Simple WindowSets alternative for modern macOS.

Simple WindowSets saved and restored sets of Finder windows from the menu bar, including arranged windows, view options, and shortcuts for each set. Its last listed release is 3.8 from 2014, so it is not a current macOS window manager. SnapState is a paid alternative that saves visible windows from any apps, relaunches those apps, and restores all open tabs in supported browsers. It does not recreate old Finder view options.

Why do people look for a Simple WindowSets replacement?

The last listed release of Simple WindowSets is 3.8, whose release notes say it was updated for Mac OS 10.10. That version dates from 2014, and no newer release is listed, so it appears to no longer be actively developed. That does not make it a bad app, but it does mean there is no maintained option listed for current macOS releases, current display hardware, or current browsers.

Most Mac work has also moved beyond the Finder. Editors, browsers, terminals, notes, and calls now share the desktop, so a snapshot that only remembers Finder windows leaves most of the layout behind.

What does SnapState carry forward?

SnapState is a native macOS menu bar app with the same menu-bar-first habit: arrange your work, capture it under a name, and call it back later. The scope is wider. Each named workspace keeps 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.

Restore happens from the menu bar, with global Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcuts, or automatically when a monitor connects or disconnects, when a matching display layout appears, or on wake from sleep. When the display setup differs, saved window frames are remapped onto the current displays instead of landing off-screen.

How does SnapState compare with Simple WindowSets?

Both apps live in the menu bar and use keyboard shortcuts. The main difference is scope and maintenance for current systems.

The last listed Simple WindowSets release is 3.8 from 2014, updated for OS X 10.10. SnapState version 2.7.1 requires macOS 15.7 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and ships as a signed, notarized DMG.

What are the practical details?

SnapState costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase through Lemon Squeezy, with a lifetime license for up to three Macs and a 14-day refund. It needs Accessibility permission to read and move windows. Workspace data stays local on your Mac as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/SnapState/.

What are the limits before you buy?

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 covers every app, not only Finder windows.

What else should you know?

What should you use on a current Mac?

For window positions across display changes, compare Stay. For tiling plus layouts, see Moom. For snapping the front window without saving a workspace, see Rectangle, Magnet, and Raycast.