Your windows, side by side on one long strip.
Ribbon is a window manager for macOS. Every window gets its own column on a strip wider than your screen, and three fingers on the trackpad glide you along it. Nothing overlaps, and nothing hides behind anything else.
macOS 14 or later. Apple silicon and Intel. 14-day free trial.
How does Ribbon work?
Ribbon lays your windows out left to right and moves the strip, not the windows, when you swipe. Four gestures cover everything.
Three fingers, sideways
Glide along the strip
The strip follows your fingers and settles with a spring when you let go. Line windows up with the screen edge, or scroll freely and let snap assist catch an edge that stops close to it.
Open a window
New windows take the centre
A new window opens next to the one you were using and slides into the middle. Close one and its neighbours close the gap.
Four fingers up
Step aside
The strip parts like a curtain to show the desktop and any floating windows behind it. Four fingers down bring it back.
Three fingers up
See everything at once
Your windows shrink into one row, like the iPhone app switcher. Drag one to a new place, drop it on another to stack them, or click to go there.
What else does Ribbon do?
Ribbon handles the details that make a strip pleasant to live in every day.
- Any width you like
- Resize a window and it keeps that width. There are no fixed columns; the windows beside it move to make room.
- Full width on a double-click
- Double-click a title bar and that window fills the screen inside the strip, keeping your gap settings.
- Floating windows stay put
- Settings panels, dialogs and other fixed-size windows float above the strip instead of being squeezed into it.
- The Dock and Cmd-Tab know the strip
- Click an app in the Dock or switch to it and the strip glides to its window. Click again to cycle through its windows.
- An endless strip, if you want one
- Turn on the infinite strip and the last window wraps round to the first.
- Your layout survives a restart
- Quit Ribbon or restart your Mac, and the apps still open come back to the same places on the strip.
- A clean way out
- Quit or choose Stop Managing and every window is put back on screen, ready to use.
- Native Settings
- A proper Mac Settings window with illustrations for gaps, scrolling, displays and the switcher. Changes apply at once.
Does Ribbon work with more than one display?
Yes. Each display gets its own strip, and you can carry a window from one strip to another.
- Choose which displays Ribbon manages: all of them, only the Mac's own screen, or only external ones.
- Drag a window by its title bar onto another display. Its old strip closes up, the new one opens a gap under the pointer, and the window lands there at its own width.
- A swipe moves the strip of whichever display the pointer is on.
How much does Ribbon cost?
The price will be announced at launch. Every copy starts as a 14-day free trial with all features, and one licence covers 2 Macs.
Ribbon licence
Price at launch
- Use on 2 Macs at the same time
- Apple silicon and Intel
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later
- 14-day free trial first, no account needed
The trial download and checkout open when Ribbon launches.
Questions people ask
What is Ribbon?
Ribbon is a window manager for macOS that places your windows side by side on a horizontal strip, which you scroll with a three-finger swipe. It is made by ChabuLab.
Does Ribbon work on Intel Macs?
Yes. Ribbon is one universal app that runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Which version of macOS do I need?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
How many Macs can I use one licence on?
Two. One licence works on 2 Macs at the same time. To move a licence to another Mac, deactivate it in Ribbon on one of the two Macs; the seat is freed at once.
What happens when the trial ends?
When the 14-day trial ends, Ribbon stops arranging windows and puts every window back on screen. Your layout is kept: enter a licence key and Ribbon restores it.
Does Ribbon need an internet connection?
Only now and then. Ribbon checks the licence about once a week and keeps working offline for up to 30 days. The trial also works offline.
Which permissions does Ribbon ask for?
Accessibility, to move and resize windows. Screen Recording is optional and adds live window pictures to the switcher; without it the switcher shows app icons.
Do I need a trackpad?
The swipes need a trackpad. Without one, clicking a window, the Dock or Cmd-Tab still brings the strip to that window.
Can I get my windows back if I stop using Ribbon?
Yes. Quit Ribbon or choose Stop Managing and every window is put back on screen.
Who makes Ribbon?
Ribbon is made by ChabuLab, the studio of Châu Bùi. ChabuLab makes small, focused tools: Ribbon for the Mac, and free browser-only tools for creators.
Ribbon began as the window manager Châu wanted for everyday work: windows on a strip, moved with the fingers, nothing piled on top of anything else. The blog has the longer story.