Rectangle
Move and resize windows in macOS using keyboard shortcuts or snap areas
Rectangle is a free, open-source window management application for macOS, written in Swift. It lets users snap, resize, and reposition windows instantly using keyboard shortcuts or by dragging windows to screen edges. Built as the spiritual successor to the popular Spectacle app, Rectangle has become the go-to window manager for Mac users who want Windows-style snapping without paying for it.
Key Features
Window Snapping to halves, thirds, quarters, sixths, and full-screen layouts.
Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts for every window position and size.
Drag-to-Snap by dragging windows to screen edges or corners.
Multi-Monitor Support for moving windows across displays.
Cycle Through Sizes by repeating the same shortcut to resize incrementally.
Rectangle Pro (paid upgrade) for gap settings, custom snap areas, window layouts, and more.
Why Choose Rectangle?
Rectangle is designed for Mac users who miss the snap-to-edge window management that Windows offers natively. It runs quietly in the background, consumes minimal system resources, and requires no account or configuration to get started. The free tier covers nearly everything most users need, while Rectangle Pro adds advanced layout controls for power users.
Whether you're a developer, designer, writer, or everyday Mac user, Rectangle is widely considered a must-install utility.
Platform & Compatibility
Architecture
Minimum macOS
macOS Big Sur 11Public Opinion
Curated highlights from Reddit and other communities, not user-submitted reviews.
“A Hacker News user who has used the app for years donated to the developer voluntarily, saying it's so essential to their day-to-day productivity that they wanted to thank the author for keeping it open source and free.”
Hacker News: Rectangle recommendation thread
“As a fully free and open-source app, Rectangle offers more snapping positions than paid rivals like Magnet — including halves, quarters, thirds, and sixths — making it the best value window manager on macOS.”
Medium: I Tested Every Mac Window Manager
“An AlternativeTo user who switched from Windows said Rectangle immediately solved their biggest frustration with macOS window management, calling it simple to install and praising how quickly it becomes second nature.”
AlternativeTo: Rectangle user reviews
“Users on Product Hunt consistently call it the very first app they install on any Mac, praising how the shortcuts work perfectly out of the box without needing any configuration.”
Product Hunt: Rectangle Reviews
“A How-To Geek editor who switched from Windows described Rectangle as so good that Apple should just buy it, noting it far exceeds macOS's built-in tiling options for ultrawide and multi-window workflows.”
How-To Geek via Yahoo Tech: I Can't Imagine Using My Mac Without This Free App
“A Reddit user reported that Rectangle stops working after activating Stage Manager on macOS 14, requiring them to disable Stage Manager to get Rectangle to function again.”
Reddit: Rectangle App stop working after activating Stage Manager
“A user predicted that Rectangle would become useless soon because macOS 15 would add its own native window manager.”
X: @az_haroon on Rectangle becoming obsolete
“A Reddit user complained that the click sound when snapping windows with Rectangle Pro is extremely annoying and asked how to turn it off, indicating a usability polish issue.”
“A Reddit user reported a bug where snapping windows with Rectangle leaves excessive space between the window and sketchybar, indicating layout inconsistency issues in recent macOS versions.”
“A user mentioned that third-party tools like Rectangle often come with bugs related to window focus and other reliability issues.”
Community
