence consumer, I discover Mac window administration clunky and damaged when utilizing the choices constructed into macOS. Switching between apps, and snapping apps into desired display areas, shouldn’t be so irritating.
So, I took issues into my very own fingers — streamlining how I snap, change and handle home windows to lastly make macOS work for me, not in opposition to me.
Mac window administration is damaged
Whereas Apple continues to make regular progress on Mac window administration, macOS nonetheless lags behind Home windows on this space. In macOS, you’ll be able to snap home windows to the left or proper of the show, transfer them to a different show, and so forth., however every motion requires long-pressing the Maximize button on a window’s title bar.
That’s not probably the most environment friendly approach to handle home windows on Mac, particularly if it’s essential to use the choice a number of instances a day. And whereas macOS’ Mission Management and Exposé show helpful, they don’t seem to be the quickest choices to get issues finished.
This is the reason I depend on BetterSnapTool and rcmd for window administration on my Mac. These two third-party choices are among the many most-used apps on my Mac. Collectively, they make window snapping and organizing a breeze.
Desk of contents: How I supercharge window administration on my Mac
Snapping app home windows into zones
In the event you change from a Home windows PC, you’ll discover macOS surprisingly restricted in terms of arranging home windows. Home windows 11’s Snap Layouts allow you to drag an app to the sting and select from a number of format presets. On Mac, until you utilize third-party instruments, snapping a window aspect by aspect feels clunky.
Whereas working, I desire having one window snapped to the left and one other to the proper of my major show for a extra environment friendly workflow. As a substitute of fidgeting with my mouse to snap home windows into place, I exploit BetterSnapTool (a paid app from German developer folivora.AI) and keyboard shortcuts for this.
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
I mapped the Shift + Cmd + 1 keyboard shortcut to routinely snap and reposition a window to the left half of the first show. Likewise, I arrange my Mac in order that Shift + Cmd + 2 will snap one other window to the proper. That is nice once I’m researching and have to have my browser and note-taking app open side-by-side. Equally, when on video calls, I can snap the decision window to the left whereas conserving my work doc on the proper — all with two keyboard shortcuts.
Give attention to one window or transfer home windows to a different monitor
Once I wish to deal with a single window, I exploit Shift + Cmd + 3 to maximise it. I additionally mapped the power to maneuver home windows to the following monitor to the Shift + Cmd + ` keyboard combo. I exploit these shortcuts a number of instances a day, and collectively they save me a couple of minutes day-after-day. Extra importantly, they cut back the undesirable friction that comes with the usual strategies for transferring and home windows round on my Mac.
On account of RSI in my wrist, I desire utilizing a mouse over the MacBook’s glorious trackpad. In case you are additionally a heavy trackpad consumer, I strongly suggest enjoying round with BetterTouchTool or Rectangle Professional (from developer Ryan Hanson) to hurry up window administration in your Mac. You should use gestures to snap, resize and reposition apps into locations.
Additionally, I can replicate most of BetterSnapTool’s performance with Raycast — considered one of my favourite productiveness apps for Mac. However the latter misses out on customizable snap zones and menu bar button customization, which make BetterSnapTool extra highly effective for Mac window administration.
Shortly give up open apps
macOS requires urgent Cmd + Q or clicking on the “Stop” possibility from the menu bar to shut an app utterly. That’s wonderful for infrequent use, however once I’m wrapping up work with six or seven apps working, it turns into tedious quick.
To streamline this, I exploit BetterSnapTool to permit quitting an app by merely right-clicking on the pink X window button — a transfer you’d usually use to only shut a window. It’s a sooner approach to give up a number of apps rapidly on the finish of the day, saving me from repeatedly utilizing the Cmd + Q shortcut.
Customized snap zones utilizing BetterSnapTool
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
I exploit Telegram and WhatsApp for speaking with my buddies and workmates. In consequence, I would like these apps all the time open and visual on my Mac’s show when working. Nevertheless, I don’t wish to give them an excessive amount of display actual property. So, I place them on the underside proper quarter of my secondary monitor. This fashion, they’re all the time seen whereas not distracting me from different, extra pressing work.
As a substitute of manually resizing and transferring Telegram and WhatsApp to the specified location day-after-day, I created customized snap areas in BetterSnapTool. This fashion, I can rapidly transfer these apps to my desired location with simply the flick of a mouse.
By default, customized snap areas will present each time you drag a window. However since I wish to use them with sure apps, I exploit the Choice key as a keyboard shortcut to set off the snap space. Plus, I created a whitelist to make sure that the customized snap areas solely seem for sure apps.
As you’ll be able to see, BetterSnapTool packs a ton of performance. But you’ll be able to obtain this highly effective app from the Mac App Retailer for under $1.99.
Various Mac window administration apps
Alternatively, you’ll be able to attempt different window administration apps for Macs similar to Magnet, Loop and Rectangle. Nearly all of them present comparable performance to BetterSnapTool.
Cycle by means of open apps
I beforehand used Alt-Tab to cycle by means of open apps on my Mac. As talked about in Cult of Mac‘s finest free Mac apps value putting in, it’s a greater resolution than Mac’s built-in app switcher. It mimics Home windows-style switching utilizing the Alt-Tab shortcut, making it a breeze to modify between open app home windows.
Seems, there’s an excellent higher resolution: rcmd, an app from developer The Low-Tech Guys. With it, as an alternative of biking by means of all open app home windows on my Mac, I can straight change to the app I wish to deal with.
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
rcmd takes benefit of the Mac’s virtually never-used proper Command key for rapidly switching between apps. With rcmd working, you merely press the proper Command key + the primary letter of an app’s identify to immediately convey it to focus. This easy and efficient concept works brilliantly in each day use to make Mac window administration simpler.
Fortunately, the shortcut set off secret’s customizable — I’ve set it to the left Ctrl key because it’s simpler for me to achieve. So, utilizing rcmd, I can convey up Slack on my Mac by urgent Ctrl + S. Likewise, I can immediately change to WhatsApp or Finder by urgent Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F.
Shortly bounce to the app you wish to use
The most effective half? If a number of open apps share the identical first letter, I can cycle by means of them by urgent that letter repeatedly. So, to cycle focus between Chrome and ChatGPT, I would like to carry Ctrl and press C twice. Plus, to rapidly disguise all app home windows and see the desktop, I exploit the Ctrl + – shortcut.
You may also create customized shortcuts by holding down Cmd + Choice +
rcmd is obtainable as a one-time buy for $12.99 on the Mac App Retailer. You possibly can obtain a free trial from the developer’s web site. (The trial model solely works for just a few hours, however you’ll be able to give up the app and restart it to proceed utilizing it.)
Extra ideas for Mac window administration
In addition to the above apps, I additionally suggest that you simply be taught some hidden Mac keyboard shortcuts to straight bounce to a folder in Finder, convey up Mission Management, put an app into full-screen mode, or open Exposé. They may additional velocity up your workflow.
