Mac windows get smaller after sleep.

When a monitor wakes, it can reconnect for a moment at a different or lower resolution before it settles. macOS fits your windows to that smaller screen, and when the full resolution comes back the windows stay small. The fix is to stop the monitor from dropping off, or to restore the saved sizes on wake.

Why do windows shrink after sleep?

While the Mac wakes, the external display can briefly report a different resolution or scaled mode, or disappear entirely. macOS resizes windows so they fit what it sees. When the monitor finishes waking, macOS does not resize them back. For windows that also move, see why Mac windows move after sleep and windows jump to one screen after sleep.

What free fixes should you try first?

• Test the default resolution. In System Settings, Displays, try the default resolution instead of a scaled option and see if the shrinking stops.
• Turn off monitor power saving. Deep sleep, eco or auto input detection settings in the monitor menu can make it drop the connection.
• Keep the Mac from sleeping when the display is off. On a desktop Mac or a plugged-in laptop, the Energy or Battery settings can prevent automatic sleep when the display turns off.
• Wake the monitor before you unlock. Give it a few seconds so the Mac sees the full resolution.
• Try another cable. Some people see fewer problems over DisplayPort or USB-C than HDMI. It depends on the monitor.

Windows back at their saved size after wake. 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.

How does SnapState restore window sizes on wake?

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.

A workspace stores each window's frame, which is its size and its position. With the wake trigger armed, SnapState puts the saved frames back after the Mac wakes. It cannot stop the resolution glitch itself, and an app that enforces its own window size may resize again. If apps come back small after a restart instead, see Mac apps reopen smaller or in the wrong spot.

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