If you use a Mac for work, you know the routine. You sit down, open your apps, and spend the next five minutes dragging windows into position. Your code editor goes on the left, the browser on the right, Slack in the corner, and your terminal tucked underneath. By the time everything is arranged, you have already lost momentum before the day even starts.

This problem gets even worse if you use a multi-monitor setup or frequently dock and undock a laptop. Every time your display configuration changes, macOS scatters your windows and you are left rebuilding your workspace from scratch.

The Problem: macOS Doesn't Save Window Layouts

Despite all the polish Apple puts into macOS, there is no built-in way to save and restore window layouts. Stage Manager, introduced in macOS Ventura, groups windows into sets, but it does not let you save specific positions and sizes for each app across your displays. Mission Control and Spaces help you organize virtual desktops, but they do not remember where individual windows should be placed.

The "Close windows when quitting an app" setting in System Settings can restore windows when you reopen an app, but it only works for apps that support state restoration, and it does not help you arrange windows across multiple apps into a cohesive workspace.

Third-Party Window Managers: What They Do (and Don't Do)

Several popular window management tools exist for macOS, but most of them focus on window snapping rather than layout saving. Here is a quick overview:

Rectangle

Rectangle is a free, open-source window manager that lets you snap windows to halves, quarters, and thirds using keyboard shortcuts or drag-to-edge gestures. It is excellent for quickly positioning a single window, but it has no concept of saving or restoring a complete layout. Each window must be positioned individually, and your arrangements are lost when windows move or displays change.

Magnet

Magnet, available on the Mac App Store, offers similar snapping functionality to Rectangle. You can drag windows to screen edges or use keyboard shortcuts to tile them. Like Rectangle, Magnet is focused on individual window positioning. It does not save layouts or offer any automation features.

Moom

Moom from Many Tricks goes further than Rectangle and Magnet by offering layout snapshots. You can save arrangements and trigger them from the menu bar. However, Moom's automation capabilities are limited. It does not support automatic triggers based on display changes, and its multi-monitor handling can feel clunky when your display configuration changes frequently.

The Solution: MacLayout

MacLayout was built specifically to solve this problem. Instead of focusing on window snapping (which macOS now handles reasonably well with native tiling in Sequoia), MacLayout focuses on what macOS still cannot do: saving complete workspace layouts and restoring them automatically.

With MacLayout, you arrange your windows once, save the layout with a custom name like "Home Office" or "Focus Mode," and restore it anytime with a single click or keyboard shortcut. Your saved layout captures the position, size, and display assignment of every window, so your entire workspace comes back exactly as you left it.

Automation That Works for You

What truly sets MacLayout apart is its automation triggers. You can configure layouts to restore automatically when your display configuration changes. Dock your MacBook to your external monitors and MacLayout restores your "Office" layout. Undock and head to a coffee shop, and your "Laptop Only" layout appears. No manual intervention required.

MacLayout also supports app launch triggers, so specific layouts activate when you open certain apps. Launch Xcode and your development layout appears with the simulator positioned beside it. Open Figma and your design workspace arranges itself.

Full Spaces Support

Unlike other window managers that only partially support macOS Spaces, MacLayout has full Spaces integration. Your saved layouts can span multiple Spaces, and windows are moved to the correct Space during restoration. This means you can have your communication apps on one Space, your development tools on another, and your reference material on a third, all restored in one action.

Getting Started

Setting up MacLayout takes less than a minute. Download the app, grant the required Accessibility permission, and arrange your windows the way you like them. Click "Save Layout" in the menu bar, give it a name, and you are done. From that point on, your workspace is always one click or keyboard shortcut away.

MacLayout offers a 14-day free trial with full access to all features, so you can see the difference it makes in your daily workflow before committing. After the trial, it is a one-time purchase of $19.99 with no subscription required.

How to Save and Restore Window Layouts on macOS