Scrolling window managers for Mac: niri and PaperWM-style options compared
niri and PaperWM don't run on macOS, but several Mac apps recreate the scrolling layout. Here's how Paneru, OmniWM, Ribbon, ChainYourMac, LanesMac, PaperWM.spoon and Transom differ.
What a scrolling window manager is
Instead of dividing your screen, a scrolling window manager places each window in a column on a long horizontal strip. The display is a viewport onto that strip. New windows open beside the one you're using and nothing shrinks; you move along the strip with the keyboard or a swipe.
niri (Linux, Wayland) and PaperWM (GNOME) made the idea popular. Neither runs on macOS, so Mac versions are separate apps built on the Accessibility API.
The options in 2026
Free: Paneru (Rust, MIT, Homebrew), OmniWM (GPL, scrolling plus dwindle), PaperWM.spoon (a Hammerspoon plugin). Paid: Ribbon from meetribbon.app ($12 to $17, no trial), ChainYourMac ($19.99), LanesMac ($19.99, 7-day trial). There's also an unrelated app called Ribbon at ribbonmac.com.
Transom ($19, 14-day trial) is different in one way: Strip is a mode you turn on per display, next to Snap. Many people want scrolling on a wide external monitor and ordinary snapping on the laptop screen.
Is scrolling for you?
It's a real change of habit. If you like seeing six windows at once in a grid, a tiler suits you better. If you keep many windows and mostly look at one or two, scrolling is calmer. Trying it on one display first is the easiest way to find out.
Try Transom
Snap or Strip per display, and desks that restore themselves. Free for 14 days.