Halves
Swipe ←, →, ↑, or ↓ to snap a window to the left, right, top, or bottom half of the screen. The overlay confirms the target before you release.
01Gesture guide
Gridly gesture guide
Every gesture, explained step by step.
Gridly uses one gesture — a swipe on a window's title bar (two fingers on a trackpad, one finger on a Magic Mouse) — and the direction you swipe determines where the window goes. This guide covers every gesture, from the basics to advanced multi-window workflows.
The basics
All gestures start the same way: put the pointer on any window's title bar and swipe — two fingers on a trackpad, or one finger on a Magic Mouse. A coloured overlay follows, showing where the window will land. Release to place it.
Now playing: — · Click any gesture to play it alone; auto-rotate resumes after 8 s
The theme-coloured overlay follows your gesture. Release when it looks right, and the window glides into place. You can turn movement animation off in Settings.
Quarters
After placing a half, add a second direction. For example, ← then ↑ snaps the window to the top-left quarter. Any two-direction combination works — the window ends up in the corner between them.
Rotating through corners
Keep turning clockwise or anticlockwise. For example, ↑ → ↓ ← walks the window through all four corners in sequence. This is the fastest way to reposition a window without lifting your fingers.
Gestures
Every gesture at a glance
The complete map of Gridly gestures — each card shows the swipe path and where the window ends up.
↑
Top half
↓
Bottom half
←
Left half
→
Right half
← ←
Narrow to 1/12
← →
Widen from 1/12 to full
↑ ↑
Maximize
↓ ↓
Restore
↑ ←
Top-left ¼
or ← ↑
↑ →
Top-right ¼
or → ↑
↓ ←
Bottom-left ¼
or ← ↓
↓ →
Bottom-right ¼
or → ↓
↓ ↓ ↓
Minimize
↻
↑ → ↓ ←
Rotate through corners
Maximize, restore, and minimize
Maximize
Swipe ↑ twice in a row to maximize the window to fill the screen (respecting the menu bar and Dock).
Restore
Swipe ↓ twice to restore a maximised window to its previous size and position, or to centre a window that is already restored.
Minimize
Swipe ↓ three times in a row to minimize the window into the Dock.
Multi-window workflows
After you place one window, Gridly can help you arrange the rest. These features are off by default — enable them in Settings.
1/2
Pick a window for this spot
Click a scene or a colour to explore. While the countdown runs, press Esc — or click the esc key — to undo the move.
12-column width
Swipe ← to place the window on the left half. Keep swiping ← and it jumps to 1/12; swipe → to grow one column at a time (7/12, 8/12…). The same 12 columns work at half height once you are in a corner.
Auto-fill
Place one window, and Gridly fills the remaining space with recently used windows. Each one glides into position in sequence. If you do not like the result, press Esc within 5 seconds to undo everything.
Let me pick
After placing one window, Gridly shows a list of your open windows. Choose one for each remaining position. Hovering a candidate dims the rest of the screen so you can see exactly which window it is. Press Esc to step back one choice.
Undo
Press Esc within 5 seconds of any gesture to put every window Gridly just moved back where it was. The countdown appears as a ring around the Esc key on screen. When you are in the middle of a multi-window pick, Esc steps back one position at a time.
Useful settings
- Adjustable width: turn left–right width steps on or off in Settings. When on, title-bar swipes step across a 12-column grid.
- Movement animation: toggle the glide animation on or off. Gridly respects the macOS Reduce Motion setting.
- Theme: switch between Gridly orange, graphite, blue, green, and purple. The interface, overlay, and app icon all follow your choice.
- Multi-window mode: enable auto-fill or let-me-pick after the first window is placed. Off by default.
Gridly vs macOS split screen and Stage Manager
macOS ships with its own ways to arrange windows — Split View, full screen, and Stage Manager. They work, but each carries a small chore. Here is how they compare to a title-bar swipe.
Split View
Two apps side by side with a precise divider. Useful, but entering and exiting it is a multi-step dance, and it does not handle a third window or fine-grained widths.
Full screen
One app at a time, with a Mission Control trip to switch. Great for focus, but it hides everything else instead of arranging it.
Stage Manager
Groups windows and brings them to the foreground, but it does not place windows into halves or quarters. You still drag — and dragging a window across the screen is exactly what Gridly removes.
Gridly
The window you are already touching is the only input. One two-finger swipe places it, a second refines it, Esc undoes it. The built-in tools handle one or two windows well; Gridly handles every window on a display the same way.
Frequently asked
Do I need to enable Accessibility for Gridly?
Yes, once. macOS only lets apps with Accessibility permission read and move other apps' windows, so Gridly needs that permission to work. Grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, and Gridly does the rest. Without it, the menu bar shows 'not authorized' and gestures do nothing.
Will Gridly conflict with my existing shortcuts?
No. Gridly registers no global shortcuts and only watches title-bar swipes — two fingers on a trackpad, or one finger on a Magic Mouse — which is a different path from macOS scroll gestures or app-specific shortcuts. It coexists with shortcut-based window managers.
Can I undo a mistake after I release my fingers?
Yes — press Esc within five seconds and every window Gridly just moved returns to where it was, including filled or minimized windows. In the middle of a multi-window pick, Esc steps back one position at a time.
Which Macs does Gridly run on?
Gridly is a universal binary that runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and it requires macOS 14.0 or later. A single purchase covers the Mac you activate it on, and every future update is included.