RibbonHow to tile windows on a Mac
On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen, or press Fn⌃ and an arrow key, and it snaps to that half. On macOS 14 Sonoma and 13 Ventura there's no built-in tiling, so use Split View or a free app like Rectangle.
Five ways to tile a window
Window tiling arrived in macOS 15 Sequoia and works the same in macOS 26 Tahoe.
- Drag it. Drag a window by its title bar to the left or right edge for a half, into a corner for a quarter, or onto the menu bar to fill the screen.
- Hold Option while dragging. This tiles faster: head toward the top, left or right edge or a corner and the window snaps without the full drag.
- Use the green button. Hover over the green button in the top-left corner of a window. You get Move & Resize, Fill & Arrange and Full Screen. Hold Option while the menu is open to see more layouts.
- Use the Window menu. In most apps, Window > Move & Resize has Halves, Quarters and Arrange, next to Window > Center, Window > Fill and Window > Full Screen Tile.
- Use the keyboard. The shortcuts are below.
Every tiling shortcut
These come from Apple's own list and are the same on Sequoia and Tahoe.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fn⌃F | Fill the screen |
| Fn⌃C | Center the window |
| Fn⌃ + ← → ↑ ↓ | Left, right, top or bottom half |
| Fn⌃R | Return to the previous size |
| Fn⌃⇧ + ← or → | Two windows: Left & Right or Right & Left |
| Fn⌃⇧ + ↑ or ↓ | Two windows: Top & Bottom or Bottom & Top |
| Fn⌃⌥⇧ + an arrow | Three windows: one half plus two quarters |
| No shortcut | Single corners, four quarters, full-screen tiling |
Fn is the Globe key on recent Apple keyboards. The ⇧ versions arrange the active window and the window behind it, two at once. There's no shortcut for putting one window in a corner or for four quarters; use the drag, the green button or the Window menu for those.
Tiling settings, and how to turn tiling off
Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock and scroll to the Windows section. There are four switches:
| macOS 15 Sequoia | macOS 26 Tahoe |
|---|---|
| Drag windows to screen edges to tile | Drag windows to left or right edge of screen to tile |
| Drag windows to menu bar to fill screen | Same |
| Hold ⌥ key while dragging windows to tile | Same |
| Tiled windows have margins | Same |
To stop windows snapping when you drag them, turn off the first two. Turn off the Option switch too if you want no drag tiling at all. The keyboard shortcuts and the green button still work.
"Tiled windows have margins" adds a small gap between tiles. Turn it off if you want them flush.
A related switch lives a bit further down, under Mission Control: "Drag windows to top of screen to enter Mission Control". If dragging a window toward the menu bar keeps opening Mission Control instead of filling the screen, that's why.
Split View works on every version
Split View is older than tiling and still around. Hover over the green button, choose Full Screen > Left of Screen or Right of Screen, then click a second window to fill the other side. The pair gets its own full-screen Space. Drag the divider to resize; double-click it to reset.
It's handy for a two-app focus session, but it's always exactly two windows, in a Space of their own. If you were using Stage Manager for that kind of focus, see Stage Manager alternatives.
On macOS 14 Sonoma or 13 Ventura
These versions don't have edge tiling or the Fn-Control shortcuts. Your choices are Split View, the green button's full-screen option, or an app. Rectangle is the usual answer: free, open source, and its older 1.x releases still support Ventura. Loop also runs on macOS 13.
When tiling doesn't work
- Nothing happens when you drag. Check the Windows switches above. They can be off, especially if a window manager asked you to turn them off.
- The shortcut does nothing. Make sure you're holding Fn (Globe), not just Control. If your keyboard has no Fn or Globe key, use the Window menu or the green button.
- A window won't shrink to half. Some apps have a minimum width. No tool can force them smaller.
- Windows jump around after you tile them. Another window tool is probably running. Quit it, or turn off one of the two.
- You're on Sonoma or older. There's no built-in tiling to fix. See the section above.
Where built-in tiling runs out
macOS tiling is a good one-off tool. It gets thin when you want more:
- Only halves and quarters. No thirds, which matter on ultrawide monitors.
- It places a window once. Open a new window and nothing makes room for it; close one and the gap stays.
- No shortcut for corners or four quarters.
- On a small laptop screen, halves are as far as it goes; the MacBook guide covers what helps there.
- No idea of a layout you keep across apps and Spaces.
Apps that go further
- Rectangle and Loop snap windows on demand, with thirds, sixths and more. Free. See Ribbon vs Rectangle and Ribbon vs Loop.
- AeroSpace, yabai and Amethyst tile automatically in a grid, so every window always has a spot. Free, keyboard-first.
- Ribbon arranges every window automatically as columns on a scrolling strip, so new windows don't squeeze the others. See what a scrolling window manager is.
| macOS tiling | Rectangle / Loop | Ribbon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | 15 Sequoia and later | Loop 13+, Rectangle 14+ (older release for 13) | 13 Ventura and later |
| Price | Built in | Free | $9.99 once |
| Layouts | Halves, quarters, fill, center | Halves, thirds, quarters, sixths and more | Columns on a scrolling strip |
| When it acts | When you ask | When you ask | All the time, automatically |
| New windows | Open wherever | Open wherever | Added as a column, nothing shrinks |
| Trackpad | Drag only | Drag (Loop also modifier + trackpad) | 3- or 4-finger swipe moves the strip |
If you try Ribbon, turn off macOS drag tiling first; its Mac Setup page checks this for you. You can try the strip in the live demo before you buy.
FAQ
Does macOS have built-in window tiling?
Yes, from macOS 15 Sequoia on. Drag a window to an edge or corner, use the green button, or press Fn-Control and an arrow key.
What is the shortcut to snap a window to half the screen on a Mac?
Fn-Control-Left Arrow for the left half and Fn-Control-Right Arrow for the right half. Up and Down give the top and bottom halves.
How do I tile four windows in quarters?
There's no keyboard shortcut for it. Use the Arrange options under Window > Move & Resize or the green button, or drag each window into a corner.
How do I turn off window snapping on a Mac?
Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and, under Windows, turn off the drag-to-tile switches. On Tahoe the first one is called "Drag windows to left or right edge of screen to tile".
Can I tile windows on macOS Sonoma or Ventura?
Not with built-in tiling; it started in Sequoia. Use Split View, or a free app such as Rectangle or Loop.