You don't have to close everything to have a calm screen. Really! Some people close windows the second they're done; this list is for the rest of us. If your Mac regularly has thirty windows open across six apps, these are the tools that make that way of working feel less like chaos and more like a well-stocked desk.
Clutter isn't about how many windows you have
Here's the plot twist: thirty open windows aren't the problem. Plenty of good work needs lots of things open at once, like the brief, the references, the draft, the chat with the client and the folder of assets. The problem is what those thirty windows cost you:
- Finding: the window you want is buried, and digging for it breaks your train of thought.
- Arranging: windows overlap in awkward ways, so you spend time nudging edges instead of working.
- Focusing: everything on screen competes for your attention at once.
- Carrying: dragging a file from one window to another turns into a juggling act.
Each app below takes care of one of those four jobs. Pick the job that bugs you most, and start there.
Find it by sight
1. Canopy CMD: find any window at a glance
Thirty windows are only a problem when you can't find the one you want. Hold ⌥ Tab and Canopy shows every window from the apps in its roster as a live preview, grouped by app and labeled with its page, file or folder. Type to filter, release to switch. Minimized windows and every open Adobe document are included, and workgroups keep a project's windows together. This one is ours.
Perfect for: people who keep lots of browser, design and document windows open on purpose. Getting-started tip: the next time you catch yourself hunting, hold ⌥ Tab and type two or three letters of the page title or file name instead of scanning. The list narrows to the matching windows right away.
If you want a switcher that covers every single app on the system and don't mind less detail per window, the free, open source AltTab is a solid choice. We compare them honestly in Canopy vs AltTab.
Put windows in their place
2. Rectangle: snap windows with the keyboard
Rectangle moves and resizes windows with keyboard shortcuts: left half, right third, top corner, full screen, next display. You can also drag a window to a screen edge or corner to snap it into place. It's free and open source, and it's the fastest way to turn a pile of overlapping windows into a tidy layout.
Perfect for: keyboard people and anyone with a big display. Favorite feature: repeat a shortcut to cycle through window sizes, so one key combo covers several layouts. It handles multiple displays too, so sending a window to your other screen is a single shortcut.
3. Moom: layouts you can save
Moom goes further than snapping. Hover over a window's green button for a pop-up palette of sizes and actions, define your own arrangements, and save layouts you can recall later, which is handy when you plug into a second display.
Perfect for: people who switch between setups, like laptop-only on the couch and a big monitor at the desk. Getting-started tip: arrange your windows exactly how you like them for one kind of work, then save that as a layout. Next time things get messy, activate it and your windows fall back into order. Moom also has a keyboard mode for moving, resizing and centering windows without touching the mouse.
4. Raycast: a launcher that also manages windows
Raycast replaces Spotlight for many people, and it includes window management commands, so you can search "left half" or "center" as easily as you search for an app. Clipboard history and snippets come built in.
Perfect for: anyone who'd rather have one launcher than five little utilities. Favorite feature: assign a hotkey to any window command you use a lot, so your favorite layouts are a single key combo away. Raycast's window management is part of its free offering.
5. BetterTouchTool: gestures for everything
BetterTouchTool lets you map trackpad gestures, mouse buttons and keyboard shortcuts to almost any action, including window snapping and moving windows between displays. It rewards a little setup time with a Mac that works exactly the way your hands expect.
Perfect for: tinkerers and trackpad lovers. Getting-started tip: start with just one gesture, like a swipe that snaps the front window to half the screen, and live with it for a few days before adding more. The 45-day free trial gives you plenty of time to find your favorites.
Carry and focus
6. Yoink: a shelf for dragging between windows
With thirty windows open, dragging a file from one to another is a juggling act. Yoink gives you a small shelf at the edge of the screen: drop files there, switch windows, drag them out where they need to go.
Perfect for: anyone who moves files between apps all day. Favorite feature: the shelf appears on its own as soon as you start dragging a file, so there's nothing to open first. Files stay on the shelf after you drag them out, until you remove them, which is handy when the same image needs to go to three places.
7. HazeOver: dim the crowd
When everything is open, everything is loud. HazeOver dims every window except the one in front, so the window you're working in stands out and the rest fade back until you need them.
Perfect for: big screens, busy desks and anyone who gets tugged away by whatever's glowing in the corner. Getting-started tip: scroll over its menu bar icon to adjust how dark the background gets, from a soft shade to a bold dark backdrop, and set a keyboard shortcut to toggle the dimming on and off. You can even keep separate settings for Light and Dark mode.
Honorable mention: Stage Manager
It's built into macOS. Turn it on and your windows gather into groups along the left edge, with the current group in the center. It isn't for everyone, but it costs nothing to try for a day.
To switch it on, click Control Center in the menu bar, then click Stage Manager. (You'll also find it in System Settings, under Desktop & Dock.) Click an app on the left to switch to it, or drag it into the center to add it to the current group. If you'd like the left edge to stay clear, turn off "Show recent apps in Stage Manager" in those same settings, and the strip stays tucked away until you move your pointer to the left edge of the screen.
How they fit together
| The job | Reach for |
|---|---|
| Find the window you need | Canopy CMD |
| Snap windows into halves and thirds | Rectangle |
| Save and recall whole layouts | Moom |
| Arrange windows from your launcher | Raycast |
| Move windows with gestures | BetterTouchTool |
| Carry files between windows | Yoink |
| Quiet everything but the front window | HazeOver |
A setup that works well: Rectangle or Moom to arrange, Canopy to find, HazeOver to focus, Yoink to move files across. Each tool does one job, and none of them fight each other. You'll probably only want one arranging tool, though. Rectangle, Moom, Raycast and BetterTouchTool overlap there, so pick the one that suits your hands.
Try this: a calmer screen in one afternoon
- Name your biggest job. Finding, arranging, focusing or carrying? Pick one.
- Install one app for that job. Just one for now.
- Set up one shortcut or gesture. The single move you'll use most.
- Work normally for an hour. Leave your windows open. Yes, all of them!
- Notice the difference. Less hunting? Less squinting? Wonderful! Add the next tool only when you feel the next snag.
When closing really is better
We're big fans of leaving things open, but closing still has its moment. If a window belongs to a finished task, close it and enjoy the lightness. If it belongs to a project you'll come back to next week, a Canopy workgroup can remember it for you: closed members stay in the group marked Restore, and ⌘ ↵ reopens them all when you're back.
The aim isn't a perfectly empty screen or a perfectly full one. It's a screen where finding things is easy. For more on that, see what changes when you stop minimizing windows.
Quick answers
Do I need a window manager and a window switcher?
They do different jobs. A window manager like Rectangle or Moom decides where windows sit. A switcher like Canopy gets you to the one you need. You can happily use one of each, but start with whichever job bugs you more.
Is Stage Manager a replacement for these apps?
It overlaps a little with arranging and focusing, and it's built in, so it's well worth a try. It works quite differently from snapping and switching, though, so if it doesn't click after a day, no harm done.
What's the quickest free thing to try?
Stage Manager, since it's already on your Mac, and Rectangle, which is free and open source. Give each one a day and see how your screen feels.
