BETTERSTAGE

Tutorials / By Role & Use Case

Intermediate

Set Up a Developer Workspace on Mac

A good dev setup keeps your editor, terminal, browser, and docs each in the right place — and gets you back to coding after a context switch in one keystroke. This tutorial builds a developer workspace with stages for projects and auto-tiling for the windows inside each one.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Make a stage per project or context

    Create a stage for each project you switch between — e.g. App, API, and Infra — plus a Comms stage for Slack and Mail. Opt+1 through Opt+9 jump between them instantly, so switching projects doesn't mean digging through windows.

  2. 2

    Auto-tile the code monitor with Bento Box

    Set your main monitor to Bento Box mode. As you open your editor, terminal, and a browser, each one is placed into a non-overlapping grid automatically. Drag a divider to resize a tile, or drop one window onto another to swap their positions.

  3. 3

    Keep reference material in a tabbed pane

    For docs, API references, and Stack Overflow tabs, use a Tabbed Layout pane on a second monitor. Stack several reference windows in one slot and flip between them with tabs — they stay out of your editor's way.

  4. 4

    Set up a build/log layout you can return to

    Save the arrangement of terminal, logs, and editor as a preset so a fresh stage starts ready to work. Use Ctrl+Opt+T to retile after you've opened a burst of new windows.

  5. 5

    Send stray windows where they belong

    When a simulator, a preview window, or a one-off browser pops up on the wrong stage, Opt+Shift plus the stage number sends it to the right place without breaking your flow.

Tips

  • BetterStage disables the AX enhanced-UI animation that makes Chrome, Firefox, and Electron apps animate resizes — so snapping VS Code or a browser is instant.
  • Keep a dedicated Comms stage so Slack and Mail notifications never land on top of your editor.

Frequently asked questions

Does auto-tiling work with VS Code, terminals, and browsers?

Yes. Bento Box mode tiles any standard window, including Electron apps like VS Code, terminal emulators, and browsers. BetterStage suppresses the resize animation that some of these apps otherwise play.

Can each monitor use a different layout?

Yes. Window Modes are per-monitor — you can run Bento Box auto-tiling on your code screen and a Tabbed Layout for reference material on another, within the same stage.

Is this setup free?

Stages and snap zones are free (up to three stages). Bento Box auto-tiling and Tabbed Layouts are Pro features, with a 10-day free trial included.

Try it yourself

BetterStage is free for up to three stages with full snap zones, and includes a 10-day trial of every Pro feature — AI Staging, Bento Box auto-tiling, Tabbed Layouts, and Pinned Displays.

Download BetterStage

Related tutorials

Build an Auto-Tiling Coding Layout with Bento Box

Turn a monitor into an auto-tiling grid — every new window snaps into place.

Save and Reuse Window Layouts with Presets

Lock a monitor into reusable pane layouts with tabs — Split View, Focus + Stack, and more.

Organize Multiple Monitors into Focused Workspaces

Stages span every display, each monitor runs its own mode, and pinned screens stay put.