Window organizer

Group Mac windows by task, not by app.

WindowShelf lets you create named shelves that hold windows from any app. Instead of searching through an app-centric window list, you organize by what you're working on — and switch at the task level.

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WindowShelf screenshot showing sidebar with named shelves and organized windows
Shelves hold windows from different apps, grouped by what you're actually doing.
01

Named shelves for real tasks

Create shelves like "Client A", "Deep Work", or "Comms" and drag windows from any app into them. Names, order, and collapse states persist across relaunches.

02

Drag windows across apps

Move a browser tab reference to the same shelf as your editor and terminal. Cross-app grouping maps your workspace to your workflow, not to Finder logic.

03

Keep your structure through restarts

Shelf assignments are tied to window signatures. Reopen the same document, and it can return to its shelf automatically — reducing daily rebuild effort.

WindowShelf settings for sidebar and shelf configuration WindowShelf settings for display and typography WindowShelf settings for behavior and auto-hide WindowShelf settings for updates and extra preferences

What problem this page solves

macOS groups windows by application. If your task spans Safari, VS Code, Slack, and Preview, macOS gives you four separate groups. This page is about overriding that default.

  • Group client windows — keep each client's browser, editor, and chat windows on one shelf
  • Separate deep work from comms — collapse a "Comms" shelf to focus on code, then expand it later
  • Collapse what you don't need — shelves collapse, hide, and reorder to fit the current phase of work
  • Restore focus faster — tap a shelf item to bring it forward, or use "Show Only" to isolate an entire group
Stop losing context. Structure your windows around projects, not application bundles.

Questions & answers

Can I name and reorder shelves?

Yes. Shelves can be renamed, reordered via drag, collapsed, and hidden. They persist across relaunches.

How is this different from tiling?

Tiling controls window position and size. Organizing controls grouping, naming, and visibility. WindowShelf offers both — see the tiling page for that angle.

Does organizing work alongside window switching?

Yes. The sidebar supports both — you can organize windows into shelves and switch between them from the same view. See the window switcher page for details.

Ready to organize?

Download WindowShelf and start grouping windows by task.

Download WindowShelf100% Free · v1.0.130