# Nudge

Last updated: 2026-03-27

> Nudge is a free, open-source macOS window manager. Snap windows into perfect positions with keyboard shortcuts or drag-to-edge gestures.

Nudge is a lightweight macOS window manager built with pure Swift and AppKit. It provides 19 window layouts including halves, quarters, thirds, and two-thirds splits, with full multi-monitor support. Windows can be snapped using customizable keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to screen edges with a live preview overlay.

## Key Facts

- **Current version**: 1.0.3
- **Price**: Free and open source (MIT license)
- **Platform**: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
- **Architecture**: Universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- **Size**: Under 1MB
- **Built with**: Pure Swift, AppKit — no Electron, no frameworks, zero dependencies
- **Privacy**: No tracking, no analytics, no data collection
- **Signed**: Apple notarized and Developer ID signed

## Installation

### Homebrew (recommended)
```
brew tap mikusnuz/tap
brew install nudge-run
```

### Direct Download
Download the latest DMG from GitHub Releases: https://github.com/mikusnuz/nudge/releases/latest

### Build from Source
```
git clone https://github.com/mikusnuz/nudge.git
cd nudge
brew install xcodegen
xcodegen generate
open Nudge.xcodeproj
```

## Window Layouts

Nudge supports 19 window layouts:
- **Halves**: Left, Right, Top, Bottom
- **Quarters**: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right
- **Thirds**: Left Third, Center Third, Right Third
- **Two Thirds**: Left Two Thirds, Center Two Thirds, Right Two Thirds
- **Other**: Maximize, Center, Restore
- **Display**: Next Display, Previous Display

## Default Keyboard Shortcuts

All shortcuts use Ctrl + Option as the base modifier:
- Arrow keys for halves (Left/Right/Up/Down)
- U/I/J/K for quarters
- D/F/G for thirds
- E/R/T for two-thirds
- Return for maximize, C for center, Backspace for restore
- Ctrl+Option+Cmd + arrows for display switching

All shortcuts are fully customizable in Settings.

## Comparison

| Feature | Nudge | Magnet | Rectangle |
|---------|-------|--------|-----------|
| Price | Free | $9.99 | Free |
| Open Source | Yes (MIT) | No | Yes |
| Dependencies | None | None | Several |
| App Size | <1MB | ~5MB | ~15MB |
| Drag-to-Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Shortcuts | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Similar Tools

- **Magnet** ($9.99, App Store only) — Popular paid window manager
- **Rectangle** (Free, open source) — Feature-rich, ~15MB
- **BetterSnapTool** ($2.99, App Store) — Drag-to-snap focused
- **Moom** ($9.99) — Advanced custom layouts
- **Amethyst** (Free, open source) — Tiling window manager, i3-style

## Links

- Website: https://nudge.run
- GitHub: https://github.com/mikusnuz/nudge
- Download: https://github.com/mikusnuz/nudge/releases/latest
- Homebrew Tap: https://github.com/mikusnuz/homebrew-tap
- Support: https://ko-fi.com/mikusnuz