Mac Window Manager: How to Save and Restore Layouts Across Multiple Monitors

macOS has no built-in way to save a window layout and bring it back later. You can arrange your windows perfectly, disconnect a monitor, reconnect it an hour later — and everything is scattered. A proper third-party window manager that saves and restores named layouts, including across multiple displays, is the only reliable fix.

Why does macOS scatter your windows when you disconnect a monitor?

When a display disappears — whether you unplug a cable, close a lid, or dock/undock a laptop — macOS moves every window that was on that display onto whichever screen remains. It doesn't remember where those windows were. When the display comes back, it doesn't try to restore them. This is working as Apple designed it, not a bug.

Sequoia introduced native window tiling (snapping windows into halves and quarters), but that's a different thing entirely. Tiling arranges windows in the moment — it has no concept of saving a named layout and restoring it later. If you've tried Sequoia's tiling and found it useful but limited, that's a fair read of what it actually is.

Rectangle, the popular free window manager, has the same limitation. It's excellent for keyboard-driven snapping but it doesn't save layouts or handle monitor reconnection automatically.

What a proper saved layout actually looks like

A saved layout is a named snapshot: which app is in which position, on which monitor, at what size. When you restore it, every app goes back where it belongs — and if an app isn't running, a good tool will launch it first.

The useful scenarios are:

• Morning setup: you sit down, hit one shortcut, and your whole workspace assembles itself — browser on the left monitor, email on the right, Slack in the corner.
• Docking/undocking: your laptop is your desk machine in the morning and your portable in the afternoon. The two contexts need completely different window arrangements.
• Multiple monitor configs: you have two displays at home and one at the office. Each physical configuration should have its own layout profile that activates when the monitors are detected.

This is the gap between "window snapping" apps and actual window management apps.

How to set up saved layouts on Mac

Native macOS — not possible

There's no way to save and restore named window layouts in macOS, in any version up to and including Sequoia. System Settings → Desktop & Dock has options for tiling behaviour, but nothing for layout persistence.

Rectangle — not possible

Rectangle (free, rectangleapp.com) is the right answer for many people who just want keyboard shortcuts to snap windows. It does that well. It doesn't save named layouts or restore them automatically — so it doesn't solve the docking/undocking problem.

Layoutish — the direct solution

Layoutish is built specifically around saved and restored layouts. Here's how it works in practice:

Saving a layout

1. Arrange your windows exactly how you want them.
2. Open Layoutish from the menu bar → click Save Layout → give it a name (e.g. "Home Desk" or "Office").
3. Done. Layoutish records every window's position, size, and which display it's on.

Restoring a layout

• Use the Quick Switcher (⌘⇧L) and type the layout name, or
• Click it directly from the menu bar, or
• Let it restore automatically via scheduling or monitor detection.

If an app isn't running: Layoutish will launch it before positioning the window. You don't need to pre-open everything.

Smart positioning: Some apps resist being moved — they snap back, open in the wrong size, or take a moment to finish loading. Layoutish detects this and retries positioning rather than giving up, which is what separates it from scripts or simpler tools that assume apps respond instantly.

How to handle multiple monitor configurations

This is where most window managers fall over. If you have a two-display setup at home and connect to a single projector at work, a layout designed for two screens is useless on one.

Layoutish has display profiles: it detects which monitors are connected (by resolution and arrangement) and can apply a different saved layout automatically for each configuration. You set it up once:

1. Connect your home monitor setup → save a layout called "Home" → Layoutish associates it with that display config.
2. Connect your office monitor → save a layout called "Office" → same association.
3. From that point, connecting either setup auto-applies the right layout.

You don't touch anything. The layout just appears.

For MacBook users who dock and undock daily, this is the specific problem Layoutish was built around. A significant portion of the people who buy it mention docking as the trigger — the windows-everywhere frustration that finally pushed them to look for a solution.

How to schedule layouts by time of day

Layoutish also supports time-based scheduling: you can set a layout to apply automatically at a specific time on specific days. This is useful if your work routine is consistent — for example, applying your focused-work layout at 9am Monday through Friday and a lighter layout in the evenings.

To set this up: menu bar → Layoutish → Layouts → select a layout → Schedule → pick days and time.

This is separate from (and can combine with) display profile auto-detection.

What Layoutish costs and what it requires

• Price: $6.99 one-time purchase (rising to $9.99 on 1 September 2026 — existing buyers are unaffected, and all future updates are included).
• macOS: 14 (Sonoma) or later.
• Permission: Accessibility permission required — macOS needs this to allow any app to move windows on your behalf.
• No subscription: one payment, every update free, forever.

For comparison: Moom ($10) is powerful but has a steeper learning curve and no display-profile auto-detection. BetterSnapTool ($3) is dated. Rectangle is free but won't save layouts. Layoutish sits in the middle — focused on the save/restore/auto-apply problem specifically, without unnecessary complexity.

A 7-day free trial is available, no account required.

How to set it up in under five minutes

1. Download Layoutish from appish.app/layoutish.
2. Launch it — grant Accessibility permission when prompted (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility).
3. Arrange your windows the way you want them.
4. Menu bar icon → Save Layout → name it.
5. To restore: ⌘⇧L → type the layout name → Enter.
6. Optional: go to Layouts → set up a schedule or enable display-profile auto-detection for your monitor configs.

That's the full setup for most users.

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Common questions

Does Layoutish work with macOS Sequoia's native tiling?

Yes. Layoutish and Sequoia's built-in tiling operate independently — you can use Sequoia's tiling for quick in-session snapping and Layoutish for saving and restoring full named layouts. They don't conflict.

Can Layoutish restore layouts after my Mac restarts?

Yes. Layouts are saved to disk and persist across restarts. If you configure Layoutish to launch at login (recommended), it can restore your layout automatically when your Mac boots, including launching any apps that aren't already open.

Is Rectangle worth using alongside Layoutish?

Rectangle is a strong free option if all you need is keyboard shortcuts to snap windows into halves, thirds, and quarters during a session. If you also want named layouts, automatic restoration on monitor change, or scheduled layouts, Rectangle can't do those things and Layoutish can. Many users start with Rectangle and add Layoutish when they hit its limits.