How to organize windows on your Mac

A calm screen in a few habits, starting with what your Mac already has.

By Geethika Tatiparthi · October 22, 2026 · I make TidyFrame, which is mentioned below.

1. Hide instead of minimizing

⌘ M minimizes one window into the Dock, where it's easy to forget. ⌘ H hides the whole app; click its Dock icon or ⌘ Tab to it and everything comes back as it was. ⌥ ⌘ H hides every app except the one you're in, which is the quickest way to focus.

2. Put what you're working on side by side

Most work happens in two or three apps. On macOS 15 Sequoia or later, press fn ⌃ ← and fn ⌃ →, or drag windows to the screen edges. All the built-in ways to split the screen.

3. Use Mission Control to find lost windows

Press ⌃ ↑ to see every window at once, and ⌃ ↓ to see the windows of the current app. Click one to jump to it.

4. One desktop per task

In Mission Control, click + at the top to add a desktop (Space). Keep, for example, mail and chat on one and your main work on another, and switch with ⌃ ← / →. To make an app always open on a certain desktop, right-click it in the Dock → Options → Assign To.

5. Try Stage Manager if you like groups

Turn it on in Control Center. Your current app sits in the middle and the others line up on the left as thumbnails. Drag a thumbnail into the middle to group apps. Some people love it, others find it gets in the way; it's worth a day's try.

6. Save the setups you repeat

If you arrange the same apps every morning, a window manager saves you that minute each time. In TidyFrame you arrange your windows once, click Save as Workspace and give it a shortcut. Press it any time and every window goes back to its place, on every display. Other tips:

• App rules: Mail always opens on the right half, your browser on the left.
• Auto tidy: one shortcut turns whatever is open into halves, thirds or quarters.
• Prefer free tools? See the best free ways to manage windows.

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