Spectacle for Mac

About Spectacle for macOS

Spectacle is a free, keyboard-driven window management utility for macOS created by Eric Czarny. Its primary aim is to let users arrange and resize application windows quickly using only the keyboard, removing the need to rely on a mouse for common windowing tasks.

Capabilities and user controls

• Users can assign, change, or remove any keyboard shortcut tied to a window action to match their workflow.
• Shortcuts exist to move windows between displays: Control+Option+Command+Right Arrow sends a window to the next monitor, and Control+Option+Command+Left Arrow returns it to the previous one.
• You can snap a window to a predefined half of the screen; for example, Option+Command+Left Arrow sends it to the left half.
• Corner placement is supported as well — Control+Command+Right Arrow places a window in the upper-right corner.
• Repeatedly using a single shortcut cycles a window through fractional widths; activating Option+Command+Left Arrow multiple times cycles a window between one-third, two-thirds, and one-half on the left side.
• Incremental resizing shortcuts let you grow or shrink a window: Control+Option+Shift+Right Arrow enlarges, Control+Option+Shift+Left Arrow reduces its size.
• Quick alignment actions are provided, such as centering a window (Option+Command+C) or maximizing it (Option+Command+F).
• Spectacle keeps track of a window’s previous position so you can revert changes; undo is Option+Command+Z and redo is Option+Shift+Command+Z.

How Spectacle operates

Spectacle manipulates other apps’ windows through macOS accessibility APIs. That allows it to reposition and resize windows at the system level, but it also means Spectacle must respect constraints set by each application — if an app enforces a minimum size or fixed aspect ratio, Spectacle will not override those limits.

Known limitations and current status

• The project is no longer under active development. While the app is still available for download, there will be no regular updates or official bug fixes.
• Because it uses accessibility interfaces and honors application-imposed sizing rules, some windows may not behave as expected when moved or resized. Terminal and other apps that enforce special layout rules can show odd behavior.
• Use the tool with caution on newer macOS releases, since future system changes could affect compatibility.

Why people still choose it

Despite being unmaintained, Spectacle remains a compact, reliable way to speed up window management thanks to its straightforward shortcuts and customizable key mappings. For many users its feature set is sufficient for daily productivity gains.

Options to consider instead

If you’d like to try an alternative, Clipy is a free option to explore. (Note: Clipy primarily focuses on clipboard management; ensure it meets your specific window-management needs before switching.)