Download Keypad Layout (Mac) – Download & Review Free

If you find yourself using a lot of applications on a regular basis, it might be time to look for a tool designed to help you organize all the windows spread across your Mac desktop.

You can choose more advanced interface-based options, but you can also rely on minimalist apps like keyboard layoutit has no user interface and absolutely no menus or buttons to click.

Keyboard Layout helps you easily resize and move the currently selected window by holding down the CTRL key on your Mac keyboard and pressing a two-key combination on the numeric keypad.

A numeric keypad-based controller for a desktop full of windows

Use the numeric keypad’s grid as a model to resize the window. For example, when you hold CTRL and tap the 7 and 3 keys in rapid succession, the current window covers the entire screen. On the other hand, when using the 7 and 5 Numpad keys, the window will resize to the top to accommodate two-thirds of the Mac screen.

If you don’t have a keyboard with a numeric keypad and have forgotten how the keys are laid out on the keyboard, the developers provide a reference numeric keypad grid layout on the keyboard layout’s project page.

Once launched, the keyboard layout will stay out of your sight, monitoring your keystrokes in the background and instantly re-adjusting them based on the number pad key combinations you use.

Small resource footprint and very easy to use

The keyboard layout will also ask you to allow it to control your computer by enabling it in the Privacy > Accessibility preference pane of Mac System Preferences.

Additionally, the status bar item is the only interface the keyboard layout will display, and it serves one function: helping you exit an application when it is no longer needed.

The fact that the keyboard layout has no interface has its advantages, as it also has a small system resource footprint, requiring up to 0.2% of CPU cores and about 6 MB of RAM while helping you control windows.

Currently, the only feature that might improve the app is to display a built-in HUD-like prompt window somewhere in the corner of the Mac screen, providing a reference grid for users using keyboards without a numeric pad.

A fast and simple Windows controller for your crowded Mac desktop

When using it on my Mac, though, I completely skipped looking at the numpad after a while because it became part of my muscle memory, like most other system shortcuts I use regularly.

In short, Keyboard Layout is a great choice for users who need a low-profile and minimalist tool for organizing windows on a crowded desktop.

Additionally, it requires almost no resources to run in the background, ready to pop up when needed, and saves time by not having to use the mouse to move windows, making you more productive.