One year
$10 one-time
Every update released in the next 12 months.
- Activates one Mac. Move it any time.
- Keep the versions you got, forever.
- Renew later only if you want newer releases.
Ordinary Space
Window tiling for macOS, without the reshuffling.
You lay out workareas on your native desktop, apps open in the one you're working in, and a keystroke moves them between workareas or across monitors.
Download for macOS
Built for macOS Tahoe · 7-day free trial, no credit card
- Works with the native macOS desktop
- Works with multiple monitors
See Ordinary Space in action.
Windows, in their place
Launch Ordinary Space and the windows you already have open snap into a workarea, sized to fit. Each workarea holds its own stack of apps. Open something new and it lands in the workarea you're working in, not wherever macOS feels like putting it.
Draw the desk you want
Switch into edit mode and split, merge, or drag the edges of your workareas: two side by side, one wide and one narrow, a grid for the ultrawide. Nothing moves until you press Done. Save the layout as a preset and apply it to any other desktop.
One desktop, several layers
Give a desktop more than one layout, like the layers on a keyboard. My personal desktop has YouTube, Reading, and Music layers instead of three more desktops. Switch from the command palette or the menu bar, and a brief cover shows where you're going. Command-Tab, the Dock, and Find Window take you straight to a window's layer.
Find anything, on any desktop
Every action lives in one searchable palette. Type a few letters to bring up any window on any desktop, in any layer, and Ordinary Space takes you there. Switch layouts, switch layers, or change a setting from the same place.
Windows open where you want them
Tell Ordinary Space that email replies always open in the right-hand workarea, or that a settings window should float. Rules match by app and title, from exact text to regular expressions.
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Always open windows like this here Pick the desktop, layer, and workarea they open in.
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Don't manage windows like this Let specific windows float while the rest of the app stays tiled.
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Exclude an app Leave a whole app out of tiling in one step.
Picks up where you left off
After a restart, macOS often reopens windows on the wrong desktop. Ordinary Space moves each one back to its desktop, layer, workarea, and stack within a second or two. Unplug your laptop from a monitor and plug it back in, and every desktop keeps its layout.
Mouse optional
Everything in Ordinary Space works with the mouse. Everything also has a shortcut, so once the layout is muscle memory you can stop reaching for the trackpad.
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Cycle the stack Flip through the windows stacked in a workarea.⌥+N/P
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Move focus Jump to the workarea next door without touching a window.⌥+H/J/K/L
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Move a window Send the window you're on to another workarea and follow it.⌥+⇧+H/J/K/L
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Find a window Search every desktop and layer.⌥+F
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Command palette Every action, one search away.⌘+/
Those are the defaults. Every shortcut can be changed in Settings.
Make it yours
Pick the accent color for the active workarea, set the gap between windows, and rebind any shortcut to whatever your hands already know. Ordinary Space should feel like part of your desk, not a guest on it.
Pricing
Pay once. No subscription, no account. Start with the free trial and buy when you're sure.
Lifetime
$20 one-time
Every update Ordinary Space will ever get.
- Activates one Mac. Move it any time.
- All future versions, forever.
- Never think about it again.
Prices in USD. Checkout is handled by Polar. Not sure yet? The download starts a 7-day free trial, no purchase needed.
Why I built this
I've been using tiling managers since 2020.
It started with i3 on Ubuntu. I tried it out of curiosity and got hooked. After a few weeks I genuinely couldn't use a laptop without a tiling manager anymore.
When I got my first job I finally bought a MacBook, and honestly the first thing I did was search for "i3 for Mac". I ended up with yabai and it stayed with me for years. Then early this year I got curious about Linux again, installed Arch, found niri, and used it as my daily driver for about five months.
Living in all these tools taught me what I actually want, and it turns out it's not really auto-tiling. I don't like windows shuffling themselves every time something opens. What I want is fixed workareas that I open apps into. Each one holds its own stack of apps, so I can see a few things side by side and switch to whatever combination I need.
Lately I've been exploring mobile apps for both Android and iOS, and a MacBook is still the one machine that can do it all. So I moved back to the Mac, and since nothing out there tiled the way I wanted, I started Ordinary Space. Maybe an Ordinary Space for Linux someday too!
Common questions
Short answers to the things people ask about Ordinary Space.
Which versions of macOS does Ordinary Space support?
Ordinary Space is built for macOS Tahoe and installs on macOS 15 or later. Each release on the past versions page lists the minimum macOS it needs.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every download starts with a 7-day free trial. No credit card, no account, nothing to cancel.
Where can I find my license key?
It's in the confirmation email from your purchase. If you can't find the email, write to [email protected] and it will be resent.
Can I use one license on more than one Mac?
A license activates one Mac at a time. To move it, deactivate the current Mac in Ordinary Space under Settings → License & Purchase, then activate the new one with the same key.
What does a one-year license cover?
Every release published on or before your updates-through date, and you can keep using those forever. Releases after that date need a renewal or a lifetime license.
How do I download an older version?
Every build stays available on the past versions page, with its release date, build number, and checksum. Pick the newest one your license covers.
Does Ordinary Space work with multiple monitors?
Yes. Workareas span every display, and the same shortcuts move focus and windows between them. Unplug a monitor and plug it back in, and each desktop keeps its layers and window placements.
Do I need to disable SIP?
No. Ordinary Space needs the Accessibility permission and uses a few private macOS APIs that work with SIP on. It never injects code into the Dock.
Didn't find your answer? Get in touch.
Past versions
Every build stays downloadable, with its release date, build number, and checksum. Find the one your license covers.
Give your desktop some order.
Try Ordinary Space free for 7 days. No account, no credit card.
Download for macOS