RibbonHow to auto-arrange windows on a Mac
On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, hover over a window's green button and choose a layout under Fill & Arrange, or press Fn⌃⇧ and an arrow to put two windows side by side. That arranges the windows once. Open another one and it lands on top again. To have every window placed automatically, as it opens, you need a window manager.
Arrange once: built into macOS 15 and later
- Two windows: Fn⌃⇧← or → puts the front window and the one behind it side by side; ↑ or ↓ stacks them top and bottom.
- Three windows: Fn⌃⌥⇧ and an arrow gives one half plus two quarters.
- Four windows: hover over the green button and pick the four-way layout under Fill & Arrange, or use Window → Move & Resize → Arrange.
These arrange the windows that are open now. macOS doesn't remember the arrangement as a rule. The next window you open appears wherever the app puts it, usually on top, and closing a window leaves a gap. There's more on each shortcut in how to tile windows on a Mac.
On macOS 14 Sonoma and earlier
There's no arrange command. Mission Control (⌃↑) spreads windows out so you can see them, but puts them back when you leave. Split View arranges exactly two windows in a full-screen Space.
Arrange automatically: window managers
A window manager watches for new windows and places them by a rule, so you never arrange by hand. There are three kinds:
| Kind | What happens when a window opens | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Grid tiling | The screen is split again so every window fits. Each window gets smaller as more open. | Amethyst, yabai, AeroSpace |
| Scrolling | The window gets a new column on a strip wider than the screen. The others keep their size. | Ribbon, Paneru, PaperWM.spoon |
| Snapping | Nothing automatic. You press a shortcut to place each window. | Rectangle, Loop, Raycast |
Grid tiling suits large monitors where four or five windows still have room. On a laptop, the fifth window makes everything too narrow, which is where scrolling helps. For a full rundown, see the best window managers for Mac.
What auto-arranging looks like in Ribbon
Ribbon is a scrolling window manager. With it running:
- Open an app. Its window becomes a column on the strip, next to the window you were in.
- Open another. Another column. Nothing overlaps and nothing shrinks.
- Close one. The strip closes the gap.
- Dialogs, Quick Look and fixed-size windows float on their own, and you can tell Ribbon to always float particular apps.
You only touch the layout when you want to: ⌃⌥R cycles a column's width, ⌃⌥⇧← / → moves a window along the strip. There are no layout rules or config files to write; everything is in a settings window. Try it in the live demo; pricing is $9.99 once.
FAQ
Can a Mac arrange windows automatically?
macOS 15 and later can arrange the windows on screen in one step with Fill & Arrange or the Fn-Control-Shift shortcuts. It won't place new windows automatically; for that you need a window manager.
How do I stop windows overlapping on my Mac?
Use a tiling or scrolling window manager, which gives every window its own space as it opens. Built-in tiling only arranges the windows already open.
What's the difference between a tiling and a scrolling window manager?
A tiling manager divides the screen between all windows, so each gets smaller as you open more. A scrolling manager adds each window as a column on a strip wider than the screen, so widths stay the same and you scroll to reach the rest.