macOS 27 windows still move after sleep.

The fix: save your desk as a SnapState workspace and arm its wake trigger. Every time the Mac wakes, SnapState moves each window back to its saved display, position, and size. macOS 27 remembers where your monitors go. It still does not reliably remember where every window goes.

What did macOS 27 change for external monitors?

Apple says macOS 27 Golden Gate preserves display arrangements across connections. In practice that means the order and position of your monitors in System Settings > Displays should come back as you left them when you plug in again. It also adds native ultrawide support, which helps if you run a wide single-monitor layout.

That is a real improvement, but it covers the screens, not the windows on them. Your browser, editor, and chat windows are a separate thing, and they can still end up somewhere else after a wake.

Why do windows still move after wake on macOS 27?

• The monitor wakes slower than the Mac. Apple silicon Macs wake almost instantly. Many monitors take a few seconds. In that gap macOS sees no external display and moves its windows to a screen that is still there.
• Deep sleep looks like an unplug. Some monitors drop the connection entirely while asleep. To the Mac that is the same as unplugging the cable.
• The arrangement comes back, the windows do not. When the monitor reappears, macOS can restore the display arrangement while leaving the windows where it moved them.

If your windows land on the wrong side because the arrangement itself flipped, see windows jump when the display arrangement changes. For the general version of this problem on any macOS release, see Mac windows move to one screen after sleep.

What free fixes should you try first?

• Tame the monitor power saving. Look in the monitor on-screen menu for deep sleep, eco, or automatic input detection settings. Names vary by model. Turning them off keeps some monitors connected during sleep.
• Connect directly. Hubs, docks, and adapters can make a monitor slower to reappear. Try a direct cable to see if it changes anything.
• Check Displays after the update.In System Settings > Displays, confirm the arrangement matches your desk and the main display is the one you expect.
• Try Stay. Stay by Cordless Dog has been free since version 1.5.1 and restores window positions per display setup. See SnapState vs Stay for how they differ.

How do you make SnapState restore windows on every wake?

1. Set up the desk you want back. With every monitor awake and connected, put each window on the display, position, and size you want after every wake.
2. Save it as a named workspace. Capture the setup from the SnapState menu bar app and name it, for example Desk. It records window positions and sizes, the apps to relaunch, the display layout, and the active tab in supported browsers.
3. Arm the wake trigger. Turn on the wake from sleep trigger for that workspace. If a monitor is slow to come back, also arm the monitor connect or matching display layout trigger so the restore runs once the display has returned.
4. Pick how much it restores. Choose Full to put windows back and relaunch missing apps, Layout Only to just move the windows that are already open, or Launch Only to open the apps without moving anything.
5. Keep a shortcut as a backup. If a window still lands in the wrong place, choose the workspace from the menu bar or press its Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcut.

SnapState is a native macOS menu bar app. If a monitor is still missing when the Mac wakes, saved window frames are remapped onto the displays you have, and the monitor connect trigger puts things right once it returns. You can also restore any saved desk with one shortcut.

What are the practical details?

SnapState costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase, with a lifetime license for up to three Macs and a 14-day refund. Version 2.5.2 requires macOS 15.7 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and ships as a signed, notarized DMG. It needs Accessibility permission to move windows, and Automation permission if you want browser tabs reopened. Workspace data stays local on your Mac.

What are the honest limits?

SnapState restores only the visible windows on the current desktop, so it does not save or restore macOS Spaces. Firefox is not supported, and only the active tab URL per supported browser window is restored, not full tab sets. It does not rearrange menu bar icons, it is not a tiling window manager, and it requires macOS 15.7 or later.

What else should you know?