How to Disable Automatic Window Resizing in MacOS
MacOS has evolved with some powerful window resizing features, including automatic window resizing capabilities that were introduced in newer versions of MacOS system software. These automatic window resizing functions will activate when dragging windows around on the Mac screen, and will either attempt to tile windows, resize windows, or make windows fill the screen, depending on where or how you are dragging a window to.
Like just about every feature in MacOS, some Mac users absolutely love these capabilities, while others are less unenthusiastic or even annoyed by the automatic window resizing. Usually the Mac users who do not like the automatic window resizing features find them accidentally activating and frustrating, and thus they might wish to disable the capabilities.
If you’d like to turn off the automatic window resizing features in MacOS, read along. These window resizing features are in MacOS Tahoe and MacOS Sequoia onward, so earlier versions of MacOS will not apply here.
How to Turn Off Automatic Window Resizing on Mac
- Go to the  Apple menu and then “System Settings”
- Go to “Desktop & Dock”
- Scroll down to the ‘Windows’ section and toggle the switches OFF for “Drag windows to the left or right edge to tile” and “Drag windows to the menu bar for fill screen”
- Close out of System Settings
You can now drag windows around on the Mac screen without unintentionally activating the window resizing features or tiling features.
With these features disabled, MacOS will behave like it did in earlier versions of system software, before the introduction of the new automatic tiling and window resizing features were introduced in Tahoe and Sequoia.
You can still tile and resize windows with these features off
Note that even with these automatic window resizing features OFF, you can continue to resize and tile windows on the Mac by holding down the Option key as you drag windows, or by long-clicking on the green button in the window title bar and accessing the window resizing options there. This allows for convenient and quick access to these features when you want them, but are much less likely to accidentally activate.
You can turn off the Option key resizing feature in the same window settings of System Settings in macOS, if you don’t like that feature either.
What do you think of the window resizing features in macOS? Do you like the features or find them frustrating, or are you indifferent? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments, we are always interested to hear from you!
