No macOS setting to turn off magnetic alignment when moving windows

So there’s nothing in Settings I can find to affect this and TinkerTool exposes nothing either so I suspect there’s no defaults option.

I’d like to be able to turn off the modern macOS habit of having windows try to magnetically align (or snap in place) on window move. There’s opt drag, but why be forced to always hit opt when I almost never want the ‘default’ behavior? Better to change the default behavior.

I’m hoping somebody will point out that I just missed it and there is indeed a global setting to turn off this default.

If I’m understanding you correctly, you can set System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Hold ⌥ key while dragging windows to tile to true to reverse the default. That’s my setting, and my windows never snap.

Nah, it’s not about tiling. That’s off.

It’s about the subtle auto-alignment (the machine trying to think for you instead of just doing what you command it to), as if the window edges were magnetically attracted to other window edges, Dock, menu bar, etc.

I love this feature :) i guess that’s the OCD in me

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It’s about the subtle auto-alignment (the machine trying to think for you instead of just doing what you command it to), as if the window edges were magnetically attracted to other window edges, Dock, menu bar, etc.

I haven’t experienced that. Sounds like something I’d like.

The window alignment feature was introduced in macOS 10.12 Sierra. As Apple documents it for Tahoe:

I don’t think there is any defaults setting to disable it.

Note that it isn’t just a Finder feature. It affects windows within applications, too.

Sure there’s a little magnetic “stop” when two edges meet each other, but you can drag right past it. You’ve still got pixel-by-pixel control, so from my perspective, it’s not a problem. Sorry I couldn’t help.

I’ve never experienced this behavior. My windows behave the same way they have always behaved. Could it somehow be related to the Stage Manager feature? I have never used Stage Manager, and when I look at my settings under Desktop & Dock, every option under Windows is disabled.

The effect is subtle. Try this in the Finder:

  1. Open two windows, non-overlapping
  2. Drag one one to do overlap the other, but…
  3. When the two windows get close to touching (less than 1/4" apart), drag very slowly

The result is that when the two windows touch, the window will stop moving, even as you keep dragging – and then it releases.

It doesn’t do anything when you’re dragging quickly. The idea is that if it thinks that what you’re trying to do is tile the windows, it will stop at that point.

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Indeed, that worked! But I had to drag the window really slowly to experience the effect. In fact the first few times I tried, I dragged it too fast to experience it even though I thought I was dragging it really slowly. In my opinion it’s easier to drag right past than to slow down to the point where it becomes an issue.