Window Modes

TabStack

TabStack is BetterStage's managed Window Mode. Each display can have a resizable pane tree, and each pane can hold one window or a stack of windows you switch between with tabs.

Pane actions and app launching

Click a pane's + button or right-click inside the pane and choose Launch App Here. BetterStage opens a new window in that pane when the app supports it, and otherwise moves a suitable existing app window into the pane. Pane menus also provide split, remove, Zoom Pane, and Restore Panes actions.

Tab, zoom, and app lifecycle

• When you close, move, or float the selected tab, BetterStage returns to the most recently used remaining tab in that pane.
• Closing a non-selected tab removes it from the tab bar immediately.
• Right-click a tab to quit its app. Hold Option to show Relaunch App; the normal quit respects unsaved-work prompts.
• Switching between tabs in the same zoomed pane keeps the pane zoomed. Selecting a tab in another pane restores the full layout first.

Apps with native tabs

Native tabs from apps such as Terminal, Ghostty, Finder, Preview, and Skim stay inside their assigned pane: each app's tab group is one TabStack tab, switching its tabs doesn't move it to another pane, and tab state remains intact when you return. Closing Electron windows also removes stale tabs promptly before the remaining layout reflows.

A window of an app assigned to every Desktop (Dock › Options › Assign To › All Desktops) floats above TabStack panes instead of joining one. You can still snap it with shortcuts and the Snap Wheel. If you drag it onto a pane, BetterStage explains why; to tile the app, choose Assign To › None in its Dock menu.

Start with TabStack

Panes and tabs

Choose where new windows go

In Settings > Window Modes > Modes & Behavior, choose Automatic, Active Pane, Adjacent Pane, or Own Pane. Adjacent Pane also lets you choose left, right, above, or below. App Routing, workspace restore, Launch App Here, and native-tab identity keep precedence over this general new-window rule.

Handle unusual app windows

Some apps use custom windows or floating tool panels that automatic detection may not handle as expected. Open the Snap Wheel on the window and choose Window Behavior: Automatic follows detection and applicable rules, Manage in Layout requests pane management, and Keep Floating leaves the window outside panes while keeping its Stage. Create a window rule to remember the choice for similar windows in that app, optionally matching a window title. Review the matches before saving. Manage rules in Settings > Window Modes > Modes & Behavior. Follow the window behavior guide.

Choose the tab bar's position and behavior

In Settings > Window Modes > Appearance, the Tab Bar section moves the bar to Top, Bottom, Left, or Right. Left and Right stack tabs vertically: choose Icon and title rows with a configurable Tab bar width, or Icons only for a compact rail of square icon buttons where hovering a tab shows its title and app name beside the rail. Icons stay visible on hover; click to select a window, drag to move it, or right-click to close it. Vertical rows keep their size and scroll when a pane holds more tabs than fit. Auto-hide keeps windows full-pane with no gutter. A small edge handle past the title-bar controls shows which panes have tabs. Move the pointer to that edge of a window to reveal an opaque tab bar that slides in from that side. Native window-resize corners stay usable, divider resizing keeps priority, and moving over the rest of the window does not trigger the bar. Turning Auto-hide off shows the classic reserved bar immediately.

Configure Split and Swap

In Settings > Window Modes > Modes & Behavior, adjust Split drop zone size from 0–40%. The preview shows the edge zones; 0% disables Split. Turn Enable Swap drop zone off to disable the regular Swap target. Holding Option while dragging still lets you swap. Tab bars remain Join targets. Follow the drop-zone guide.

Layout Styles

Open Settings > Window Modes > Appearance to choose a starting style. Any manual pane, tab-bar, screen-padding, or pane-gap change switches the selection to Custom. The selected tab can use BetterStage's neutral glass or your macOS accent color. Tab Appearance also lets you adjust tab height and vertical tab-bar width together, plus active and inactive text colors and empty-pane close button visibility. Automatic text colors adapt for contrast; Reset to Defaults restores this section.

Resize adjacent panes

Dragging a divider changes only the panes immediately beside that divider. Separate rows and columns can keep independent divider positions. You can drag the divider handle or a managed window's thin outer border; only the neighboring panes linked to that boundary change. Dropping a window onto a pane edge inserts it as a new left, right, top, or bottom neighbor. Resize Interaction under Settings > Window Modes > Modes & Behavior controls the visible handle width and whether BetterStage shows ghost-frame previews or resizes the real windows live.

Save and reuse layouts

Built-in and custom layouts store pane geometry without binding the layout to particular windows. Manage them in Settings > Window Modes > Preset Layouts, then use them as the default or apply them from the Snap Wheel.