What designers need
Design workflows are visually dense. A typical session might involve a design tool (Figma, Sketch, Affinity Designer), a reference image window, a client brief PDF, a browser with inspiration, and a communication app. Without a window manager, switching between these is constant drag-and-drop chaos.
Rectangle App gives designers a repeatable shortcut system to position every window in its place at the start of a session.
Designer layouts with Rectangle
On an external monitor (common for designers using MacBook + display):
- Primary external: Figma maximised (⌃⌥↵) for focused design work
- Built-in MacBook: Browser (Left Half) + Slack or Mail (Right Half)
When doing reference-heavy work on a single display:
- Figma: Left Two-Thirds (⌃⌥E)
- Reference browser: Right Third (⌃⌥G)
The Rectangle App Centre shortcut (⌃⌥C) is also valuable for designers: it centres a floating window without changing its size, perfect for keeping a colour picker accessible.
Floating palette windows
Some design tools have floating palette windows that don't behave like regular windows — they stay on top and have fixed sizes. Rectangle handles these gracefully by limiting snap actions to resizable windows.
For windows that should always float at a specific size, use Rectangle App's Ignored Applications list in Preferences to exclude them from snap actions entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rectangle work with Figma on Mac?
Yes — Rectangle App positions the Figma window on your desktop normally. Inside Figma, the canvas and panels are managed by Figma itself and are not affected by Rectangle.
Is Rectangle useful on a single MacBook display?
Absolutely. Even on a 13" or 14" display, Rectangle lets you snap two apps side by side with one key press and switch instantly to full-screen for focused work.
What window manager do professional designers use on Mac?
Rectangle is the most common answer among designers — free, fast, and it stays out of the way. Some prefer Moom for saved layouts across different client setups.