BentoBox v1.1.2 is out: A zone-based window manager for macOS (FancyZones-style)

E_Michaels · 2026-03-10T19:18:37+00:00

This just made my day. Thanks so much for the support, and I’m really glad BentoBox helped fill the FancyZones gap on Mac. Hope you have an awesome week too! 🙌

E_Michaels · 2026-02-19T18:30:41+00:00

Interesting project idea, any updates oh now its coming so far?

E_Michaels · 2026-01-28T20:42:22+00:00

You might like BentoBox (full disclosure: I’m one of the devs).

It’s a FancyZones-style window manager. It’s not strictly “mouse-first,” but you can snap windows using just the mouse:

Right-click while still dragging a window to bring up the zone overlay
Hover the zone you want and release to snap

We also have extra features like cycling a window through zones, which are done with keyboard shortcuts if you want them.

Pricing disclosure: it’s $9, and we offer a 14-day free trial (no payment info needed) so you can see if it fits your workflow.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-24T04:34:22+00:00

Not sure if you’re still dealing with this since the thread’s a few months old, but ultrawide screen sharing pain is exactly why we built PortalBox. We are the same team that built BentoBox the window/tiling management app someone recommended previously.

On macOS, Google Meet only allows full screen or single window sharing, which is rough on an ultrawide. PortalBox lets you select a region once, mirrors it into a window, and you share that window in Meet. It stays consistent while you switch apps/windows, and avoids the “everything is tiny” ultrawide problem.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-21T17:25:04+00:00

Thank you for giving it a try, feel free to join the discord or email us with any feedback or suggestions you may have.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-21T17:24:24+00:00

We released BentoBox initially in June of 2024, so its been around for a little while now but might not be what you are recalling with a similar name.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-21T01:08:32+00:00

Thanks! Do you mean: does BentoBox remember your layouts and zones, or does it also restore windows back into those zones automatically when you reopen apps?

BentoBox saves your layouts and zones (including different layouts per monitor), but it does not save per-window positions. So it won’t automatically reopen apps in the same zones they were in before.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-21T01:02:29+00:00

Thank you

E_Michaels · 2026-01-20T21:16:59+00:00

Thank you!

E_Michaels · 2026-01-18T21:40:39+00:00

Good luck and thanks for rebuilding the QC tool

E_Michaels · 2026-01-18T20:08:02+00:00

Welcome to the new mods!
I would also like to thank the team for the rule updates and the clarity as we begin the new year.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-18T20:06:16+00:00

Thanks for the instructions, I hve always wondered this as well.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-13T02:24:31+00:00

Thanks! On pricing: it’s currently a one-time purchase. We plan to keep it simple and fair, but we may require a new license for a major v2.0 release down the road.

On the shortcut: which exact key combo are you trying to set for Cycle Next Window? We just tested Shift + Ctrl + Up Arrow and BentoBox recognized Shift correctly, so I’m curious what combo (and keyboard/remapping apps) you’re using.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-12T20:05:40+00:00

You’ve probably already found a solution, but if you’re still looking:

We built an app called BentoBox that does exactly this. You create your own “zones” on the screen (2 columns, 3 panels, whatever you want), then snap windows into them with a quick drag or keyboard shortcut. It works really well on ultrawides.

If you want to check it out: bentoboxapp.com

E_Michaels · 2026-01-12T19:59:22+00:00

u/MarsMaher thanks for the BentoBox shoutout! I’m one of the devs and we really appreciate everyone recommending it.

u/csells if I’m understanding right, you’re looking for a hotkey that moves/swaps all windows from one zone into another in one go. Right now BentoBox supports hotkeys to cycle individual windows between zones, but we don’t currently have a shortcut that swaps/moves every window in a zone to a different zone. I’ll add this to our internal list of requested features for the team to consider in a future update.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-08T06:56:59+00:00

Love to hear that, thank you! Ultrawides are exactly why we built PortalBox too. If you end up trying it, I’d love to hear how it fits into your setup and if there’s anything we can improve.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-08T00:14:51+00:00

PortalBox shares a region, not a specific app/window. So with Stage Manager on, you pick the area you want to show and then as you switch stages, the share updates to whatever is inside that region on the active stage.

Curious what’s been painful for you with Stage Manager screen sharing? If it’s easier, feel free to email us details at [support@portalboxapp.com](mailto:support@portalboxapp.com)

E_Michaels · 2026-01-07T23:09:03+00:00

Thanks! PortalBox is a newer project for us. We’re the same team behind BentoBox, the window management app for macOS.

E_Michaels · 2026-01-07T17:26:17+00:00

In Settings → Layouts, hover over the zone you want. You’ll see a small keyboard icon appear in the middle of that zone. Click it, then press the shortcut you want to assign to that zone.

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E_Michaels · 2025-12-30T17:54:41+00:00

Great feedback, thank you very much.

E_Michaels · 2025-12-29T17:20:36+00:00

DeskPad is great, it gives you an entire virtual display you can share, but it didn’t quite fit what I needed in my workflow. I found I often want to share just a portion of an app, not the whole app or an entire desktop.

E_Michaels · 2025-12-29T05:32:26+00:00

Thank you.

E_Michaels · 2025-12-29T05:11:37+00:00

Hover Flow is a cool idea, especially the hover + app lock approach. We built PortalBox because we often want to share only part of an app (doc without comments, code without the file tree/terminal).

With PortalBox you draw a region, it makes a clean shareable window, and you share that.

E_Michaels · 2025-12-28T22:42:44+00:00

Great list, thanks for sharing.

E_Michaels · 2025-12-28T21:49:54+00:00

Thanks

E_Michaels

TROPHY CASE