Editor on the left, browser top right, terminal below. Then a meeting, a different task, or a monitor change, and it is all scattered again. macOS can't save that arrangement for you. Here are the ways to get it back in a click.
What macOS remembers, and what it does not
macOS can reopen an app's windows after you quit and relaunch it, and Spaces keep apps on separate desktops. What it does not have is a way to save a named arrangement, such as “Coding”, that puts several apps' windows at exact positions and sizes across your displays and restores it later.
Three ways to do it
1. Snap windows by hand
Snapping tools such as Rectangle or Magnet move one window to a half, third or corner with a shortcut. They are fast and free or cheap, but you snap every window every time, and they don't remember which app belongs on which display.
2. Script it
AppleScript or Shortcuts can set a window's position and size. A script works for a fixed setup, but it needs the Accessibility permission, breaks when displays change, and gets long once you have several apps and monitors.
3. Use a layout app
Layout apps save the arrangement for you. Moom, for example, can save and restore window arrangements, and so can Layr. When you compare them, look for:
- whether windows are tied to a display's identity or only to a screen position,
- how they handle two windows of the same app,
- whether you can preview and undo a move,
- whether they tell you honestly when a window could not be placed,
- and whether the price is one-time or a subscription.
How to save and restore a layout with Layr
- Arrange your windows the way you want them, on every display you use.
- Open Layr and choose Save current windows. Give the layout a name such as “Coding”. Or choose Design a layout to place windows on a canvas instead.
- Later, click the layout in the Layr menu-bar panel (or press Apply in the app). Each window moves to its saved place and size.
- Turn on automatic arranging if you want an app's window to go to its spot as soon as the app opens.
- If a window drifts, run Fix My Workspace. It shows which windows would move before it moves them, and you can undo the last arrange.
A tile can match any window of an app, or a window whose title contains some text, so two browser windows can go to two different spots. Layr identifies each display by its macOS ID, so a layout keeps finding the right screen.
Good to know
- Layr needs the Accessibility permission to move other apps' windows.
- It does not follow macOS Spaces, does not move full-screen windows, and does not launch apps.
- Some apps limit their own window size. Layr reports those as “size limited” instead of claiming success.
See the full overview of Layr as a Mac window manager, or read why Mac windows move after sleep.