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If you're a stickler for keeping your windows neat and orderly like I am, you may want to check out Yabai (+ skhd): https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai https:

If you're a stickler for keeping your windows neat and orderly like I am, you may want to check out Yabai (+ skhd): https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai I used to use BetterTouchTool and Stay to do this, but after a co-worker tipped me off on yabai+skhd, I've been extremely pleased and rarely have to think about window placement (took me a while to get the config "just right", of course). I haven't tried it on Big Sur, but because of the way yabai can assign windows to spaces, I don't believe you'd face this issue.

spenvo 6y ago
As a developer who makes an app that specifically places windows on external displays, i have to disagree with you(r level of confidence). MacOS's APIs have become unreliable on external displays in 11.0.1
joshstrange 6y ago
I use a combo of phoenix [0] and displayplacer [1]. displayplacer is used for making sure my monitors are arranged correctly and I wrote a small script in phoenix (that I bind to a hotkey) that moves all my windows into the right spot, as well as keybinds to resize my windows for tiling purposes. It's not perfect but it works pretty well for me, I'll have to look into yabai some more, it seems interesting. [0] https://github.com/kasper/phoenix https://github.com/kasper/phoenix [1] https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer
laumars 6y ago
I hate the fact that this needs to be an additional purchase and not part of the core OS. Windows and most Linux desktop environments are years ahead of macOS in terms of managing window placement. It doesn’t feel like macOS has advanced much in that department since it’s initial release in 2000 yet Windows has snapping, easier tiling, less glitchy multi monitor support....and this is coming from someone who hates using Windows! I really wish Apple would give their core OS a little TLC. These days Apple feels more like 90s/00s Microsoft with the continuous chasing of shiny new things rather than fixing any of their existing tech.
- jsinai 6y ago
  > Windows and most Linux desktop environments are years ahead of macOS in terms of managing window placement. I don’t understand. Windows has no ability to remember window positioning on screens to the point where I dread undocking my laptop because of the wasted time spent rearranging everything. The same way I dread it when Windows goes to sleep.
  - zerkten 6y ago
    What version are you using? I haven't had any of these issues for a long time with Windows 10. I also have some weird configs going between an external monitor upstairs and a KVM-based setup in my basement office.
ggsp 6y ago
It looks like yabai (mostly) works on Big Sur: https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/issues/589 https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/issues/589
herbcso 6y ago
I love using HammerSpoon for this sort of thing. Not for the faint-hearted to get to a point where you're happy with the configuration, but it's a total Swiss Army knife for scripting just about anything on your system, from window placement/moving to changing DNS or proxy settings when connecting to different networks, to preventing sleep, etc. It pretty much does the job of 15 other tools I might need to install otherwise. Yeah, you need to learn Lua (easy), and be willing to invest a bunch of time in it initially for setup, but once you have done that, you won't want to go back!
Improvotter 6y ago
I am currently using Yabai without disabling system protection as my company would not approve of disabling system protection. I wish many of its features were possible without it. It's _better_ than nothing, but it's still pretty bad without disabling it.

spenvo 6y ago

As a developer who makes an app that specifically places windows on external displays, i have to disagree with you(r level of confidence). MacOS's APIs have become unreliable on external displays in 11.0.1

joshstrange 6y ago

I use a combo of phoenix [0] and displayplacer [1]. displayplacer is used for making sure my monitors are arranged correctly and I wrote a small script in phoenix (that I bind to a hotkey) that moves all my windows into the right spot, as well as keybinds to resize my windows for tiling purposes. It's not perfect but it works pretty well for me, I'll have to look into yabai some more, it seems interesting. [0] https://github.com/kasper/phoenix https://github.com/kasper/phoenix [1] https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer https://github.com/jakehilborn/displayplacer

laumars 6y ago

I hate the fact that this needs to be an additional purchase and not part of the core OS. Windows and most Linux desktop environments are years ahead of macOS in terms of managing window placement. It doesn’t feel like macOS has advanced much in that department since it’s initial release in 2000 yet Windows has snapping, easier tiling, less glitchy multi monitor support....and this is coming from someone who hates using Windows! I really wish Apple would give their core OS a little TLC. These days Apple feels more like 90s/00s Microsoft with the continuous chasing of shiny new things rather than fixing any of their existing tech.

jsinai 6y ago
> Windows and most Linux desktop environments are years ahead of macOS in terms of managing window placement. I don’t understand. Windows has no ability to remember window positioning on screens to the point where I dread undocking my laptop because of the wasted time spent rearranging everything. The same way I dread it when Windows goes to sleep.
- zerkten 6y ago
  What version are you using? I haven't had any of these issues for a long time with Windows 10. I also have some weird configs going between an external monitor upstairs and a KVM-based setup in my basement office.

ggsp 6y ago

It looks like yabai (mostly) works on Big Sur: https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/issues/589 https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/issues/589

herbcso 6y ago

I love using HammerSpoon for this sort of thing. Not for the faint-hearted to get to a point where you're happy with the configuration, but it's a total Swiss Army knife for scripting just about anything on your system, from window placement/moving to changing DNS or proxy settings when connecting to different networks, to preventing sleep, etc. It pretty much does the job of 15 other tools I might need to install otherwise. Yeah, you need to learn Lua (easy), and be willing to invest a bunch of time in it initially for setup, but once you have done that, you won't want to go back!

Improvotter 6y ago

I am currently using Yabai without disabling system protection as my company would not approve of disabling system protection. I wish many of its features were possible without it. It's _better_ than nothing, but it's still pretty bad without disabling it.