How to snap windows on a Mac with your trackpad

Snapping a window to half the screen is handy for working side by side. Here are the ways to do it on a Mac, including with a single trackpad gesture.

Built in to macOS 15 Sequoia and later

• Drag to the edge. Drag a window by its title bar to the left or right edge of the screen and let go when the outline appears.
• Hold Option while dragging to see where the window will tile before you reach the edge.
• Window menu. Choose Window › Move & Resize › Left or Right.
• Keyboard. Press fn + Control + ← or →.

On macOS 13 Ventura and 14 Sonoma there's no half-screen snapping without going full screen (Split View). An app fills that gap.

Snap with a trackpad gesture (UtilityPad)

UtilityPad works on macOS 13 and later and gives you two ways:

• Free: tap a corner. In Settings, click a corner of the trackpad map and choose Window to left half or Window to right half. Then double-tap that corner of your trackpad.
• Pro: flick in from the edge. A quick flick from the left edge toward the middle sends the front window to the left half, and from the right edge to the right half. Flicks from the top or bottom can maximise the window, open Mission Control or show the desktop.

Moving windows needs one permission: turn on UtilityPad in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. The app asks for it the first time.

Slow moves and normal pointing are never mistaken for a flick, so it stays out of your way.