How to change an app's window size on Mac

Managing multiple windows from different apps might prove to be quite difficult, especially if you’re working with more than one monitor. This guide will show you how to easily manage the windows within your screen by using the default Mac options and by working with the popular Spectacle and iSnap applications.

Change windows’ sizes using default Mac features

Manually resizing windows

An easy way to change the resolution of a window is by using your mouse and dragging the screen’s edges (left, right or bottom margins of the window in question).

Resizing Window

Using the buttons from the top-left corner of the window

Every window on your Mac has three buttons on its top-left corner. You can use them whenever you need to immediately close (red button), minimize (yellow button) or enable the full-screen mode (green button) for a window. Simply click the buttons and the window will immediately change its appearance.

Screen Buttons Window

Change windows’ sizes using Spectacle

Spectacle is a free window management utility created for Mac. With its help, you can easily move and resize windows on your desktop. The program lives in your Menu Bar, from where you can access all of the available shortcut keys for immediately handling the windows on your screen.

1. Launch Spectacle on your Mac and click over its status bar icon. In its menu you will find various key combinations next to their descriptions.

Spectacle Menu Window

2. Click over any of the offered resizing profiles to apply the necessary window changes. You can also use any of the available shortcut keys to resize and/or move the windows within your desktop. The windows will be resized and/or moved within moments.

Optional: You can change the hotkeys if the default key combinations are too difficult to memorize. Go to the Preferences panel of the app and alter the key combinations according to your needs.

Spectacle Preferences Window

Change windows’ sizes using iSnap

iSnap is a free program that can be downloaded and installed from the Mac App Store. The utility is attached to your status bar and provides you with a quick and simple way to move and resize windows on your desktop.

1. Launch iSnap on your Mac. Click over its icon from your status bar to reveal the iSnap main menu.

iSnap Main Menu Window

2. Hover your mouse cursor over the Shortcuts button and select the preferred window resizing profile. You can also use various shortcut keys to resize and rearrange windows on your desktop (the key combinations can be seen on the right side of each window resizing profile).

iSnap Shortcuts Window

Conclusion

Mac OS X gives you access to a limited amount of options for handling the windows from your desktop. For this reason, programs like Spectacle and iSnap were developed. While both applications provide you with similar functionality, you will probably find Spectacle to be more useful as it brings you extra customization possibilities for the key combinations used to resize and move windows on your desktop. Still, both apps are free of charge, so it’s up to you to decide which of these two utilities is the best solution for handling the windows on your desktop.

Alternative downloads

Spectacle free mac App that helps you move and resize windows with ease. Download
WindowMizer $8.99 mac Mac application that will "roll-up" your windows like a windowshade. Download
iSnap free mac With the iSnap app, you can organize various windows to fit perfectly on your screen and access them simultaneously. Download