Install Shoji

Shoji is a small Mac app that lives in your menu bar. It has no Dock icon and no main window: once it’s running, it arranges your windows in the background.

What you need

• A Mac running macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
• Permission to use Accessibility, which macOS asks for before any app can move and resize other apps’ windows. See Allow Accessibility access.

Download and open

1. Get Shoji. The thank-you page and the email with your receipt have the download and your license key. See Buy and activate.
2. Open the downloaded file and drag Shoji into your Applications folder.
3. Open Shoji from Applications. If macOS asks whether you want to open an app downloaded from the internet, choose Open.
4. The welcome tour appears and walks you through the rest. See Your first tidy.
5. Enter your license key when Shoji asks.

Look for the Shoji icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen: four rounded panes. Click it any time to see your layout and change things. See The menu bar panel.

Why isn’t it on the Mac App Store?

The Mac App Store only accepts sandboxed apps, and Shoji isn’t sandboxed, so it can manage other apps’ windows. You buy and download it straight from the website instead.

Open at login

Shoji starts automatically when you log in, so your desktop is tidy from the first minute. The welcome tour turns this on for you; you can change it in Settings → General → Open at login, or in System Settings → General → Login Items.

Remove Shoji

1. Click the Shoji icon in the menu bar and choose Quit Shoji.
2. Drag Shoji from your Applications folder to the Trash.
3. Optionally, remove it from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.