What is Stage Manager?
Stage Manager, introduced in macOS Ventura, organises your windows into groups ("stages") that you switch between by clicking strips on the left side of the screen. Each stage represents a focused context — your writing apps, your communication apps, your research apps.
It's a focus and organisation tool, not a window-sizing tool. Stage Manager doesn't control where individual windows sit or how large they are — that's exactly what Rectangle App does.
How they differ
A Stage Manager group can contain multiple windows, but it doesn't organise them spatially — they overlap by default. Rectangle gives spatial order to windows without worrying about grouping or context switching.
Using both together
The optimal setup for many users is both enabled simultaneously. Stage Manager provides high-level context organisation, while Rectangle App tiles the windows within each stage so they don't overlap.
Workflow example: switch to your coding Stage Manager group, press ⌃⌥D on VS Code (left third), ⌃⌥G on Terminal (right third), ⌃⌥F on your browser (centre third). Switch to writing stage — clean, separate context, still tiled by Rectangle.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rectangle work inside Stage Manager?
Yes — Rectangle App works perfectly alongside Stage Manager. Shortcut snapping applies to whatever window is in focus, whether or not Stage Manager is active.
Should I use Stage Manager or Rectangle?
Use both. They don't overlap in function. Stage Manager handles context groups; Rectangle handles window sizes and positions within each context.
Does Stage Manager replace window managers on Mac?
No — Stage Manager is an organisation and focus tool. It cannot resize or tile windows. For that, you still need Rectangle or a similar tool.