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Roost

  • Mac

Your windows, back where they belong.

Dock, undock or wake, and every window lands back in its place. Roost remembers each set of screens by itself, arranges your windows in one click, snaps them from the keyboard and opens whole workspaces. There is nothing to save.

  • Back in place after dock or sleep
  • A layout for each set of screens
  • Arrange in one click
  • Keyboard snapping
  • Workspaces and history
Lifetime · pay once$7.99onceEvery feature free for 7 days. $14.99 for three Macs, every update included.
DownloadmacOS 15+ · Apple silicon & Intel
Support & FAQ →
A Roost workspace called Writing: Ulysses, Safari and Notes, its shortcut ⌥⌘1, and where each window goes on the home desk
Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above

Dock, undock, wake

Every window goes back where it belongs

Plug in at your desk and your windows are where you left them there. Unplug and they come home to the MacBook.

  • One layout for each set of screens

    MacBook alone, at the home dock, at the office: Roost tells them apart, even two identical monitors.

  • Nothing to save

    A new screen setup is remembered the first time Roost sees it, and it keeps up as you move windows.

  • Undo, always

    A small card after windows go back, with Undo for 30 seconds and what didn't fit.

  • After sleep too

    Wake on the same screens and windows go back to how you left them before sleep.

The same screen setup in Roost's dark theme, every window drawn like a macOS window with its title bar and app
Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above

Your screens, drawn

Move a window on the drawing and the real one follows

Your MacBook and monitors as they are, with every window like a macOS window.

  • Resize from any edge

    Drag an edge or corner with the size showing, or set the exact frame in points.

  • Drop on an edge

    Drag a window to a screen's side for a half, a corner for a quarter, the top to fill the screen.

  • Preview on screen

    See what Put windows back would do over your real screens before it moves anything.

  • History

    Every layout these screens had, newest first. Go back to any of them in one click.

Roost's History tab: earlier layouts of the home desk, newest first, each with a small picture and Go back
Roost with Safari selected on the monitor: resize handles round it, and beside it how Roost matches the window, its exact frame and which screen it goes on

Arrange now

Tidy every window in one click

Side by side, a grid, one main window with the rest beside it, or a cascade.

  • Front to back

    The window you're using gets the first place, and the biggest in Main + side.

  • Each screen on its own

    Windows are arranged on the screen they're on; apps you set to float are left alone.

  • Undo it

    Every arrangement can be undone from its card or the menu bar.

Roost's Shortcuts page: left half, right half, thirds and quarters, each drawn and with its ⌃⌥ shortcut
Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above

Moves

One key for the window you're using

Fill the screen and back, trade places with the window beside it, or send it to your other display. Nothing moves by itself.

  • Focus

    ⌃⌥Z fills the screen with the window you're using. Press it again and it goes back exactly where it was.

  • Swap

    ⌃⌥⇧ and an arrow trades places with the window on that side, each taking the other's size.

  • Next display

    ⌃⌥N carries the window to your other display, same place in proportion. ⌃⌥← again at the edge does it too.

  • Tidy from the keys

    ⌃⌥1 to ⌃⌥4 for Side by side, Grid, Main + side and Cascade.

Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above
Roost's Moves page: Focus, Swap with neighbour and Next display for the window you're using, and keys ⌃⌥1 to ⌃⌥4 for Side by side, Grid, Main + side and Cascade

Automatic

It tidies up after your monitor, and before your screen share

Three things Roost can do by itself. Each is off until you switch it on.

  • Park on undock

    Unplug and the monitor's windows are minimised instead of piling onto the MacBook. Plug in again and they're back in place.

  • Glued neighbours

    Drag the edge two windows share and both resize, like a split view. Hold ⌥ to resize just one.

  • Safe sharing

    Messages, Mail, 1Password or any app you pick hide while you share or record your screen, and come back after.

  • Or by hand

    ⌃⌥P hides your private apps before a share, and brings them back after.

Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above
Roost's Automatic page: Park on undock, Glued neighbours and Safe sharing, each with a switch, the windows parked from the home desk, and the private apps hidden while sharing

Shortcuts and workspaces

Snap a window, or open a whole workspace

Halves, thirds and quarters from the keyboard, and sets of apps that open where they belong.

  • ⌃⌥ and a key

    Left half, right half, thirds, quarters, centre and fill for the window you're using, in any app.

