Use the same Mac workspace with different monitors
OrbDesk maps a saved workspace to the screens connected when you restore. Recognized displays are preferred. With only your MacBook connected, saved screen groups share that screen while keeping separate Desktop groups. If a multi-monitor match is unclear, you choose where the groups should go.
One setup, two places to work
At your desk, you might keep your editor and browser on a large monitor, and project notes on your MacBook. Away from the desk, you still need those apps, even though you only have one display.
OrbDesk keeps the original saved composition and adapts its destinations to the screens you have now. Using the setup on your laptop does not overwrite the original screen assignments.
Restore after unplugging a monitor
Disconnecting a screen does not trigger an automatic restore. When you are ready to return to your work, choose the saved setup and select Restore.
- Connect the screens you want to use, or work with just the built-in display.
- Choose your saved setup in OrbDesk and select Restore.
- With a single connected screen, saved screen groups are mapped there without merging their Desktop groups.
- If more Desktops are needed for the matched windows, OrbDesk creates them through Mission Control before moving those windows.
When OrbDesk asks you to choose a screen
Recognized screens, remembered choices, and unambiguous built-in or external roles help OrbDesk match destinations. If several displays could fit, a screen-mapping sheet lets you make the choice.
Identify screens briefly labels your displays so you can tell them apart. OrbDesk remembers your mapping for that screen combination. Several saved screen groups can use one physical display while retaining separate Desktop groups.
What happens to window sizes?
Saved dimensions are applied where the app supports resizing. On a smaller display, OrbDesk fits windows to the usable screen area while retaining their original saved dimensions for a larger screen.
Some apps restrict how their windows can resize. If a window cannot reach the requested size, OrbDesk reports it as incomplete. Exact positions inside a Desktop are not part of the saved setup.
Check these Mac settings
Moving windows between multiple displays requires Displays have separate Spaces in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Mission Control. macOS may require you to log out before that change takes effect.
Use ordinary app windows. Fullscreen windows and windows assigned to All Desktops are excluded. Automatically rearrange Spaces can stay on; Desktop numbers may change as macOS reorders them. Restoring a setup remains a manual action, including after login or reconnecting a display.