Blazing Fast Window Management on macOS

An overview of how to manage macOS windows and desktops at blazing speeds!

Here is my yabai configuration (.yabairc)

#!/usr/bin/env sh

sudo yabai --load-sa
yabai -m signal --add event=dock_did_restart action="sudo yabai --load-sa"

# global settings
yabai -m config mouse_follows_focus          off
yabai -m config focus_follows_mouse          off
yabai -m config window_origin_display        default
yabai -m config window_placement             second_child
yabai -m config window_topmost               off
yabai -m config window_shadow                on
yabai -m config window_opacity               off
yabai -m config window_opacity_duration      0.0
yabai -m config active_window_opacity        1.0
yabai -m config normal_window_opacity        0.90
yabai -m config window_border                off
yabai -m config window_border_width          6
yabai -m config active_window_border_color   0xff775759
yabai -m config normal_window_border_color   0xff555555
yabai -m config insert_feedback_color        0xffd75f5f
yabai -m config split_ratio                  0.50
yabai -m config auto_balance                 off
yabai -m config mouse_modifier               fn
yabai -m config mouse_action1                move
yabai -m config mouse_action2                resize
yabai -m config mouse_drop_action            swap

# general space settings
yabai -m config layout                       bsp
yabai -m config top_padding                  15
yabai -m config bottom_padding               15
yabai -m config left_padding                 15
# NOTE: for OBS floating head
# yabai -m config left_padding                 450
yabai -m config right_padding                15
yabai -m config window_gap                   15

# apps to not manage (ignore)
yabai -m rule --add app="^System Settings$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Archive Utility$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Wally$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Pika$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^balenaEtcher$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Creative Cloud$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Logi Options$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Alfred Preferences$" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="Raycast" manage=off
yabai -m rule --add app="^Music$" manage=off

echo "yabai configuration loaded.."

This is my skhd configuration (.skhdrc)

# focus window
alt - h : yabai -m window --focus west
alt - j : yabai -m window --focus south
alt - k : yabai -m window --focus north
alt - l : yabai -m window --focus east

# swap managed window
shift + alt - h : yabai -m window --swap west
shift + alt - j : yabai -m window --swap south
shift + alt - k : yabai -m window --swap north
shift + alt - l : yabai -m window --swap east

# move managed window
shift + alt + ctrl - h : yabai -m window --warp west
shift + alt + ctrl - j : yabai -m window --warp south
shift + alt + ctrl - k : yabai -m window --warp north
shift + alt + ctrl - l : yabai -m window --warp east

# rotate tree
alt - r : yabai -m space --rotate 90

# toggle window fullscreen zoom
alt - f : yabai -m window --toggle zoom-fullscreen

# alt - s : yabai -m window --toggle
alt - s : yabai -m window --toggle sticky;\
          yabai -m window --toggle topmost;\
          yabai -m window --toggle pip

# toggle padding and gap
alt - g : yabai -m space --toggle padding; yabai -m space --toggle gap

# float / unfloat window and center on screen
alt - t : yabai -m window --toggle float;\
          yabai -m window --grid 4:4:1:1:2:2

# toggle window split type
alt - e : yabai -m window --toggle split

# balance size of windows
shift + alt - 0 : yabai -m space --balance

# move window and focus desktop
shift + alt - 1 : yabai -m window --space 1; yabai -m space --focus 1
shift + alt - 2 : yabai -m window --space 2; yabai -m space --focus 2
shift + alt - 3 : yabai -m window --space 3; yabai -m space --focus 3
shift + alt - 4 : yabai -m window --space 4; yabai -m space --focus 4
shift + alt - 5 : yabai -m window --space 5; yabai -m space --focus 5
shift + alt - 6 : yabai -m window --space 6; yabai -m space --focus 6
shift + alt - 7 : yabai -m window --space 7; yabai -m space --focus 7
shift + alt - 8 : yabai -m window --space 8; yabai -m space --focus 8
shift + alt - 9 : yabai -m window --space 9; yabai -m space --focus 9


# create desktop, move window and follow focus - uses jq for parsing json (brew install jq)
shift + alt - n : yabai -m space --create && \
                   index="$(yabai -m query --spaces --display | jq 'map(select(."native-fullscreen" == 0))[-1].index')" && \
                   yabai -m window --space "${index}" && \
                   yabai -m space --focus "${index}"

# fast focus desktop
alt - tab : yabai -m space --focus recent

# send window to monitor and follow focus
shift + alt - n : yabai -m window --display next; yabai -m display --focus next
shift + alt - p : yabai -m window --display previous; yabai -m display --focus previous

Resources

• yabai
• skhd
• My Dotfiles
• SpaceLauncher

Additional Links

• Homebrew
• Work in multiple spaces on Mac
• macos keyboard shortcuts for tmux
• My moonlander layout

Update: In macOS Ventura, it has been moved to a “Mission Control” dropdown in the keyboard shortcut section.