BetterTile: Linked Window Resizing and Adaptive Bento Tiling for Mac

BetterTile is a native macOS window manager built around one useful idea: neighboring windows can work as a coordinated layout instead of isolated rectangles. Drag a shared edge to resize both sides, let a Bento arrangement make room for new windows, or group windows into tabbed panes. It is free and open source, but its current public build is still a beta with a hands-on first-launch security step.

Resize neighboring windows together

When two windows share an edge, drag that boundary and BetterTile resizes both neighbors together. This is handy when a document and reference page should stay side by side but need more or less room as you work.

You can choose a live resize or a ghost preview that applies after you release the pointer. The preview mode lets you inspect the new proportions before the windows move, while live mode keeps the layout responsive during the drag.

Unlike moving one window and then manually correcting the other, linked resizing treats the shared boundary as one adjustment. The exact result still depends on the minimum sizes an individual app allows.

Let Bento make room as work changes

BetterTile’s Bento tiling adapts when another window opens, making room while trying to minimize unnecessary movement and resizing. You can swap windows, adjust the arrangement, or float one window out when it needs a space of its own.

Tabbed panes group windows into resizable areas: select a tab to bring its window forward, move tabs between panes, or float a window out while the others stay open behind it. Tabbed currently requires Stage Manager to be off; pane assignments last only for the current app session, and dragging tabs across displays is not available.

Snap windows with a drag or the Layout Wheel

For familiar edge and corner layouts, drag a window’s title bar toward a screen edge and preview the placement before letting go. BetterTile also has a Layout Wheel: hold Control, Option, and Shift, choose a sector, then release to apply the configured action.

The wheel’s trigger and actions are configurable, with one or two levels of choices. The center or Escape cancels. This provides a pointer-friendly way to pick a layout without opening a separate grid or settings panel each time.

Use shortcuts and undo a placement

Global keyboard shortcuts can place windows, and BetterTile checks its own actions for duplicate assignments. If a placement is not right, Undo restores an earlier window frame.

There is also an optional Middle Click trigger. While enabled, it reserves an unmodified middle-click system-wide; turn the option off and other apps receive that button again. Consider this carefully if middle-click is part of your normal workflow.

Know the current macOS and layout limits

BetterTile requires macOS 26 or later. It does not move windows between Spaces, and a Stage Manager thumbnail drag selects one validated frontmost window rather than moving or synchronizing an entire group.

Some applications refuse requested window sizes. Broader real-app stacking, multi-display behavior, and Space switching remain under validation. Tabbed also has its own Stage Manager and cross-display limits, so treat the current release as a beta rather than assuming every desktop arrangement is covered.

Grant Accessibility permission deliberately

BetterTile requires Accessibility permission to manage windows and says this is the only macOS permission it requests. The app explains the request before asking. The public beta also observes limited pointer and keyboard input for snapping, linked resizing, and the Layout Wheel.

If you do not want a utility to observe those interactions or control window placement, this permission requirement may be a reason to skip it. Permission is the macOS access boundary; it does not mean the app uploads the window content.

Window layout data stays on your Mac

The project says window geometry and configuration stay locally, and that BetterTile has no advertising, behavioral tracking, or sale of user data. Update checks and downloads contact GitHub, which receives ordinary connection metadata; the app says these requests do not include window data, settings, analytics, telemetry, crash reports, or a system profile.

For some identity, minimum-size, Spaces, and Stage Manager behavior, BetterTile uses a small documented set of reviewed, read-only private observations with validated public-API fallbacks. The README says it uses no code injection or SIP workaround. Send Feedback opens a GitHub form with version details in the suggested title but does not automatically submit an issue.

A free GPL window manager

BetterTile is described as free forever, with no paid tier, subscription, trial, or purchase-gated features. Its code is under GNU GPL version 3 or later, so people can inspect, fork, and share modified versions under the license terms.

That makes it worth considering if you want a small native window utility and are comfortable trying a young project. Read the beta notes before depending on it for a complex multi-display or multi-Space setup.

Install the official public beta carefully

The project requires macOS 26 or later and does not have an exact Mac App Store listing. The official v0.5.1-beta DMG is available directly from GitHub; see the release notes and the adjacent SHA-256 file.

Important: the maintainer says this public beta is self-signed and not notarized. After the first launch attempt, macOS may block it. Only if you intentionally trust the official repository and have checked the downloaded file against the checksum should you go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway. This manual approval is a real installation requirement, not a standard signed-and-notarized install.

Open the DMG, drag BetterTile to Applications, launch it, and follow its explanation to grant Accessibility permission. BetterTile then runs from the menu bar; showing a Dock icon is optional and off by default. To compare the downloaded file with the checksum shown in the linked sidecar, run:

shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/BetterTile-0.5.1-beta.dmg

Who should give BetterTile a try?

BetterTile is a good fit if you often adjust neighboring windows together, want layouts to adapt as apps appear, or prefer keyboard and drag-based placement over repeatedly arranging windows by hand. Linked resizing and Bento are the features that distinguish it from a basic snap-to-half utility.

It is less suitable if you need a notarized one-click install, support for older macOS versions, cross-Space moves, or mature multi-display behavior. If you are comfortable testing a beta on macOS 26 and granting Accessibility access, start with the official DMG and keep the security caveat in mind.

Official v0.5.1-beta DMG: https://github.com/LMC-Karma/BetterTile/releases/download/v0.5.1-beta/BetterTile-0.5.1-beta.dmg
Release notes: https://github.com/LMC-Karma/BetterTile/releases/tag/v0.5.1-beta
SHA-256 sidecar: https://github.com/LMC-Karma/BetterTile/releases/download/v0.5.1-beta/BetterTile-0.5.1-beta.dmg.sha256
Requires macOS 26 or later and Accessibility permission. The beta is self-signed and not notarized; after the first launch attempt, confirm the source and checksum, then use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway if you choose to proceed. No exact Mac App Store listing was found.