top | item 30708376

Move and resize windows in macOS using keyboard shortcuts or snap areas

41 points| hubertwo | 4 years ago |rectangleapp.com | reply

29 comments

order
[+] intsunny|4 years ago|reply
Rectangle and Alt-Tab [0] significantly reduce my need to use the touchpad or reach for the mouse.

Normal MacOS windows handling seems enraging and cumbersome.

[0] https://github.com/lwouis/alt-tab-macos

[+] eyelidlessness|4 years ago|reply
My macOS task/window management strategy:

- Start with windows sized full height, they stack horizontally this way instead of diagonally.

- Never resize anything unless something got messed up re-attaching a display, which is exceedingly rare. (If I’m doing web stuff I use dev tools to test responsive, the browser window stays the same width.)

- Command + tab/command + ~ do great most of the time.

- Command + ? -> type window title when I have lots of open windows in one app.

- Generally avoid moving windows unless I really need to, the above strategies work well for everything except the occasional side by side workflow.

This took a little while to hone, but it definitely doesn't feel cumbersome to me, much less enraging.

I do generally use Moom[1] when I need to resize windows, mainly because I already have a license and I’m anal about consistent sizing.

I’m sure this wouldn’t work for everybody, but I also know a lot of folks don’t know about command + ~ or using the help menu search, so it felt worth sharing.

1: https://manytricks.com/moom/

[+] nullwarp|4 years ago|reply
Enraging is the right word for it - these two applications are the only thing keeping me from wanting to smash the Mac I have to use.
[+] CincinnatiMan|4 years ago|reply
Thanks for this suggestion. I've been using Contexts for this, but it looks like Alt-Tab may be even better.
[+] yokoprime|4 years ago|reply
What does alt-tab-macos add to the default alt tab experience? Does it show all open windows?
[+] ryannevius|4 years ago|reply
I'm a long-time user of Spectacle [1], but it's no longer maintained. Glad to see what looks to be a good alternative.

[1]: https://www.spectacleapp.com/

[+] s09dfhks|4 years ago|reply
Same! It still works just fine for me. Not sure why you’d need to switch unless apple kills whatever APIs it’s using
[+] maxcan|4 years ago|reply
Has anyone used both Magnet and Rectangle? Been on Magnet for ages, wondering if there's any compelling reason to switch.
[+] rxhanson|4 years ago|reply
Rectangle dev here. Rectangle will get you some more window actions, as you can see in the GitHub readme [1]. There are also some hidden configurations beyond what's in the UI [2].

There's also a feature called todo mode that kind of lets you pin a window on the side of the screen. This feature was created by Patrick Collison of Stripe and Nat Friedman.

And there's the fact that it's open source.

The real differences come in the paid, closed source version: Rectangle Pro [3]. Here's a comparison of some of my similar apps: https://rectangleapp.com/comparison

Rectangle is not on the Mac App Store, though, if that's important to you.

[1]: https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle

[2]: https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle/blob/master/TerminalCo...

[3]: https://rectangleapp.com/pro

[+] fmorel|4 years ago|reply
This is wonderful. The window management on macOS has been driving me nuts at work after decades of using Windows.
[+] phlsa|4 years ago|reply
Long time user of Rectangle here. It is definitely one of my top 3 utility apps on the Mac. I have the num pad keys set up to move windows to various edges and corners of the screen, which is fantastic on an ultra wide monitor.

Somehow never realized that there was a version I could pay for – Purchasing now. Thank you for saving me so much window management frustration in the past years!

[+] maxicarlos08|4 years ago|reply
I still do not understand why you have to pay for so many products on Mac Os that are just builtin in most other operating systems (DEs).

There is a free version of the app, BUT if you dont want to use the default shortcuts with the default sizes you must pay 9.99€.

C'mon Apple

[+] rxhanson|4 years ago|reply
Rectangle dev here. You do not need to pay anything to get full functionality, including configuring the app any way you want. It's FOSS, after all.

The Pro version of the app just has a lot of additional features. Here's a comparison chart: https://rectangleapp.com/comparison

[+] darkteflon|4 years ago|reply
Use and love Rectangle. Shout out also to their other app, Charmstone - I tried this recently after it was mentioned on here and was surprised at how quickly it became essential.
[+] tmikaeld|4 years ago|reply
I’ve been using Moom for many years, CTRL+ALT and numpad to move windows around with resize is perfect on an ultra-wide screen <3
[+] jmull|4 years ago|reply
> Upgrade to Rectangle Pro

> Quicker window snapping

I'm not sure I could handle the non-pro version.

[+] yokoprime|4 years ago|reply
Rectangle is a day 1 install for me on any new mac
[+] bobx11|4 years ago|reply
Does it have anything over moom?