Deskback
One Mac, two desks: keep a window layout for each
At home: one big monitor. At the office: two smaller ones. Every time you sit down, you spend the first few minutes dragging windows into place.
Updated October 22, 2026
Why macOS doesn’t handle two desks
macOS keeps track of which displays are arranged where, but it doesn’t keep a window layout for each desk. When you plug into the office monitors, your windows go wherever macOS puts them — usually the main display — and the layout you had there yesterday is gone.
Options
- Arrange by hand every time. Works, costs a few minutes a day.
- A window manager with saved layouts you trigger with a shortcut (Moom, Putback’s Scenes, NeoTiler’s workspaces). Powerful, but you set them up and remember to trigger them.
- Automatic per-desk layouts. Deskback recognizes each desk by the monitors connected to it and restores that desk’s layout the moment you plug in — no shortcut, nothing to set up. You can also save a named layout (“Office”) that opens the apps you need and puts them in place.
Deskback is launching soon. Disclosure: we make it.
Get early access — $9 launch price
FAQ
Can my Mac remember different window layouts for home and office?
Not by itself. Deskback remembers one layout per monitor setup and restores it automatically when you connect to that desk.
Do I have to save the layouts manually?
No. Deskback learns each desk as you work. Saving named layouts is optional.
What if my office uses the same monitor model as home?
If the setups look identical, Deskback treats them as the same desk. Different models or arrangements are recognized as different desks.
Related
Why your Mac moves windows after sleep · External monitor rearranges your windows · Stay alternatives · Deskback vs WinPin · Deskback vs Stay · Clamshell mode · Two monitors · Home and office