  • Learn them in a minute

    A practice window to snap around and throw, so the keys stick.

  • Workspaces

    One shortcut opens a set of apps and lays them out, with a layout for each screen setup.

  • Your keys

    Change any shortcut, or start them all with ⌃⌥, ⌥⌘, ⌃⌘ or ⌃⌥⌘.

Roost's Shortcuts page: left half, right half, thirds and quarters, each drawn and with its ⌃⌥ shortcut
A Roost workspace called Writing: Ulysses, Safari and Notes, its shortcut ⌥⌘1, and where each window goes on the home desk

And also

And the details

The small things that make it disappear into your Mac.

  • The menu bar

    Put windows back, focus, arrange, open a workspace or pause, and see what's parked or hidden, from one small panel.

  • App rules

    Float an app so Roost never moves it, or ignore it entirely.

  • Setup check

    One list of what Roost needs from your Mac, each with its fix.

  • Lost windows

    Bring back any window that ended up off screen, in one click.

  • Windows that open late

    An app that starts slowly after you dock still gets its window put in place.

  • Light on your Mac

    It listens for macOS to say a window moved, with a light check every few seconds. Apple silicon and Intel.

How it works

Open it once.

Allow Accessibility, try the shortcuts, and that's it.

  1. Let Roost move windows

    macOS asks once for Accessibility; the welcome moves on by itself.

    Roost's Settings: the setup check, putting windows back when screens change and after sleep, and keeping up as you move windows

  2. Use your Mac as usual

    Roost remembers each set of screens and keeps up as you move things.

    Roost's screen-setup page: an LG UltraFine above a MacBook, drawn as the devices they are, with Xcode, Safari and Terminal on the monitor and Slack and Notes on the MacBook, and the Arrange now buttons above

  3. Dock, undock, wake

    Every window lands back in its place, with Undo.

    Roost's History tab: earlier layouts of the home desk, newest first, each with a small picture and Go back

Private by design

Your windows, only on your Mac.

Read the Roost privacy policy

  • Works on your Mac

    Roost reads where windows are from macOS and moves them there. Nothing passes through us.

  • Titles stay private

    Window titles are kept in Roost's folder to match windows, and hidden in any diagnostics you send.

  • Layouts in one folder

    Screen setups, history and workspaces are small files on your Mac, with backups.

  • No analytics, no account

    It fetches only our update feed, and checks your licence with us.

Price

Try everything for 7 days. Then pay once.

Free trial

7days

  • Every feature, nothing held back
  • Long enough to dock and undock a few times
  • No account

Roost

$7.99once

  • One Mac, every future update
  • $14.99 for up to three Macs
  • No subscription
DownloadmacOS 15+ · Apple silicon & IntelApple silicon and Intel, macOS 15 or later. Notarized by Apple. Bought from Papermint through Dodo Payments; prices may vary by country.

Questions

Asked before you download

Why do my windows move when I unplug my monitor?

When a display goes away, macOS moves its windows onto the screens that are left, and doesn't move them back when it returns. Roost remembers where each window was for that set of screens and puts it back when you plug in again.

Do I have to save layouts?

No. Roost remembers each set of screens the first time it sees it and keeps up as you move windows, so the layout is simply how you left it. History keeps earlier layouts if you want one back.

Does it work with two identical monitors?

Yes. Roost tells displays apart by their serial numbers where macOS reports them, and by where they sit in the arrangement when it doesn't.

What does it cost?

Every feature is free for 7 days. Then it's $7.99 once for one Mac, or $14.99 for up to three, with every future update included and no subscription. After the trial Roost stops moving windows until it's bought, and keeps everything you set up. Your keys and Macs are at console.papermint.studio.

Why isn't it on the Mac App Store?

Apps in the Mac App Store can't move other apps' windows: Apple's sandbox doesn't allow the Accessibility access that needs. Roost is downloaded from us instead, signed and notarized by Apple.

Will it fight with Stage Manager or full-screen apps?

No. Full-screen windows and windows on other Spaces are left where they are, and restores pause while Stage Manager is on unless you choose otherwise.

All Roost answers in the help centre

Your windows, back where they belong.

Free for 7 days, then $7.99 once. Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 15 or later.

DownloadmacOS 15+ · Apple silicon & Intel

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