In Windows 7, we can easily arrange two windows with these shortcuts: Option (Alt) ⌥ + ← maximizes the window to the left side of the screen, and Option (Alt) ⌥ + → maximizes the window to the right side of the screen.
I'm using a 27" iMac now, and I'd really like to do this. Does Mac OS X have this functionality?
I use BTT (Better Touch Tool) which includes window snapping, as well as a whole host of other useful features such as extra multitouch gestures, and button management.
You can use as much or as little as you want, but window snapping is on by default and just means you drag an application to the top to maximise it, left to align and fill the left half, and to the right for the right.
EDIT: This is called BST (Better Snap Tool) and it is no longer free. El Capitan has an implemented feature (press green button until you can drop it to the side) or check other free tools like Spectacle
Update: As of Feb 20, 2016 BST is $2.99 USD.
Original Answer (Update below):
Apple has provided this functionality as part of its OS X El Capitan. Here are the steps:
The answer has been taken from osxdaily.com website's page.
Update:
Many people commented that they wish there was a shortcut for it. I figured a way to create a shortcut for that from another answer on AskDifferent which I cannot find the link to. This is how:
You should now have the shortcuts available for any application window that supports tiling. Now, you can press your shortcut keys to tile the first window to left or right. Then the other side will turn into a mini-Expose from which you can select the second window using your mouse.
†I have a dual monitor setup. So other than the one listed above, I have also set the shortcut to move a window to another monitor. The 'Menu Title's are:
1. "Move to Built-in Retina Display", with shortcut ⌃⎇⌘→;
2. "Move to LG UltraFine", with shortcut ⌃⎇⌘←;
To remember the shortcuts, notice that all they keys, are next to each other. All you do is use arrow keys differently. Further, moving to another monitor has an extra key in the shortcut, while putting the windows in split view is on the same monitor, therefore it has one less key.
The shortcut name depends on the MacOS system language, e.g.:
english: 'Tile Window to Left of Screen'
german : 'Fenster auf der linken Bildschirmseite anordnen'
or a different title: 'Fenster auf die linke Seite des Bildschirms bewegen'
Phrases for left / right can be found on the green "full screen" button:
⎇⌘ is already used by e.g. Firefox. As it turns out Rectangle (see other answers) found a good solution: ⌃⎇ Edit: this is basically what this answer says
My favorite is Spectacle
UPD: Spectacle users have recommended Rectangle as an open source alternative.
Out of the box your shortcuts works exactly as you describe in your question.
⌘ ⌥ ← left half side of the screen, and ⌘ ⌥ → for the right.
It also supports assigning a shortcut for moving a window to another screen:
UPDATE:
https://github.com/eczarny/spectacle#important-note
This project is not being actively maintained. Unfortunately, after almost a decade of on-and-off development I can no longer dedicate the time needed to be a responsible maintainer of this project. Spectacle will remain available for download but please use at your own risk. The source code will continue to be free and open to anyone, so feel free to make Spectacle your own.
With macOS Catalina you can do this with shortcut keys
Here’s how:
Hit the plus button and add the Menu Title exactly as it appears along with whichever shortcuts you want:
The keyboard shortcut recorder there will let you pick any shortcut, but if they conflict with a shortcut that’s built into macOS then it won’t work. Some easy ones I chose were “ctrl + alt + ←” and “ctrl + alt + →” because they are pretty unlikely to conflict with anything else. Avoid the shift key as a modifier as it can make the animations go in slow motion.
Not all apps have these menu items in their “Window” menu, so those apps won’t respond to these keyboard shortcuts
Answer taken from https://medium.com/ryan-hanson/going-without-a-3rd-party-window-manager-in-macos-catalina-4bd270b29245
Another tool is Moom (5$ in the Apple Store): you can divide the screen in a number of squares and define keyboard shortcut to position the windows. Several standard placements are already defined by default (right/left half, bottom/top half, ...)
I never used anything else (I'm very happy with Moom) but DoublePane was mentioned several time on AskDifferent and it seems that several other alternatives exist.
There are a number of free alternatives for that work well. These include :
There are many alternative window sizing utilities freely available.
Cinch brings the window management of Windows 7 to the Mac with a simple and easy to use application.
I’ve used SizeUp.app before, which allows you to press e.g. ⌘+⌥+Ctrl+← to make the active window fill the left half of the screen, and ⌘+⌥+Ctrl+→ to make it fill the right half.
