How to arrange windows on a Mac: every built in way

On macOS Sequoia and later, the quickest way to arrange windows is to drag a window to an edge or corner of the screen until an outline appears, then let go. It fills that half or quarter. Here is every other way, and what each is good for.

Built in ways to arrange windows

1. Drag to an edge (Sequoia and later): halves on the sides, quarters in the corners, full screen at the top.
2. The green button: hover over it for Move & Resize options, full screen, and Split View.
3. Window menu: Window, Move & Resize lists the same layouts, with shortcuts using Fn and ⌃.
4. Split View: two apps share the screen in their own full screen space.
5. Stage Manager: the app you use sits in the middle, others wait at the left.
6. Mission Control: spread every window out to pick one, or drag windows between desktops.

Shortcuts for the Sequoia layouts

When arranging becomes a chore

All of these arrange the windows you touch. Every new window still lands on top of the others, so you arrange again, and again. A window manager takes that job away.

ClutterFreeMac arranges every window as it opens: each one gets a column on a strip that runs past the edges of the screen. Nothing overlaps and nothing shrinks; you scroll or swipe to the windows you cannot see. Try it in the demo on the home page.