# Universal Display Magnet

> Universal Display Magnet is a native macOS app that snaps your monitors together and keeps them that way. Drag displays and they snap flush, the arrangement comes back on every reconnect and wake, Universal Control is arranged properly across multiple Macs, workspaces bring every window back to its monitor and Desktop, windows snap to halves and quarters from the keyboard, and Scrolling Windows lays them out side by side on a strip that scrolls, with stacks, tabs and grid tiling. Sync between your Macs runs directly over the local network: no account, no cloud, no analytics.

Universal Display Magnet 0.4.1 runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel (one universal download). It is sold and downloaded through Polar: https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_Eun4k8w0lqOhFoU3xI4NvwdweeUAlVw0lkte145VZ95. It is made by Clever Mechanisms (https://clevermechanisms.dev), an independent studio, and is not affiliated with Apple. Support: support@clevermechanisms.dev.

Key facts:
- Display arrangement editor where displays snap flush and align edges and centers
- Live Apply with a 15-second keep or revert countdown
- One-click Snap Displays Together
- Arrangements remembered per set of monitors and re-applied on reconnect and wake
- Universal Control arrangement across multiple Macs, applied live with an undo
- Workspaces that restore every app's windows to their monitor, Desktop and full-screen Space
- Automatic window snapshots restored when a monitor setup reconnects or the Mac wakes
- Keyboard window snapping: halves, quarters, next display, maximize, center, restore and custom sizes
- Sync between your Macs over Wi-Fi, Ethernet or Thunderbolt, encrypted, with no cloud
- Wake your other Macs, Universal Control activity and reset
- Menu bar panel and Dock menu
- Scrolling Windows (optional): every window a column on a strip that scrolls, one strip per display
- Preset and nudged column widths, full width and centering
- Stacks in both directions and tabbed columns with a clickable tab bar
- Grid tiling, per display
- Strip overview to jump to and reorder columns
- Trackpad swipes that follow your fingers and settle on a column
- Focus border, dimmed inactive windows, gaps and a Dock-aware layout
- 18 languages
- Price: $9.99 (USD), a one-time purchase with tax added at checkout where it applies; one license covers three Macs.
- No account to create, no cloud service, no analytics in the app. Sync between Macs is direct and encrypted. The app also checks its license key with Polar, and once a day reads the latest version number from this site (/version), which can be turned off.
- Scrolling Windows is optional and off by default; window snapping and automatic window snapshots pause while it's on.
- Every feature is verified on macOS 14 to 27, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Every page has a Markdown version: add `.md` to its path (/support → /support.md, the home page is /index.md), or request the page's own URL with `Accept: text/markdown`.

## Docs

- [Overview](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/index.md): what Universal Display Magnet does, every feature, privacy and FAQ
- [Download and install](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/download.md): latest version, install steps, requirements
- [Features](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features.md): every feature, each with its own page and a live demo
- [Compare](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/compare.md): which tool for which job, paid alternatives with prices, and a side-by-side table with macOS, ChainYourMac, display-align, SnapBack, displayplacer and Magnet
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/shortcuts.md): every shortcut for window snapping, workspaces, displays and Scrolling Windows
- [Support](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support.md): getting started, multiple Macs, troubleshooting
- [Privacy policy](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/privacy.md): what is stored locally and the only connections made
- [Changelog](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/changelog.md): every release and what changed
- [Guides](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides.md): Mac display, window-layout and Universal Control problems, solved step by step

## Feature pages

- [Display arrangement](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/display-arrangement.md): Drag your Mac's displays in a visual editor and they snap flush, edges and centers lined up. The arrangement comes back on every reconnect and wake.
- [Universal Control](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/universal-control.md): See every Mac's displays where Universal Control has them, and drag another Mac's screens until they snap flush across your Macs.
- [Window snapping](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/window-snapping.md): Snap the front window to halves, quarters, the next display, maximize or center from the keyboard, the menu bar or by dragging it to an edge.
- [Workspaces](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/workspaces.md): Save every app's windows with their monitor, Desktop and full-screen Space, and restore them all with a click or a shortcut.
- [Scrolling Windows](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/scrolling-windows.md): Every window becomes a column on a strip that runs past the edges of the screen, and new windows slide in without squeezing the rest.
- [Column widths](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/column-widths.md): Cycle a column through preset widths, nudge it wider or narrower, make it full width or center it on screen.
- [Stacks](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/stacks.md): Stack a window into the column on its left or right, reorder it, change its height, and pop it back out on either side.
- [Tabbed columns](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/tabbed-columns.md): Turn a stack into tabs when each window deserves the full height. A clickable tab bar shows what's in the column.
- [Grid tiling](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/grid-tiling.md): Switch a display from the strip to a grid, and every window you open divides the screen into smaller pieces.
- [Strip overview](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/strip-overview.md): Hold ⌃⌥ to see the whole strip. Click a column to jump there, or drag it to reorder the strip.
- [Scrolling on several displays](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/multiple-displays.md): In Scrolling Windows, each display keeps its own strip or grid. Send windows to the next display, and switch Scrolling Windows off for any display.
- [Trackpad swipe](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/trackpad-swipe.md): Swipe with three or four fingers and the strip moves with your fingers, then settles on the nearest column.
- [Focus, gaps and the Dock](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/focus-and-gaps.md): A border marks the focused window, inactive windows can dim, gaps go from none to generous, and windows make room for the Dock.
- [Floating windows and app rules](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/floating-windows.md): Take a window out of the strip so it floats above the columns, and set rules that float an app's windows or pick their first column.

