Frequently asked questions

Instead of piling windows on top of each other, or slicing the screen into smaller and smaller tiles, a scrolling window manager places every window in one row of full-height columns. Your display shows a part of that row, and moving focus slides the row to the window you want. Linux users know the idea from PaperWM and niri. LanesMac brings it to the Mac.

Rectangle and Magnet snap a window into a half or a third when you ask them to, but everything else still overlaps. yabai and AeroSpace tile automatically, but every new window splits the same screen again. LanesMac tiles automatically and lets each window keep its width. Extra windows simply wait off to the side until you scroll to them.

Yes. Two window managers moving the same windows will fight each other, and their shortcuts may clash. Quit Rectangle, Magnet, yabai, Amethyst or AeroSpace before you start LanesMac. If a few apps should never tile, float them with ⌃⌥T or add a per-app rule in Settings.

They go back to where they were before LanesMac started. LanesMac remembers each window's original position and size, so quitting leaves you with a normal Mac desktop and nothing stuck off-screen.

macOS only lets an app move and resize other apps' windows through the Accessibility API. Every window manager on the Mac needs it for that reason. It is the only permission LanesMac asks for, and you can turn it off at any time in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.

LanesMac is a native app, signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple. It runs entirely on your Mac and has no background network service. You don't need to turn off System Integrity Protection or install a kernel extension.

None. There is no account, no analytics and no tracking, and the app never records keystrokes, window titles or document contents. It goes online only to activate your license once, and when you check for updates.

LanesMac requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. It is a universal app that runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Yes. Every display gets a strip of its own, with its own focus and scroll position, so scrolling on your laptop never moves the windows on your external monitor. Press ⌃⌥N to send the focused window to the next display.

Not today. macOS has no public API that lets other apps manage Spaces reliably. Most people find they stop needing Spaces: the strip has room for everything, and window search (⌃⌥Space) or the overview (⌃⌥O) gets you anywhere quickly.

We recommend turning Stage Manager off. It groups and hides windows in its own way, which conflicts with the strip. LanesMac's stacks, tabbed columns and overview cover the same needs.

Yes. Press ⌃⌥F to send the focused window into macOS full screen, and press it again to bring it back to its place on the strip.

Yes. After the first launch you get 24 hours of free access with every feature included, no account and no card. After that, LanesMac needs a license.

$9.99 for the first 20 customers. No code is needed: the launch price is applied automatically at checkout. After that the price is $19.99. It's the same lifetime license either way.

A lifetime license for LanesMac on one Mac, for a one-time payment. Includes all future updates, free.

After you buy, your license key arrives by email from Dodo Payments. In LanesMac, open Settings → License, paste the key and click Activate. Activation happens once online; after that LanesMac works offline.

No. Each license works on one Mac. To use LanesMac on a second Mac, buy another license for it.

On your old Mac, open Settings → License and click Deactivate This Mac. Then activate your key on the new Mac. If the old Mac is lost or broken, email support@harixsolutions.com and we'll help.

Search your email for "Dodo Payments" to find the message with your key. If you still can't find it, email support@harixsolutions.com from the address you bought with.

Only once, to activate your license, and when you check for updates. Everything else works offline.

No. All purchases are final and non-refundable, except where required by law. That's why you get 24 hours free to try every feature first.