Frequently asked questions

BetterStage is a native macOS workspace manager that combines named virtual desktops (called stages), per-monitor Window Modes — Enhanced Native (free) or TabStack (Pro) — and 16 snap zones in a single lightweight app. Unlike macOS Stage Manager, BetterStage stages span all your monitors simultaneously and switch instantly via keyboard shortcuts.

No. BetterStage works without any changes to System Integrity Protection (SIP). It uses the macOS Accessibility API to manage windows, which only requires granting Accessibility permission in System Settings. No SIP changes are needed for BetterStage.

Core window management requires Accessibility permission in macOS System Settings. This allows BetterStage to read window positions, move windows between stages, resize windows for tiling layouts, and manage window visibility during stage switches. Input Monitoring is not required. Screen Recording is optional and used only to draw live window previews in the Pro ⌘Tab Switcher; nothing is recorded, saved, or sent, and without it the switcher shows app icons. If you choose to run a Custom Action visibly in Terminal, macOS may separately ask for Automation permission for that action.

Yes. BetterStage stages span all your monitors at once. When you switch to Stage 1, every monitor shows its Stage 1 windows simultaneously. You can also pin specific monitors so they stay visible across all stages. Workspace Continuity automatically restores each display's stages and layouts after sleep, restart, docking, or reconnecting.

BetterStage requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. It is a 100% native app built with Swift and AppKit, designed to be lightweight on system resources.

Yes. The free tier includes 3 stages, snap zones, the Snap Wheel, keyboard shortcuts, Enhanced Native Mode, and full multi-monitor support. Free also includes Show in Stages, Move to Display, and Stages that work with macOS Spaces. Eligible Macs can start a 7-day free Pro trial, which unlocks all 9 stages, TabStack, the ⌘Tab Switcher, Saved Workspaces, AI Staging, and Pinned Displays. Previous trials do not reset.

BetterStage Pro is a one-time lifetime purchase with three device tiers: Pro · 1 Device ($19.99), Pro · 3 Devices ($39.99), and Pro · 5 Devices ($49.99). Every license includes all future updates — it's a one-time purchase with no Pro subscription and no recurring charges. The only optional subscription is BetterStage AI, the managed way to run AI Staging.

The free tier supports 3 stages. BetterStage Pro unlocks all 9 stages. Each stage is a named workspace (e.g., Dev, Design, Comms) that spans all your monitors and switches instantly with Opt+1 through Opt+9.

Yes. BetterStage has two primary per-monitor Window Modes: Enhanced Native, which is free for everyone, and Pro-only TabStack. TabStack tiles windows into resizable panes, stacks extras as tabs, and lets you split, join, swap, preserve empty panes, launch apps into panes, and move managed windows across displays without changing modes. BetterStage also includes 16 snap zones, including Center, plus the Snap Wheel.

AI Staging is a floating chat panel where you describe the workspace you want in plain language — @-mention specific apps, windows, stages, or monitors — and AI proposes a stage plan you can review, refine, apply, and undo in one step. You can save multiple Recipes for different workflows, switch between them, duplicate or rename them, and choose a default. You bring your own API key: BetterStage ships 25 provider presets including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM, including the local servers Ollama and LM Studio. It's a Pro feature included in the 7-day free trial. Prefer zero setup? BetterStage AI is a separate, optional managed option that runs the AI for you with no API key required.

BetterStage AI is the managed way to run AI Staging — we host the model, so there's no API key and no setup. Just describe the workspace you want and BetterStage arranges it. It's an optional subscription ($4.99/mo or $39/yr) covering up to 3 devices with 200 AI Staging Credits a month, and it comes with a free trial. It's separate from — and optional alongside — the one-time lifetime Pro license; if you'd rather bring your own API key, AI Staging works with any Pro license.

macOS Stage Manager centers the current app and keeps recent apps or groups in a side strip. BetterStage instead gives you 9 user-named stages that span and switch all monitors together, direct Opt+1-9 shortcuts, no persistent workspace strip, and per-monitor Window Modes such as TabStack.

Yes. BetterStage and Apple's built-in Stage Manager both manage which windows are visible, so running them together can cause confusing stage switches, hidden windows, or windows appearing in the wrong place. Before using BetterStage, open System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Stage Manager and turn macOS Stage Manager off. BetterStage's first-run setup includes a button that opens the Stage Manager settings pane for you.

Rectangle is a window snapping utility — it resizes and positions individual windows but doesn't manage workspaces. BetterStage includes 16 snap zones, including Center (comparable to Rectangle), plus named workspaces, TabStack’s automatic tiling and tabbed pane layouts, a radial Snap Wheel, and instant stage switching. It's a complete workspace manager, not just a snapping tool.

Yes. BetterStage is designed for keyboard-first workflows. You can switch stages with Opt+1 through Opt+9, send windows between stages, focus tiled windows directionally, move tiled windows around the grid, and optionally keep Cmd+` cycling scoped to the active stage only. Shortcut defaults come in Standard and European keyboard layout presets — European adds Control to the bindings that would otherwise type characters on Option-heavy layouts. The same actions can also use separate mouse and trackpad controls in Settings → Shortcuts.

Yes. In Settings → Shortcuts, each action can keep separate keyboard, mouse, and trackpad controls. Add multiple ways to run the same action, customize individual Stage shortcuts, and move an occupied control without losing the action’s other inputs.

Open Settings → Update & Support and set Update channel to Beta to receive upcoming releases early. Switch it back to Stable at any time. Changing the channel does not change whether BetterStage checks for or downloads updates automatically. You can also download a signed Beta from the Beta page.

