Rectangle: Window Snapping That Actually Works on macOS

If you've ever tried to manage windows on macOS without a tool, you know the pain. The built-in split view is clunky, and you're left dragging windows around trying to eyeball "close enough" alignments. Enter Rectangle — a free, open-source window manager that does one thing and does it well: snap areas.

I found this project on GitHub after getting tired of my windows overlapping like a chaotic stack of sticky notes. Rectangle is lightweight, keyboard-friendly, and doesn't try to be a full tiling window manager (looking at you, yabai). It's just a solid snap tool that works.

What It Does

Rectangle lets you move and resize windows by dragging them to screen edges or corners. You can:

• Snap to left, right, top, bottom halves
• Snap to quarters (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right)
• Maximize or center a window
• Use keyboard shortcuts for all these actions
• Define custom snap areas if you want

No configuration required. Install it, and you'll immediately see window outlines appear when you drag near an edge. It's like Windows 11's snap layout, but for macOS and actually better.

Why It's Cool

What makes Rectangle stand out is its simplicity and polish. The developer (rxhanson) nailed the UX:

1. It's unobtrusive — you don't notice it until you need it
2. Keyboard shortcuts — all shortcuts are customizable, and they work with your existing setup
3. No weird side effects — it doesn't mess with your dock, menubar, or other apps
4. Open source — you can audit the code, and it's completely free
5. Snap to next/previous display — if you have multiple monitors, dragging a window to the edge moves it to the next screen, not just snaps it in place

The clever part is the "snap areas" concept. Instead of just snapping to edges, Rectangle defines invisible zones near the top, bottom, and corners. So when you drag a window to the top edge, it either maximizes or goes half-screen depending on where you release. It's intuitive once you use it for 5 minutes.

There's also a built-in shortcut to "restore" a window's original size after snapping it — so you can quickly snap, work, and unsnap without losing your layout.

How to Try It

You can get Rectangle two ways:

1. Direct download from the GitHub releases page:
   https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle/releases

2. Homebrew (if you're a terminal person):
   brew install --cask rectangle

That's it. Once installed, it'll live in your menubar. You can right-click the icon to see all shortcuts or access preferences. I'd recommend leaving the default shortcuts alone for a week before customizing — they're actually well thought out.

If you want to see it in action, the README on GitHub has a short GIF demo.

Final Thoughts

For a dev who spends all day in a terminal, IDE, and browser, Rectangle is a tiny productivity boost that adds up. It's not flashy, but it feels good. You stop thinking about window management entirely after a day or two.

Is it as powerful as i3 or yabai? No. But that's the point. Rectangle is for people who want window snapping without becoming a window manager expert. It's a tool that gets out of your way.

If you've been avoiding third-party window managers because they seem complex or unreliable, give Rectangle a shot. It's one of those rare projects that just works, and it's free.

Found via @githubprojects