FancyZones for Mac: the best ways to get custom snap zones on macOS
If you used PowerToys on Windows, FancyZones is probably the thing you miss most on a Mac. You split your monitor into zones once, then every window had a home. Microsoft has never made a FancyZones for Mac, and macOS's own tiling gives you halves and quarters, not zones you draw yourself. You can still get the same result. The right app depends on which half of FancyZones you actually used: dragging windows into zones, or snapping them from the keyboard.
What FancyZones actually does (and what you're replacing)
It helps to list the pieces first, because no Mac app copies all of them. Per Microsoft's own documentation, FancyZones gives you:
- A layout editor (Win + Shift + `) with two styles: Grid, where you split and merge cells, and Canvas, where zones are free rectangles that can overlap.
- Shift-drag to snap. Hold Shift while dragging and the zones appear; drop the window on one. Hover the edge between two zones to fill both.
- Keyboard snapping, once you turn on Override Windows Snap: Win + arrows move the window from zone to zone.
- Per-monitor layouts, plus quick-switch hotkeys for saved layouts.
Most people who say they miss FancyZones mean one of two habits. Some drag with Shift held. Others have a fixed grid, maybe three columns on a wide monitor, that they snap into from the keyboard. Those habits point to different Mac apps.
What macOS gives you without installing anything
Since macOS Sequoia, a Mac snaps a window when you drag it to a screen edge. You can also hold Option while dragging to tile. Window → Move & Resize and fn ⌃ + arrows do the same from the keyboard. It's decent, but it stops at halves, quarters and full screen. There are no thirds, no custom zones and no layout editor. Our guide to tiling windows on macOS covers every built-in gesture.
So anything FancyZones-shaped needs a third-party app.
FancyZones for Mac: the options compared
| Custom zones | How you snap | Per-display layouts | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let's Tile | Grid of any size (Pro); 3 × 2 free | Keyboard: one shortcut, arrows, return | Yes (Pro) | Free; Pro $9.99 once |
| MacsyZones | Freeform zones + grid layouts | Shift-drag, right-click, shake, keyboard picker | Per screen and Space | Free; optional $7 |
| BetterTouchTool | Freeform snap areas | Drag; keyboard via an assigned action | Per display | Paid, also on Setapp |
| Moom | Drop zones from saved layouts | Drag, palette, shortcuts | Saved layouts adapt | $15 once |
| Rectangle Pro | Custom snap targets anywhere | Drag, plus shortcuts | Yes | Paid once, 10-day trial |
| macOS built-in | None | Drag to edge, fn ⌃ arrows | — | Free |
Prices and versions were checked on the developers' sites on 14 October 2026. Rectangle Pro's site didn't show a dollar figure, so we've left it out rather than guess.
If you snapped from the keyboard: Let's Tile
Let's Tile is our app, so weigh this accordingly. It's built for the second habit: a fixed grid you snap into without touching the mouse. You don't draw zones. You press ⌘ ↵, a grid drops over the window you're using, you steer a highlight with the arrow keys, grow it with ⇧ + arrows, and press ↵. It works like FancyZones' Grid editor, except the zones appear when you call them, so there's nothing to remember.
- Free: a 3 × 2 grid gives you halves, thirds, two-thirds, quarters and full screen. Thirds are the layout macOS doesn't have, and they're free with no time limit.
- Pro ($9.99, once): any grid you like, say 4 × 3 or 6 × 2, and you can reshape it while you're placing a window with ⌥ + arrows. Each display remembers its own grid, ⌘⇧ + arrows throws the window to another monitor mid-placement, and you can set margins between cells (FancyZones calls this "space around zones"). No subscription, no account, up to 20 devices per key.
What Tile doesn't do: freeform or overlapping zones like FancyZones' Canvas mode, Shift-drag snapping, or applying a whole saved layout at once. If those are what you miss, look at the next section. If you mostly used a fixed grid from the keyboard, Tile is the closest fit and the fastest. On an ultrawide, a 6 × 2 grid can stand in for a three-column FancyZones layout, because you can span one, two or four cells. See tiling on an ultrawide monitor.
If you snapped by dragging: MacsyZones
MacsyZones is the most literal FancyZones clone on the Mac, and it's free and open source. You hold a Snap Key (Shift by default) while dragging, and your zones appear, just as on Windows. It also has grid layouts, right-click and shake-to-snap, and a keyboard Quick Snapper. It remembers a layout for each screen and Space combination, which goes further than FancyZones does. If Shift-drag is your muscle memory, start here. The paid "Pro" ($7) only supports the developer, according to its site. Version 3.1.1 shipped on 15 September 2026, so it's actively maintained.
Other options worth knowing
BetterTouchTool has custom snap areas. You size a window, turn it into a snap area, and it appears whenever you drag a window over that display. You can trigger one from the keyboard too, by assigning the Trigger Snap Area action. It's powerful but sits inside a very large app. BetterSnapTool, the cheaper sibling, also lets you draw your own drop zones. See our BetterSnapTool alternative guide.
Moom (4.6, $15) can use any saved layout as a set of drop-zone targets. That's handy if you think in whole layouts. More in Moom alternatives.
Rectangle Pro adds custom snap targets anywhere on screen and arranges a whole workspace with one shortcut. The free, open-source Rectangle doesn't have custom zones.
Which one should you pick?
- You used Win + arrows into a fixed grid: Let's Tile. Start free with thirds, and go Pro when you want a bigger grid or a different one per monitor.
- You used Shift-drag: MacsyZones, free.
- You want overlapping, pixel-placed zones: MacsyZones or BetterTouchTool.
- You want saved layouts of several apps at once: Moom or Rectangle Pro.
Many Windows switchers end up keeping two of these: a drag tool for the occasional mouse moment and a keyboard tiler for the rest. If you're rebuilding other Windows habits too, read how to snap windows on a Mac and Alt-Tab on a Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official FancyZones for Mac? No. FancyZones is part of Microsoft PowerToys, which only runs on Windows. On a Mac you need a third-party app.
What's the closest free FancyZones alternative for Mac? MacsyZones, for drag-to-zone snapping. If you'd rather snap from the keyboard, the free tier of Let's Tile gives you halves, thirds and quarters on a visible grid.
Can macOS snap windows into custom zones on its own? No. Built-in tiling covers halves, quarters and full screen. It has no zone editor and no thirds.
Can I have a different layout on each monitor? Yes, in most of these apps. Let's Tile Pro remembers a grid per display, and MacsyZones remembers one per screen and Space.