In this guide
One Space per context, not per app
The common mistake is organising Spaces by application — mail in one, browser in another. This fails because most tasks need several applications at once, so you end up switching Spaces mid-task, which is precisely what Spaces were meant to eliminate.
Organise by context instead. One Space per project or mode of work, each holding whatever combination of applications that context needs. Three or four is the sustainable number; beyond that, navigation becomes its own problem and people stop using the system.
- Space 1 — primary project: editor, reference, terminal.
- Space 2 — secondary project or admin: spreadsheets, documents.
- Space 3 — communication: mail, chat, calendar.
- Space 4 — ephemeral: whatever today needed, cleared regularly.
Layouts are per Space, and that is the point
Window positions belong to a Space, so each context can hold a completely different arrangement without any of them interfering. Space 1 might be a three-column development layout; Space 3 might be thirds for mail, chat and calendar. Neither decays while you are elsewhere.
Set each Space up once, deliberately, using the shortcuts in Rectangle, and then leave it alone. The value comes from stability: after a week the arrangement is memorised, and switching Spaces restores not just the windows but your sense of where everything is.
Settings that make Spaces bearable
Two defaults are worth changing immediately. Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use should be off — it means Space 2 is not always in the same place, which destroys the muscle memory that makes the whole system work. And when switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows should usually be off too, since it produces surprising jumps that break your sense of where you are.
Leaving automatic rearranging on is the single most common reason people abandon Spaces. Positions shift under you, the swipe gesture stops being predictable, and the system feels unreliable rather than helpful.
Assigning applications to specific Spaces is available in the Dock context menu and is useful for genuinely single-context apps — a chat client that always belongs in the communication Space. Avoid assigning anything you use in multiple contexts; that produces the mid-task Space jumping the arrangement was supposed to prevent.
Full screen apps and where they go
An application put into native full screen creates its own Space, which is worth understanding because it explains two common confusions. It is why full-screen apps cannot be positioned by any window manager, and it is why your Space order sometimes changes unexpectedly.
If you like full screen for a particular app, treat it as an intentional Space of its own. If you want the visual effect without the Space, use maximise instead — Rectangle app fills the screen while leaving the window ordinary, which keeps it snappable, switchable and considerably faster to move away from.
Displays, Spaces and docking
macOS has a setting for whether displays have separate Spaces. Separate Spaces per display means each screen swipes independently, which suits people who keep one screen fixed on reference material. Shared Spaces means all displays switch together, which suits people who think in whole-desk contexts.
There is no correct answer, but there is a wrong process: changing it repeatedly. Pick one, use it for a fortnight, and only reconsider if a specific frustration keeps recurring. Combined with a small set of layout shortcuts, either configuration will get you to a state where a project context is one gesture away.
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
How many Spaces is too many?
Beyond four or five, finding the right one costs more than it saves. Most people settle on three.
Do window layouts persist per Space?
Yes — positions belong to the Space, so each can hold a different arrangement.
Why do my Spaces keep reordering?
Automatic rearranging by recent use is enabled. Turn it off in Desktop & Dock settings.