Does Swish save window layouts?
Swish moves and resizes the window under your cursor with trackpad gestures. It does not save a multi-app arrangement across Spaces and displays, relaunch apps or reopen browser tabs.
Alternative
A Swish alternative that brings back your whole layout, not one window.
Short answer: Swish snaps the window under your cursor with gestures and does not save the whole arrangement. SnapState saves the full setup, apps, windows on every Space, displays and browser tabs, and restores it in one click or automatically on wake and monitor connect. $9.99 one-time for up to three Macs, macOS 15.7 or later.
Where Swish falls short
Swish is great for moving one window at a time with a swipe or a pinch. It keeps no record of where all your windows were, so after sleep, a restart, a macOS update or plugging into a dock you start from a messy screen and swipe everything back by hand. It does not relaunch apps, put apps back on their Spaces, handle full screen windows or reopen browser tabs.
What SnapState does instead
SnapState is a native macOS menu bar app that saves named workspaces. Each one keeps the windows on every Space with position and size, the apps needed to relaunch them, the display layout, full screen windows, and open tabs in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and Chromium once Automation permission is granted. Restore from the menu bar, with Control-Command-1 to 6, or automatically on wake from sleep, when a monitor connects or disconnects, or when a matching display layout appears.
Swish vs SnapState at a glance
- Save a multi-app layout: SnapState yes, Swish no.
- Restore after sleep, restart or docking: SnapState restores automatically; with Swish you swipe each window again.
- Windows on every Space and full screen apps: SnapState puts them back; Swish acts on the window under the cursor.
- Browser tabs: SnapState reopens tabs in Safari and Chromium browsers; Swish does not.
- Price: SnapState is $9.99 once for up to three Macs, with a 14-day refund.
Keep Swish for gestures
The two run fine side by side. See also the Divvy alternative, the Rectangle alternative and the Magnet alternative.
Questions people ask
Can I use Swish and SnapState together?
Yes. Use Swish gestures to arrange windows while you work, then save the result as a SnapState workspace so it comes back after sleep, a restart or docking.
Why do my windows move after sleep or docking even with Swish?
macOS re-detects displays on wake and reconnect and often piles windows onto one screen. Swish has no saved workspace to put back, so you swipe each window into place again. SnapState can restore the saved workspace automatically on wake or when a monitor connects.
How much is SnapState?
$9.99 once for up to three Macs, no subscription. It needs macOS 15.7 or later.
Get SnapState for $9.99One-time purchase · up to three Macs · 14-day refund