--- title: "Mac Window Guides: Switching, Tiling, Layouts | Findow" description: "Guides to switching, tiling and restoring windows on a Mac, with honest comparisons of AltTab, Rectangle Pro, ChainYourMac, Contexts and Findow." canonical: https://findowmac.com/guides.html --- # Mac window guides Written by Sheik Ahamed, who makes Findow. We say so where it matters, and we name the free option when it's the better one. ## Get started - [Findow setup guide](https://findowmac.com/setup.html). Install Findow, grant permissions and learn the keys that matter in about ten minutes. ## Compare - [AltTab alternative for Mac: when to stay, when to switch](https://findowmac.com/alttab-alternative.html). Free AltTab is excellent. Here's when a paid all-in-one makes sense, and when it doesn't. - [Rectangle Pro alternative: Findow vs Rectangle Pro](https://findowmac.com/rectangle-pro-alternative.html). Rectangle Pro is deep on placing windows. Findow adds finding them and bringing them back. - [Findow vs ChainYourMac](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-chainyourmac.html). A dedicated scrolling window manager, or one app that also switches and restores? - [Contexts alternative for Mac: four apps to try](https://findowmac.com/contexts-alternative.html). On a recent macOS and unsure about Contexts? These are the options we'd check. - [Findow vs yabai: a window manager you script, or one you switch on](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-yabai.html). yabai is a window manager you script. Findow is one you switch on. Here's who each suits. - [Findow vs AeroSpace: emulated workspaces or your normal desktops](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-aerospace.html). AeroSpace replaces Spaces with its own workspaces. Findow leaves your desktops alone. - [Findow vs OmniWM: the two apps that overlap most](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-omniwm.html). Both have a strip and an overview. OmniWM is free and needs macOS 26. Here's the honest split. - [Findow vs Amethyst: always tiling, or tiling when you want it](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-amethyst.html). Amethyst tiles automatically for free. Findow makes tiling optional and adds finding windows. - [Findow vs Rectangle: have you outgrown free snapping?](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-rectangle.html). Rectangle is free and may be all you need. Here's how to tell if you've outgrown it. - [Findow vs Loop: a gesture for one window, or a system for all of them](https://findowmac.com/findow-vs-loop.html). Loop makes moving a window a gesture. Findow is about finding and restoring them. - [AeroSpace alternatives for Mac, sorted by why you're leaving](https://findowmac.com/aerospace-alternatives.html). Sorted by what's pushing you away from AeroSpace, with the free options first. - [OmniWM alternatives for Mac: scrolling, BSP and simpler options](https://findowmac.com/omniwm-alternatives.html). Blocked by OmniWM's requirements, or after something simpler? Your options by need. ## Coming from - [Niri for Mac: how to get a scrolling strip on macOS](https://findowmac.com/niri-for-mac.html). niri doesn't run on macOS. These apps give you the same strip, with a few Mac limits. - [PaperWM for Mac: PaperWM.spoon and the other options](https://findowmac.com/paperwm-for-mac.html). PaperWM is a GNOME extension. PaperWM.spoon is the Mac project that shares its idea. - [i3 for Mac: the closest options on macOS](https://findowmac.com/i3-for-mac.html). AeroSpace is the free pick for most i3 users. Here's what maps across and what doesn't. - [Hyprland for Mac: what you can and can't get](https://findowmac.com/hyprland-for-mac.html). You can get close to Hyprland's tiling on a Mac. Its visual effects are another matter. - [Komorebi for Mac: the real version and your options](https://findowmac.com/komorebi-for-mac.html). Komorebi for Mac is real. Here's what it costs at work, and the other routes from Windows. - [Stage Manager alternatives for Mac](https://findowmac.com/stage-manager-alternative.html). What Stage Manager really does, and when Spaces, tiling or workflows do the job better. ## Learn - [The best window switchers for Mac in 2026](https://findowmac.com/best-window-switcher-mac.html). Six ways to switch windows on a Mac, including the free ones, and who each suits. - [The best window managers for Mac in 2026](https://findowmac.com/best-window-manager-mac.html). Snapping, tiling, scrolling or all-in-one: start with how you work, then pick the app. - [How to switch between windows on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/switch-windows-mac.html). Every built-in way to move between windows, and which keys do what. - [How to restore minimized windows on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/minimized-windows-mac.html). Why ⌘Tab won't bring them back, and five ways that will. - [How to save and restore window layouts on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/save-window-layout-mac.html). macOS can't do it. What can, and the difference between moving windows and reopening them. - [Mac windows move when you unplug a monitor: how to fix it](https://findowmac.com/windows-move-monitor-mac.html). Why windows pile onto one screen, the settings to check, and how to bring them back. - [How to tile windows on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/how-to-tile-windows-on-mac.html). Every built-in way to tile, the settings behind them, and where they stop. - [What is a scrolling window manager?](https://findowmac.com/what-is-a-scrolling-window-manager.html). Why opening a window doesn't shrink the others, and who this suits. - [The best scrolling window managers for Mac](https://findowmac.com/best-scrolling-window-managers-mac.html). Every scrolling option that really runs on a Mac, free and paid. - [niri vs PaperWM](https://findowmac.com/niri-vs-paperwm.html). Same idea, very different foundations, and what that means on a Mac. - [niri keybindings on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/niri-keybindings-mac.html). niri doesn't run on macOS. Here's every habit mapped to a Mac key. - [niri config on macOS](https://findowmac.com/niri-config-macos.html). niri can't run on macOS. Translate your config.kdl section by section. - [Using yabai without disabling SIP](https://findowmac.com/yabai-without-sip.html). What yabai still does with SIP on, what you lose, and other options. - [How to set up PaperWM.spoon on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/paperwm-spoon-setup.html). From Hammerspoon to a working strip, with the settings people miss. - [Window management on an ultrawide Mac monitor](https://findowmac.com/ultrawide-monitor-window-manager-mac.html). Why halves fail on an ultrawide, and three layouts that work better. - [Choosing a window manager for a MacBook](https://findowmac.com/macbook-window-manager.html). A small screen, a trackpad and a dock: what actually helps on a laptop. Looking for the feature table? See the [full comparison](https://findowmac.com/compare.html).