## Guides

- [Monitor arrangement keeps changing](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/mac-monitor-arrangement-keeps-changing.md): Why macOS moves your displays around after sleep or a reconnect, what to check first, and how to keep the arrangement.
- [Windows move after sleep](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/mac-windows-move-after-sleep.md): Why your windows end up on the wrong screen after sleep or a reconnect, the free checks to try, and how to put them back.
- [Universal Control not working](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/universal-control-not-working.md): A step-by-step check for Universal Control that won't link, keeps disconnecting or sends the pointer across at the wrong edge.
- [Universal Control between Macs](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/universal-control-two-macs.md): Set up one keyboard and pointer across your Macs, and line up their displays so the pointer crosses where you expect.
- [Split screen on Mac](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/mac-split-screen.md): Put two windows side by side with Split View or macOS window tiling, and know when thirds or an app are worth it.
- [Scrolling vs tiling window managers](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/guides/scrolling-vs-tiling-window-managers.md): Snapping, fixed tiling and scrolling compared with the same four windows, and the Mac tools for each.

## Comparisons

- [Universal Display Magnet vs Magnet](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/compare/magnet.md): Two unrelated Mac apps with the same snapping shortcuts: when Magnet is enough, and when you also need tools for displays and workspaces.
- [Universal Display Magnet vs Rectangle](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/compare/rectangle.md): Free Rectangle, paid Rectangle Pro and Universal Display Magnet: which one fits snapping, app layouts, display arrangement or several Macs.
- [Universal Display Magnet vs Moom](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/compare/moom.md): Both save window layouts. Moom is built around custom window actions; Universal Display Magnet around your displays and all your Macs.
- [Universal Display Magnet vs ChainYourMac](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/compare/chainyourmac.md): A dedicated scrolling window manager, or one app for your displays, workspaces, Universal Control and a scrolling strip: who should choose which.

## Help

- [Getting started](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support/getting-started.md): From your Polar purchase to an activated app, the right permissions and a first saved layout.
- [Compatibility](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support/compatibility.md): Which Macs and macOS versions each feature is verified on, and what it depends on.
- [License and updates](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/support/license-and-updates.md): What you pay, where your purchase lives, how to move your license to a new Mac and how updates arrive.
- [Mac sync](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/features/mac-sync.md): Display arrangements, workspaces and each Mac's displays, synced directly between your Macs with no cloud.

## Languages

The app and this website are available in 18 languages. English is at the root and the others under a prefix, each with its own Markdown versions: https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/de/support.md is the German support page.

- [English (en)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/
- [Čeština (cs)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/cs/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/cs
- [Deutsch (de)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/de/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/de
- [Español (es)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/es/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/es
- [Français (fr)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/fr/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/fr
- [Italiano (it)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/it/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/it
- [Magyar (hu)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/hu/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/hu
- [Nederlands (nl)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/nl/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/nl
- [Polski (pl)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/pl/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/pl
- [Português (Brasil) (pt-BR)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/pt-br/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/pt-br
- [Svenska (sv)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/sv/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/sv
- [Türkçe (tr)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/tr/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/tr
- [Русский (ru)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ru/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ru
- [Українська (uk)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/uk/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/uk
- [日本語 (ja)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ja/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ja
- [한국어 (ko)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ko/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/ko
- [简体中文 (zh-Hans)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/zh-hans/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/zh-hans
- [繁體中文 (zh-Hant)](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/zh-hant/index.md): https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/zh-hant

## Optional

- [Everything in one file](https://universaldisplaymagnet.app/llms-full.txt): all English pages above concatenated
- [Clever Mechanisms](https://clevermechanisms.dev): the studio that makes Universal Display Magnet