Built-in Mac tiling
Since macOS Sequoia, Apple has included basic window snapping in the green traffic-light button. Hover over it and a menu appears with options for left half, right half, top/bottom halves, and a few tiling combinations.
It covers the basics but has real limitations: no keyboard shortcuts, no thirds or quarters, and no multi-display shortcuts. For anything beyond casual left/right splits, you'll want a dedicated tool.
Using Rectangle
Rectangle App is the fastest path to full keyboard-driven window snapping on Mac. After a 30-second install, every layout from halves to corners becomes a single key press. The default shortcuts use ⌃⌥ + arrows for directional snaps and letter keys for corners and thirds.
Quick start: press ⌃⌥← to snap the active window to the left half, then click your second app and press ⌃⌥→. Clean two-app split screen in under two seconds.
Common layouts
- Left/Right split — ⌃⌥← and ⌃⌥→. Classic two-app side-by-side.
- Three-column (thirds) — ⌃⌥D, F, G. Great for wide monitors.
- Quarters — U, I, J, K with the ⌃⌥ modifier. Fit four apps on a large display.
- Full screen (maximise) — ⌃⌥↵. Maximised floating window — not a macOS full-screen Space.
- Centre float — ⌃⌥C. Centres the window without changing its size.
Frequently asked questions
Does Mac have a keyboard shortcut for snapping windows?
Native macOS has no default keyboard shortcut for window snapping. Rectangle App adds a full shortcut layer — Left Half, Right Half, corners, thirds, and more.
How do I snap to thirds on Mac?
macOS built-in tiling doesn't support thirds. Install Rectangle and use ⌃⌥D/F/G for left, centre, and right thirds.
Can I snap windows to quarters on Mac?
Yes — Rectangle maps corners to ⌃⌥U, I, J, K by default. Snap four apps into four equal quadrants in four key presses.