It has lots of other options as well:
If you prefer to use the mouse instead of the keyboard, you could use Cinch.app by the same authors. It allows you to drag any window to the left or right side of the screen to make it fill that half of the screen.
Both these apps aren’t free (although they’re very cheap), but they have free trials. Check it out!
Yet another tool suggestion: ShiftIt. Free, actively under development, completely open source, lightweight, very easy to use, and keeps a low profile in the top menu bar.
I use these AppleScripts:
try
tell application "Finder"
set b to bounds of window of desktop
end tell
try
tell application (path to frontmost application as text)
set bounds of window 1 to {0, 22, (item 3 of b) / 2, item 4 of b}
end tell
on error
tell application "System Events" to tell window 1 of (process 1 where frontmost is true)
set position to {0, 22}
set size to {(item 3 of b) / 2, (item 4 of b) - 22}
end tell
end try
end try
try
tell application "Finder"
set b to bounds of window of desktop
end tell
try
tell application (path to frontmost application as text)
set bounds of window 1 to {((item 3 of b) / 2), 22, item 3 of b, item 4 of b}
end tell
on error
tell application "System Events" to tell window 1 of (process 1 where frontmost is true)
set position to {(item 3 of b) / 2, 22}
set size to {(item 3 of b) / 2, (item 4 of b) - 22}
end tell
end try
end try
The scripts first try to tell the application to change the bounds property and then tell System Events to change the position and size properties. Using System Events (or the accessibility API) works with more applications, but it can also appear a bit glitchy because the position and size are not changed at the same time. Other applications like Slate always use accessibility API.
Apple has leveled up the native window manager settings and functionality and many people don't take full advantage of (or know about) the new implementations of mission control, side by side split view and full screen mode.
Enter Split View
- Hold down the full-screen button in the upper-left corner of a window.
- As you hold the button, the window shrinks and you can drag it to the left or right side of the screen.
- Release the button, then click another window to begin using both windows side by side.
Divvy would be the software I recommend that is the most Mac like in design and implementation, yet it hits all the functionality most Windows 7 users prefer or are used to having. If you want to add a tool just for this, get Divvy.
The features I like about Divvy are:
System-Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts: App Shortcuts (+) (Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app) Menu Title: Move Window to Left of Screen Shortcut: ⌃←
Rectangle is what I was looking for. It has snap to edge and is free. I needed this only, nothing else. This app has a lot more, so be sure to check it out.
I just discovered Magnet available on the App store for $7.99 (price updated f2022) that provides the ability to "snap" windows to corners, right, left, etc.
So far, it works as advertised. I am not affiliated with the app or developer. Just found it and find it useful.
There's also BetterSnapTool, made by the same developer as BetterTouchTool. It has more features than BetterTouchTool, and it's in the Mac App Store for $1.99. Yes, it's a bit more expensive than free, but I personally prefer BetterSnapTool (and you're supporting the developer; very important).
Unlike other answers, you don't need an app to do it. Holding the option button, click on the green icon on the top left.
You will see the option to Tile Window to Left of the screen.
If you don't hold the option, then spaces will be divided.
I have used BetterTouchTool for a long time, but found it sometimes needed to be restarted because it stops working.
I have also used Divvy, and am now switching to Divvy-only.
My personal setup is to use the tilt left/right scroll wheel buttons on a Logitech mouse to snap the windows to left/right halves of the screen. Clicking the scroll wheel button maximizes a window. Divvy doesn't allow mouse shortcuts AFAIK, so I used the Logitech control center to make those buttons trigger the shortcuts I configured in Divvy. If anyone is using a similar mouse maybe this is good info; Divvy is a great application either way.
Try using El Capitain's split screen mode
By default, you can use the (green) maximize button on the window bar as follows:
I'm using this with Monterey, despite is "Looking for a new maintainer" is a recommended alternative
https://github.com/fikovnik/ShiftIt
Window tiling is now available in macOS Sequoia 15 or later.
Mac window tiling icons & keyboard shortcuts
Not only can you now move and resize the active window with system default shortcuts, you can also now move and arrange multiple windows with system default shortcuts.
The link above also provides the exact names of the Menu commands that you can use to customize them as noted by @displayName's answer.
Note that the Menu commands have changed names, so when you update to Sequoia, some of your custom tiling commands will have broken if you were following @displayName's answer with a previous macOS.
Note also that default commands in some applications, such as Chrome, conflict with these new system defaults.
