Best Window Manager for Mac:
The Ultimate Guide

Multitasking with multiple apps at once on Mac can be a nightmare. Open windows tend to overlap and clutter your desktop, significantly reducing the space you could be using for work. The built-in window manager tool for macOS, Split View, is severely limited in terms of functionality and scope of use.

For instance, macOS window management doesn't support window snapping naturally. On top of that, its Command + Tab switcher is incredibly frustrating. Not to worry, though, as there are lots of great third-party options for Mac that you can use to manage your desktop.

As a macOS user, it makes sense to explore other window management options out there. If you are looking for the best Mac window manager, you've come to the right place.

What is a window manager?

A window manager is a tool that lets users manipulate the appearance of their desktops. A window management tool allows you to resize, overlap, maximize, and minimize windows when working with multiple apps on your Mac. A window manager helps you organize windows and keep your desktop neat.

How to manage windows on Mac

If you regularly multitask with multiple apps on macOS, you might be familiar with Split View. This built-in window management functionality lets you run two apps at the same time on different sides of your display. Here's how to manage windows on Mac using Split View.

  1. To enter Split View on your Mac, hover your cursor over the green button in the top left corner of the active window.
  2. Select Tile Window to Right of Screen or Tile Window to Left of Screen from the drop-down menu that appears on the window.
  3. The window will fill the right or left side of the screen depending on what you selected in the previous step.
  4. Click on the second application you want to work with on the other side of the screen.

In Split View, you can use both apps side by side sans the distraction of any other apps on your Mac. Select a window to work in by clicking anywhere inside that window. To exit Split View, drag your cursor to the top of the screen to reveal window buttons and hit the full-screen button.

Unfortunately, Split View doesn't have enough window management features to be a useful window manager, especially for habitual multitaskers. If you find yourself multitasking on your Mac quite often, you should explore other options.

How to manage windows using Parallels Toolbox

If you find your Mac's lackluster window management frustrating, you might want to consider using a third-party window manager tool. A third-party window management client such as Parallels Toolbox can help you streamline your workflow by offering additional features to efficiently manage multiple windows.

Managing windows with Parallels Toolbox is super easy. This handy tool lets you manage windows on your Mac through drag and drop, keyboard shortcuts, and the menu bar. By adding a dropdown menu to the macOS menu bar, Parallels Toolbox allows you to resize or change the position of your windows in just a few clicks.

Conclusion

When working on your computer, one window isn't always enough. Whether you want to respond to an email while watching a video on YouTube, peek at data to write a work report, or just keep a chat window open as you browse Facebook, you need to multitask from time to time. But working with multiple windows on macOS can be frustrating.

That's why you need a reliable, third-party window manager such as Parallels Toolbox to help you keep your desktop organized. Think of Parallels Toolbox as a productivity tool that takes over the tedious task of window arrangement while working with multiple apps simultaneously.