Monitor unplugged guide
Unplugging a monitor on a Mac usually piles that display's windows onto the remaining screen, and reconnecting often does not put them back. macOS keeps the windows reachable, but it has no built-in command to restore the previous arrangement. SnapState can save that layout and restore it when the monitor reconnects, or from a shortcut.
Short version: macOS moves windows off a disconnected display to keep them visible, then usually leaves them there. SnapState remembers the docked and laptop-only arrangements so you can put either one back in a click.
macOS moves windows from a disconnected display onto a display that is still available. That behavior tends to keep every window on screen, which is useful in the moment. When the external monitor reconnects, however, macOS does not reliably send each window back to its earlier display and position, so the layout can remain bunched on the laptop screen or split across displays in an order you did not choose. If the monitor is already connected and the windows jumped because System Settings shows a different arrangement, see Mac windows jump when the display arrangement changes.
If you prefer not to add an app, the built-in path is manual. After reconnecting, drag windows back to the external display one by one. Some apps also offer Window menu items for moving a window to a particular display, so check the Window menu in the apps you use. Mission Control can help you spot windows that ended up hidden behind each other on the crowded laptop screen.
That routine works, but it repeats every time you dock and undock. If you move between a desk and a laptop-only setup often, a saved snapshot removes the repetition.
SnapState is a native macOS menu bar app. Each workspace captures the windows on every Space with position and size, the apps needed to relaunch them, the monitor and display layout, and all open tabs of each window in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Chromium once Automation permission is granted. Restoring launches missing apps, remaps saved window frames onto the displays you have now, and reopens the saved tabs in each supported browser window.
The simplest setup is two workspaces with opposite triggers. Arm the docked workspace for monitor connect or for when a matching display layout appears, and arm the laptop-only workspace for monitor disconnect. If the Mac wakes from sleep into a different display situation, the wake trigger can run the matching workspace too. For days when you want control, skip the triggers and restore from the menu bar or with global Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcuts.
SnapState needs Accessibility permission to read window positions and move windows back into place. Workspace data stays local on your Mac as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/SnapState/. Version 2.7.1 requires macOS 15.7 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and ships as a signed, notarized DMG rather than through the Mac App Store.
SnapState restores layouts across multiple Spaces (each Space is restored when you switch to it). It restores tabs only from supported browsers, and there is no Firefox support. It is not a tiling or snapping window manager: it recalls an arrangement you already made rather than arranging windows into grids as you work.
When a display disconnects, macOS generally moves windows from that display onto a remaining display so they stay reachable. When the monitor reconnects, macOS does not reliably move every window back to where it was, so windows can stay stacked on the laptop screen until you move them again.
With built-in tools you can drag windows back to the reconnected display by hand, use Window menu items such as Move to a display in apps that offer them, and use Mission Control to find and organise windows that ended up stacked together.
SnapState saves each named workspace with window positions and sizes, the apps needed to relaunch them, the monitor and display layout, and all open tabs of each window in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Chromium after Automation permission is granted. A workspace can restore automatically when a monitor connects or disconnects, when a matching display layout appears, or on wake from sleep, and saved frames are remapped onto the current displays when the setup differs.
Yes. Save one workspace while docked and a second workspace for laptop-only use, then restore from the menu bar or with global Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcuts, or arm each workspace for the matching connect, disconnect, matching-layout, or wake trigger.
SnapState restores layouts across multiple Spaces (each Space is restored when you switch to it). Firefox is not supported, and SnapState is not a tiling or snapping window manager.
The same display-disconnect behavior shows up when windows move to one screen after sleep, when you close a MacBook lid for clamshell mode, and when you switch a monitor input. An ultrawide layout breaks the same way. If you only need per-display positions, compare Stay. If you also snap windows, see Moom. If the monitors are already connected and a window still opens on the wrong screen, see Mac windows open on the wrong screen.