Do Mac Spaces survive a restart?

Partly. macOS usually keeps the number of Spaces you had and any app you assigned to a desktop, but it does not reliably reopen each window on the Space it was on. After a restart, apps often pile onto the first desktop, and full screen apps come back as normal windows or not at all.

What does macOS keep after a restart?

Your Spaces themselves usually come back, and so do app assignments you set by right-clicking an app in the Dock and choosing Options, then This Desktop. Reopen windows when logging back in relaunches the apps. What is not kept is a reliable record of which window was on which desktop, its exact frame, or whether it was in full screen. See Mac windows reset after restart.

What free fixes help?

• Assign apps to desktops. In the Dock, right-click an app, choose Options, then pick This Desktop or Desktop on Display. The app opens on that Space next time. It works per app, not per window.
• Turn off automatic rearranging. In System Settings, Desktop & Dock, turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use, so your desktops stay in order.
• Keep the restart checkbox on. Leave Reopen windows when logging back in checked when you restart.

How do you restore a multi-Space setup after a restart?

SnapState is a Mac menu bar app that saves a named workspace: every window with its display, position and size, the apps to relaunch, the Space each app was on, full screen windows, and all open tabs in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and Chromium. You restore it from the menu bar, with a Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcut, or automatically on wake, when a monitor connects or disconnects, or when a matching display layout appears.

Before you restart, set up every desktop the way you like it and save it as one workspace. After you log in, pick it from the menu bar or press its shortcut. SnapState relaunches the apps, moves each one to the Space it was on, puts windows back at their saved position and size, and returns full screen apps to full screen. Workspaces saved in older versions need one re-save to pick up Spaces. For more on desktops see restore windows on multiple Spaces and Mission Control Spaces layout reset.

Restart, then one click: apps back on their Spaces. The 40 second demo shows a workspace saved from the SnapState menu bar and restored with one click: apps relaunch and windows go back to their saved displays, positions and sizes.

What are the practical details?

SnapState 2.7.2 costs $9.99 once, with a license for up to three Macs and a 14-day refund. It needs macOS 15.7 or later and runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel. It needs Accessibility permission to move windows, and Automation permission if you want browser tabs reopened. Workspace data stays on your Mac. Workspaces saved in older versions need one re-save to pick up Spaces and full screen. See SnapState.

What are the honest limits?

SnapState is not a tiling or snapping tool. It does not save browser tab groups, history or form data, Firefox is not supported, and it does not change the display arrangement, main display, menu bar or Dock. It restores app windows.

Frequently asked questions