Move windows to another Space
Press ⌃⌥⇧ plus a number and Spacepal sends the front window to that Space. ⌃⌥⇧← and ⌃⌥⇧→ send it one Space left or right. You stay where you are unless you turn on "Follow a window after moving it to another Space". Around that, Spacepal adds window search across all Spaces, rules that keep apps on their own Space, and saved layouts that put windows back after a restart or when you plug a monitor back in.
Ways to move the front window
| From | How |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | ⌃⌥⇧1 … ⌃⌥⇧0 for Desktop 1 to 10, ⌃⌥⇧← ⌃⌥⇧→ for neighbours |
| Menu bar | Move Front Window To, then a Space |
| Overview | Right-click a Space, Move Front Window Here (dragging a tile only reorders the overview) |
| URL | spacepal://move-window/4, spacepal://move-window/next, spacepal://move-window?name=Mail |
| AppleScript | tell application "Spacepal" to move window to space "Mail" |
| Raycast | The Move Window to Space command (see Raycast) |
The modifier is changeable in Settings, Shortcuts (Control + Option, Control + Command, Option + Command or all three), and "Move the front window with Shift" turns the move shortcuts off if you do not want them.
How the move works
Spacepal first asks the WindowServer to move the window directly. That works on macOS 14.0 to 14.4 and on macOS 26.4 and later. On other versions macOS ignores it, so for the front window Spacepal falls back to what you would do by hand: it holds the window by its title bar and switches Spaces, so the window travels along. You may see the pointer jump briefly while that happens. Neither route needs System Integrity Protection turned off.
The drag fallback only works for the front window, because it needs a visible title bar to hold. Everything that moves other windows uses the direct move alone: "Apps that belong here" rules, Space Lock and ⌘Return bringing a window to you, restoring a layout, putting windows back when a display reconnects, and Prepare to Unplug Displays. On other macOS versions, those windows stay where they are. Moving the front window by shortcut, from the menu bar or with "Move Front Window Here" in the overview works on every supported version.
Two limits come from macOS: a full screen window cannot be moved to another Space, and no window can be moved into a full screen app's Space. Spacepal tells you in a short message when that is the reason.
Find a window, then bring it here
⌃⌥F searches the windows on every Space by app and window title. Return takes you to the window; ⌘Return brings the window to the Space you are on. ⌃⌥W lists only the windows on the current Space. Window titles need Screen Recording permission.
Keep apps where they belong
- Apps that belong here. In a Space's editor (Settings, Spaces), add apps whose new windows should always land on that Space, for example Slack on "Chat". You can still move such a window elsewhere afterwards.
- Space Lock. When Cmd-Tab, the Dock or a link would pull you to another Space, Spacepal goes back and brings that app's window to you instead. Off by default, in Settings, Windows.
- Stay on this Space when clicking Dock icons. An experimental option that keeps you put and asks the app for a new window here.
- Return focus to the last window when you come back to a Space.
Layouts: restarts and external monitors
With "Remember where every window is" on, Spacepal saves each window's Space and position every five minutes, and you can save or restore by hand from the menu or with spacepal://save-layout and spacepal://restore-layout. After a restart it offers to put windows back.
Layouts are stored per set of connected displays. "Put windows back when an external display is reconnected" restores them when you plug back in, and "Prepare to Unplug Displays" (spacepal://eject) moves windows off external displays first so they do not pile up on one laptop Space. See MacBook with an external monitor.
Clearing a Space
- Minimize All on This Space, with Undo Minimize.
- Save This Space and Close Its Windows records the apps and window positions (and, in the direct version, browser tabs from Safari and Chromium browsers), then lets you reopen it later from the menu.
Marks and scratchpad
Press ⌃⌥M and a letter to mark the front window, then ⌃⌥' and the same letter to jump to it from any Space. ⌃⌥/ shows or hides one app you choose as a scratchpad over whatever Space you are on.
Availability
Moving windows, search, rules and layouts are in both versions, with the macOS version limit above for windows that are not in front. Restoring browser tabs when you reopen a saved Space is in the direct version only. Spacepal is a one-time purchase with a 14-day trial.
Related
- How to move a window to another desktop on a Mac
- Windows on the wrong desktop after a restart
- Windows move when you plug in a monitor
- All keyboard shortcuts
Written by Dan Bayer, developer of Spacepal. Last updated 2026-10-27.