Make macOS remember window positions on an external monitor.

macOS remembers how your displays are arranged, but it does not keep a saved spot for every window. When an external monitor disconnects, even for a second during sleep, macOS moves its windows to a screen that is still there and does not always move them back. The reliable fix is to save one layout per display setup and restore it when that setup returns.

What does macOS remember by itself?

macOS stores the arrangement of your displays, so the monitor usually comes back on the correct side. Windows return to an external monitor only if the display never fully disconnected. If the monitor drops off, macOS treats it like an unplug and moves the windows. See why Mac windows move after sleep and restore windows after unplugging a monitor.

Save a desk once, restore it when the monitor returns. 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.

Which free settings help?

• Monitor power saving. Look in the monitor on-screen menu for deep sleep, eco or automatic input detection. Names vary by model. Turning them off keeps some monitors connected during sleep.
• Main display. In System Settings, Displays, Arrange, check which screen is the main display. New windows tend to open there.
• Separate Spaces. In System Settings, Desktop & Dock, the Displays have separate Spaces option changes how windows and Spaces behave across monitors. Try it both ways to see which keeps your windows steadier.
• Wait before you unlock. Give the monitor a few seconds to wake before you log in, so the Mac sees it when it restores windows.

Can you save a different layout for home and office?

macOS has no built-in way to do it. With SnapState you save one workspace per setup, for example Desk with the external monitor and Laptop for the built-in screen alone, and give each a shortcut. See MacBook windows rearrange when you dock.

How do you restore the layout automatically when the monitor connects?

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.

Arm the monitor connect or matching display layout trigger on your Desk workspace. When the monitor comes back, SnapState puts each window back on it. It does not stop macOS from moving windows in the first place; it puts them back afterwards. For the newest release, see macOS 27 windows move after sleep.

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