Yes. In Settings → App Routing you can match the application, the window title, or both, then send matching windows to a Stage or to a Pinned Display, including that display’s TabStack. The first matching rule wins. A Pinned Display route stays independent of regular Stages: it does not switch your current workspace or create a new Stage. If no App Routing rule applies, new windows stay on the display where they open.

Yes. In Settings → Stages → Stages Bar you can optionally show a click-through Stages Bar indicator for about 1.5 seconds after switching Stages.

BetterStage switches stages without sliding animations. Press Opt+1 to switch the participating displays together; a pinned display stays on its chosen stage.

Yes. Eligible Macs can start a 7-day free trial of Pro — all 9 stages, TabStack, the ⌘Tab Switcher, Saved Workspaces, AI Staging, and Pinned Displays. Reinstalling or changing accounts does not reset a previous trial. No credit card is required; managed AI credits are separate. After the trial, you keep the free tier (3 stages, Enhanced Native Mode, snap zones, Snap Wheel, and keyboard shortcuts) or buy a lifetime Pro license.

Yes. Free users on eligible Macs can start a 15-minute Pro preview once every 24 hours. Choose Try Pro for 15 minutes when the offer appears for a Pro feature, then follow the countdown. The next preview becomes available 24 hours after the previous one started. This is separate from the 7-day trial and does not include paid AI credits. A Pro license gives you uninterrupted access.

Yes. Since 2.2, a Stage can include several macOS Desktops on every display, and each Desktop keeps its own layout within that Stage. Switch Stages to change your set of windows; switch Desktops to see another layout inside the same Stage. Many people simply use one Desktop per display with several Stages. Windows from your other Stages wait in private Spaces that macOS keeps out of sight, and you can keep using Mission Control as usual.

Only if you choose to. BetterStage Pro includes an optional ⌘Tab Switcher that lists your windows grouped by Stage, in Stages Bar order, with the active Stage marked. Pick a window on another Stage and BetterStage switches to that Stage and brings up that exact window, even a hidden TabStack tab or a minimized window. Keep holding ⌘ and type to search windows, apps, and Stages, or press ⌘⌥B to bring the selected window into the current Stage. You choose between it and macOS ⌘Tab during onboarding or in Settings → ⌘Tab Switcher; turning it off or quitting BetterStage gives you the macOS ⌘Tab back straight away.

Yes. Choose Show in Stages from the Snap Wheel, the menu bar, or the badge on a TabStack tab, then pick the Stages where the window should appear — or All Stages. Each Stage keeps its own position for that window, and BetterStage remembers the choice across restarts. It is still one window: closing it closes it everywhere.

Besides English, BetterStage 2.2 is translated into 18 languages, including German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. It follows your Mac’s language by default; choose another in Settings → General → Language. The first-run tour was rebuilt with interactive previews in every language.

Stages saved by 2.2 can’t be opened by earlier versions. If you reinstall 2.0.x, your Stages won’t load, so update to the latest version instead.

All your windows are restored automatically. BetterStage includes crash protection that brings every window back on its own if the app quits unexpectedly. If you uninstall, simply quit the app first and all windows return to their normal positions. No windows are ever permanently hidden.

Workspace Continuity keeps local checkpoints for recovery after restart, wake, and display changes. With automatic workspace recovery enabled, windows from disconnected displays become available on remaining displays and join their TabStack panes. When the display returns, its windows and layout come back automatically; if BetterStage needs confirmation, a nonblocking prompt offers Restore Workspace or Keep Current Layout.

Yes. Apps that use macOS native tabs — like Terminal.app, Ghostty, and others — work properly in TabStack. Their native tabs stay in their assigned pane, tab state is preserved across stage switches, and there are no phantom duplicate tabs. If an app still misbehaves, add it to Settings → App Exceptions → Float in Window Modes so it floats above the layout.

Yes. Open Settings → Window Modes to choose a Layout Style (Comfortable, Compact, or Custom) and adjust pane padding, pane opacity, tab bar padding, tab bar background, the tab width style, and the active tab color. Keep BetterStage’s neutral glass, or tint the selected tab with your macOS accent color. Compact tabs stay equal-width; Expanded tabs let the last tab stretch. A Reset button returns the visual controls to their defaults in one click. Since 2.2, TabStack tabs can sit on the top, bottom, left, or right edge of their panes, show titles or compact app icons, and auto-hide until you hover that edge.

Yes. Pick the Pro · 3 Devices or Pro · 5 Devices tier to run BetterStage on multiple Macs. Pro · 1 Device covers one Mac. The free tier works on any Mac without an account.

No. Each license key has its own independent device allowance, even when multiple keys belong to the same account. Limits do not stack or pool across keys, so activate each Mac with a key that still has an available slot.

Yes. Settings → General → Advanced → Settings Backup exports and imports preferences, shortcuts including Saved Workspace bindings, App Exceptions, window rules, display preferences, App Routing rules, AI Recipes, Snap Wheel configuration, and custom TabStack layouts. Credentials, Stages, Saved Workspaces, and Custom Actions stay on the device.

Custom Actions (Experimental, Pro) add Open Application, Open File, Run Shortcut, and Run Command items to Snap Wheel submenus. You can give them custom SF Symbol icons and organize them in user-created submenus. A visible Terminal command may ask for Automation permission.

Reflow as Grid reorganizes the current TabStack panes into a balanced grid. It is available from the Snap Wheel More Actions submenu or a shortcut. It is different from Retile Windows, which reconforms the existing pane tree without changing the overall arrangement.

Yes. Save Workspace and Load Workspace can be assigned keyboard, mouse, or trackpad shortcuts in Settings → Shortcuts. They have no defaults.