The Mac window manager that remembers every layout
Spud is a Mac window manager for people who juggle several work contexts on one machine. This page explains how Spud snaps windows, saves and restores whole layouts, switches contexts with one keystroke, and how it compares to other Mac window tools.
Key takeaways
- Spud is a Mac window manager that snaps windows and saves entire desktop layouts, restoring each window to its exact position, size, and stacking order (eatspud.com).
- Spud has a free tier that lasts forever and a Pro plan at $4.99 per month, with a 10-day Pro trial that needs no card and no sign-up (eatspud.com/download).
- Spud is not on the Mac App Store and downloads directly from eatspud.com, signed and notarized (eatspud.com).
- Spud requires macOS 26 Tahoe and runs on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs (eatspud.com/download).
The Mac window manager that remembers every layout
Spud snaps and arranges your windows from the keyboard, then remembers the whole arrangement so you drop back into exactly where you were. Save a layout with one keystroke, and every window returns to its exact position, size, and stacking order (eatspud.com).
Your hands never leave the keyboard, and your desktop stops being a mess of overlapping windows.
Download · Start free Pro trial (10-day, no card, no sign-up)
What is a Mac window manager?
A Mac window manager moves, resizes, and arranges app windows for you instead of leaving you to drag and line them up by hand. Apple added built-in window tiling in macOS Sequoia, letting you snap a window to half or a quarter of the screen by dragging it to an edge (Computerworld).
Spud goes further. On top of snapping, it saves and restores whole layouts, so a named arrangement of apps comes back exactly as you left it.
Snap and arrange windows with keyboard shortcuts
Spud snaps windows to halves, quarters, and thirds and repositions them straight from the keyboard, so you never drag a window to an edge to line it up. macOS gained basic drag-to-edge tiling in Sequoia, though it is less robust than dedicated window tools (Macworld).
Common arrangements you can trigger with a shortcut:
- Left or right half
- Any quarter of the screen
- Left, center, or right third
- Full screen or centered
Learn one or two shortcuts and window placement becomes muscle memory.
Save and restore whole layouts
This is where Spud earns its place. It records each window's position, size, and z-order, then brings the whole set back with one keystroke (eatspud.com). It relaunches apps you had closed and reopens closed browser tabs without creating duplicates.
Say you close everything at the end of the day. The next morning you restore your Writing layout, and your editor, notes, and reference tabs land back exactly where they were, in the same stacking order. Pure snapping tools cannot do this, because they only arrange what is already open.
Switch work contexts with one keystroke
Name a workspace, like Deep Work, and jump into it with a number key. The apps that belong to your other contexts get hidden, so the new context comes up clean instead of buried under unrelated windows (eatspud.com).
Switching from a call setup to focused writing takes one keystroke instead of a minute of closing and reopening apps.
Works across laptop and external displays
Spud restores layouts across external displays, and it handles the moment you unplug. When a display disappears, your layout remaps proportionally onto the laptop screen so nothing lands off-screen (eatspud.com). Dock again, and every window returns to where it was on the larger setup.
More keyboard-first tools
Spud packs in a few keyboard-first tools that keep your flow intact (eatspud.com):
- Clipboard history keeps a searchable record of what you copied, so a new copy is never destructive. The free tier holds your last 10 items.
- Snippets store the reusable text you type every day and drop it in from a shortcut. The free tier holds 5.
- Screenshots land in a searchable grid, including the ones you copy straight to the clipboard.
- Talk reads copied text aloud when you would rather listen than read.
Everything opens from a shortcut, so you rarely reach for the mouse.
Spud vs Rectangle, Magnet, and Moom
Spud sits alongside good tools, and each does something well. The real difference is that Spud saves and restores whole layouts, while the others focus on snapping what is already open.
| Feature | Spud | Rectangle | Magnet | Moom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapping and tiling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Saved, restorable layouts | Yes | No | No | Partial (saved snapshots) |
| Multi-display remapping | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Clipboard and snippets | Yes | No | No | No |
| Price | Free / $4.99 mo | Free | $4.99 once | $15 once |
| Distribution | Direct download | Direct / open source | Mac App Store | Direct only |
Rectangle is free and open source, and it is excellent at keyboard snapping (rectangleapp.com). Magnet is a reliable App Store snapper at $4.99 (How-To Geek), and Moom is strong on grid presets at $15, sold directly by Many Tricks (Many Tricks). Spud's edge is restoring a whole named context, apps and tabs included, which pure snappers do not do.
Signed and notarized
Spud is signed and notarized by Blastoise, LLC, and downloads directly from eatspud.com (eatspud.com). Because it ships outside the Mac App Store, it has no sandbox limits on window management, so it can read and move other apps' windows the way a window manager needs to.
Pricing: free forever, or Pro for $4.99/mo
Spud's free tier lasts forever, with up to 2 saved workspaces, your last 10 clipboard items, and 5 snippets (eatspud.com/download). Pro is $4.99 per month for unlimited workspaces, clipboard history, and snippets.
The 10-day Pro trial needs no card and no sign-up. Nothing you make during the trial is ever taken away, so the workspaces and snippets you set up stay yours when it ends.
Download (Free) · Start free Pro trial (Pro)
Frequently asked questions
Is Spud a free Mac window manager?
Yes. Spud has a free tier that lasts forever, with up to 2 saved workspaces, your last 10 clipboard items, and 5 snippets. Pro is $4.99 per month for unlimited use, and there is a 10-day Pro trial with no card and no sign-up (eatspud.com/download).
Does Spud snap windows like Magnet or Rectangle?
Yes. Spud snaps and resizes windows from the keyboard, the same job Magnet and Rectangle do. Its added edge is that it also saves and restores whole layouts, which pure snappers do not.
Why does Spud need Accessibility permission?
macOS asks for Accessibility permission on first launch, and Spud needs it to read and move other apps' windows. That is the entire product, so Spud does not work without it.
Is Spud on the Mac App Store?
No. Spud downloads directly from eatspud.com, signed and notarized, with no sandbox limits on window management. It is not available on the Mac App Store.
Does Spud work with multiple monitors?
Yes. Layouts restore across external displays. Unplug a display and the layout remaps proportionally onto your laptop screen, then returns to the larger setup when you dock again.
Which macOS version does Spud need?
Spud requires macOS 26 Tahoe and runs on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. It is a menu-bar app with no Dock icon, so look for the menu-bar icon after you install it.
Get your desktop under control
Download Spud and save your first workspace in under a minute. Requires macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple silicon and Intel.
Download · no card, no sign-up