In this guide
The layout that covers eighty per cent of study time
Almost all studying is one source and one place to write. The reading, slide deck or recorded lecture goes on the left; the notes document goes on the right. That is it. The reason to formalise it is that most students rebuild this arrangement by hand several times a day, and the rebuilding is where the session's momentum leaks away.
Give the source slightly more room than the notes — two thirds and one third rather than an even split — because you read far more than you type. Rectangle does this with two keystrokes and holds it for as long as the session lasts, including after you close and reopen the notes app.
Take notes in a separate window from the one holding your reading, even when both live in the same app. Two windows of the same application snap independently, which means one browser window can hold the PDF and another can hold your outline.
Live lectures and recordings
During a live class the video wants to be large enough to read the slides but not so large it crowds the notes. In practice the video sits in the left two thirds and notes take the right third; if the lecturer is screen-sharing dense code or equations, flip to halves for the duration and flip back.
For recorded lectures the calculation changes because you control the pace. Many students find the reverse allocation better: notes get the larger share, the video shrinks to a quarter, and the emphasis moves from watching to writing. The Rectangle app treats a video window like any other, so switching between these two allocations is instant rather than a negotiation with a drag handle.
Essay and paper writing
Writing from sources is a three-window problem: the draft, the source you are currently using, and the citation manager or reference list. Halves plus a corner quarter handles it — draft on the left half, source on the right half, references pinned to the lower-right quarter where they are visible but not competing.
When the writing is going well, collapse to a single maximised draft window and leave the sources behind entirely. The restore shortcut brings the research layout back exactly as it was, which means you can move between assembling and composing without paying a setup tax each time.
- Gathering — source two thirds, notes one third.
- Drafting — draft maximised, everything hidden.
- Citing — draft half, reference manager half.
- Editing — draft half, marker feedback or rubric half.
Group work and study calls
On a study call the video window and the shared document both need to be legible. Video in the right third and the document in the left two thirds is the arrangement that works on a laptop display; anything smaller and faces become useless, anything larger and the document stops being readable.
If you are the one presenting, set the layout before sharing rather than during. Watching someone rearrange windows on a shared screen is a small tax on everyone's attention, and it is entirely avoidable with two keystrokes prepared in advance.
Revision and exam conditions
Revision benefits from a layout that resembles the exam. If the exam is closed-book, revise in a single maximised window with the answer only a keystroke away rather than permanently visible — self-testing works considerably better than re-reading with the answers in view.
For open-book or take-home exams, decide the layout before the clock starts: question paper on one side, working document on the other, permitted references in a corner. Rectangle for Mac is free and open source, which matters for students in a way it does not for companies — there is no trial, no subscription, and no student licence to argue about.
Rectangle is free and open source
Halves, thirds, quarters and sixths from the keyboard, on any Mac. No trial, no account.
Download Rectangle for Mac →Frequently asked questions
Does this work on an 13-inch MacBook Air?
Yes, though halves are the practical limit for two readable text windows. Quarters are best reserved for reference material you glance at rather than read.
Can I snap two windows of the same app?
Yes. Windows are positioned individually, so two Preview windows or two browser windows can occupy opposite halves.
Is there a free version that covers all of this?
Every layout described here uses the free, open-source build. Paid tiers add saved custom layouts, which is a convenience rather than a requirement.