Window Management

Dragging windows with a mouse breaks your flow. KeyPath lets you tile, snap, and move windows with keyboard shortcuts — left half, right half, corners, maximize, center, and switch between displays. All without touching the trackpad.

Quick start: the Window Snapping pack

The fastest way to get window management:

  1. Open the Pack Gallery
  2. Install Window Snapping
  3. Install Vim Navigation if you haven’t already (Window Snapping requires it)

Now hold Space, press W to enter the window layer, then press a key to snap:

  Hold Space, then W, then:

  ┌─────┬─────┬─────┐
  │  U  │  I  │     │     U = Top-left corner
  │ ◸   │ ◹   │     │     I = Top-right corner
  ├─────┼─────┼─────┤
  │  J  │  K  │  L  │     J = Left half
  │ ◧   │ ☐   │ ◨   │     K = Maximize    L = Right half
  ├─────┼─────┼─────┤
  │  N  │  M  │     │     N = Bottom-left corner
  │ ◺   │ ◻   │     │     M = Bottom-right corner
  └─────┴─────┴─────┘

  Also:
  [ = Previous display    ] = Next display
  , = Previous Space      . = Next Space

Screenshot — Window Snapping layer in the overlay

Release Space to leave the window layer.

How it works

Window snapping uses macOS Accessibility APIs to move and resize the frontmost window. When you press a position key, KeyPath:

  1. Reads the current screen dimensions
  2. Calculates the target frame (e.g., left half = left edge, full height, 50% width)
  3. Moves and resizes the window via the Accessibility API

This works in every app — no per-app configuration needed.

Accessibility permission required

The first time you use window snapping, macOS will ask you to grant KeyPath Accessibility permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility. Window management won’t work without this.

Screenshot — Accessibility permission dialog

All window positions

Key Position What it does
J Left half Window fills the left 50% of the screen
L Right half Window fills the right 50%
K Maximize Window fills the entire screen
; Center Window centers on screen at current size
U Top-left Window fills the top-left quarter
I Top-right Window fills the top-right quarter
N Bottom-left Window fills the bottom-left quarter
M Bottom-right Window fills the bottom-right quarter
[ Previous display Move window to the display on the left
] Next display Move window to the display on the right
, Previous Space Move window to the previous desktop Space
. Next Space Move window to the next desktop Space

Using window actions from scripts and tools

You can trigger window positions from Terminal, Shortcuts, or any tool that can open URLs:

open "keypath://window/left"
open "keypath://window/right"
open "keypath://window/maximize"
open "keypath://window/center"
open "keypath://window/top-left"
open "keypath://window/next-display"

This works from Raycast, Alfred, Hammerspoon, or any automation tool. See the Action URI Reference for the full list.

App-Specific Keymaps

Beyond window management, KeyPath can detect which app is in the foreground and switch your key mappings automatically. Different apps get different shortcuts — no manual toggling.

Creating app-specific rules

  1. Open the Custom Rules tab in the inspector panel
  2. Click New Rule (+ button)
  3. Select an application from the app picker
  4. Add key mappings for that app
  5. Click Save
  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Custom Rules                                       │
  │                                                     │
  │  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
  │  │  EVERYWHERE (global rules)                     │ │
  │  │  caps_lock ──→ escape                          │ │
  │  └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
  │                                                     │
  │  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
  │  │  🧭 SAFARI                                     │ │
  │  │  h ──→ left    j ──→ down                      │ │
  │  │  k ──→ up      l ──→ right                     │ │
  │  └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Screenshot — App-specific rules in Custom Rules

When you switch apps, KeyPath tells Kanata to switch layers automatically. Your keyboard adapts instantly.

Example: Vim navigation in Safari

A popular setup — use HJKL as arrow keys in Safari for keyboard-driven browsing:

  1. Click New Rule and select Safari as the target app
  2. Add mappings: H → Left, J → Down, K → Up, L → Right
  3. Click Save

Now HJKL works as arrow keys in Safari. Switch to any other app and they go back to normal letters.

Combining with other features

Quick Launcher + Window Snapping: Launch an app and immediately tile it. Hold Hyper to launch Safari, then Space → W → L to snap it to the right half.

Vim Navigation + Window Snapping: Navigate text with Space → HJKL, then Space → W to tile the window, all without lifting your hands.

Running Scripts + Window Snapping: Script complex layouts — open three apps and tile them into a coding workspace with one key.

Troubleshooting

Window snapping doesn’t work:

  • Check that Accessibility permission is granted in System Settings
  • Make sure the Window Snapping pack is installed and enabled
  • Try the CLI: open "keypath://window/left" — if that works, the issue is in the layer activation

App-specific rules don’t activate:

  • Verify the app appears in your rules list
  • Check that KeyPath’s service is running (green status indicator)
  • Try switching away from the app and back
  • Check File > View Logs for errors

External resources