I have been using Loop(https://github.com/MrKai77/Loop) after trying some of the alternatives listed here and wanted to post that as it was not mentioned. It is something that solves what I was looking for in window management on macos and just putting it out here :).
Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
51–60 of 131 posts
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#52How did OP get semi rid of the macos top menu bar?!
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#53I used to be a heavy user of i3. It's very flexible and configurable, and you can do much more than just moving windows. But after I switched to Mac, I couldn't find a tiling window manager that was both feature-rich and stable. After trying several options, I just use Rectangle[1]. It's not a window manager; it only provides shortcuts for window placements like simply moving windows to left/right/top/bottom or split…
Shoutout to Rectangle for having Spectacle keybindings option. Maybe one day I will learn the normal ones but I am too used to them at this point
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#54What is quite upsetting about macOS tile managers is they only seem to work with windows in 'maximum' mode rather than 'full screen', so you always end up wasting screen real estate at the top. (ghastly!)
I see from the animated gif Rift is like this, and Rectangle is too.
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#55I used to be a heavy user of i3. It's very flexible and configurable, and you can do much more than just moving windows. But after I switched to Mac, I couldn't find a tiling window manager that was both feature-rich and stable. After trying several options, I just use Rectangle[1]. It's not a window manager; it only provides shortcuts for window placements like simply moving windows to left/right/top/bottom or split…
Maybe I misunderstand what you mean, on one hand you say you want a window manager that's feature rich, on the other you say you're tired of using very flexible software with tons of configs. Aren't those two at odds with one another?
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#56I used to be a big user of tiling window managers but, more recently, I’ve discovered that the workflow of something like Moom is nicer in more situations.
The main reason I use Moom is being able to move and resize windows using nothing but the keyboard, which is something most tiling window managers completely ignore.
@rcarmo Totally agree on keyboard-first workflow. It's interesting how
different tools optimize for different input methods. Some prioritize
trackpad gestures, others keyboard shortcuts. Would love to see more
hybrid approaches.
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#57I don't get it. Why anyone would need to use tile manager in macOS?
How often do you need to have apps side by side?
In most cases, just making the app full screen and switch between windows with 4 finger swipes does the job beautifully.
Enlighten me please
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#58I get why full-screen plus trackpad gestures feel great on macOS—if you mostly work in a single window, that’s enough. But when the workflow becomes multi-window (terminal, editor, browser DevTools, logs, docs), predictable layouts start to matter. Tiling tools aren’t just “put two windows side by side”—they:
- Cut context-switching overhead: focus moves and rearrangements happen via keyboard without breaking flow.
- Create reusable “work panels”: replicate the same layout across projects/spaces, so you don’t keep “placing windows.”
- Make high-res displays useful: on 5K/6K or ultrawide, precise partitioning beats full-screen.
My compromise on mac is “light management” (Rectangle/Moom with a handful of shortcuts) for ~80% of needs; when I need stronger workspace semantics, I use Aerospace/Rift. Not everyone needs tiling, but once window count and switching frequency rise, its value becomes obvious.
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#59I used to be a heavy user of i3. It's very flexible and configurable, and you can do much more than just moving windows. But after I switched to Mac, I couldn't find a tiling window manager that was both feature-rich and stable. After trying several options, I just use Rectangle[1]. It's not a window manager; it only provides shortcuts for window placements like simply moving windows to left/right/top/bottom or split…
Maybe I misunderstand what you mean, on one hand you say you want a window manager that's feature rich, on the other you say you're tired of using very flexible software with tons of configs. Aren't those two at odds with one another?
I wouldn't consider having good default configs and being feature-rich at odds with eachother. Ghostty is feature-rich but needs no config. There's no reason yabai needs to be so highly composable that it doesn't even have a hotkey listener by default and and instead points you to another piece of software that only translates hotkeys to shell commands and is no longer being maintained. i3 at least has a pretty usable default config.
Re: Show HN: Rift – A tiling window manager for macOS
#60Pretty cool, but nothing beats Swish if you're using a Macbook trackpad https://highlyopinionated.co/swish/
"Highly opinionated" indeed ;) One reason I prefer Divvy^1 is that my custom keyboard shortcuts are usable whether typing directly the on laptop w/ trackpad, or (more frequently) on external keyboard. 1. https://mizage.com/divvy/
For me it's about the least amount of hand/wrist movement. Trackpad + Swish feels natural and reduces strain.