I switched to macOS a while back due to a few annoyances on Windows, and I've now become a macOS loyalist. There are several areas where macOS excels in terms of usability compared to Windows. However, one area where macOS is terrible is making use of space. I realized this when I hooked up my Mac to an ultrawide monitor. Coming from Windows, I was surprised to see how macOS is so poorly optimized to run on large displays. What made it worse was at that time, macOS didn't natively support resizing windows that snapped to different parts of the screen.

Fast-forward to 2025 -- while things have certainly improved, it's still not the most pleasant experience to use macOS with an ultrawide monitor natively. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks you can use to make the experience a lot better than it is straight out of the box. So, here are some nifty hacks I use to improve my experience of using my MacBook Pro with an ultrawide monitor. Of course, these are also applicable if you get your hands on the new M4 Mac mini.

5 Hot Corners

Quick shortcuts accessible via your mouse

Hot Corners is a feature that has been on macOS for ages. It's one of the best first-party features inside macOS that helps with improving productivity and getting things done faster when using your computer. The way it works is you can assign a shortcut, app, or function to each corner of your Mac's screen. Then, all you have to do is drag the mouse pointer to the corresponding corner to launch that function. While it's a definite time-saver even when using a MacBook or a smaller display, its utility increases when used with an ultrawide monitor.

This is primarily because simple actions like quickly jumping to the desktop or switching between open apps and desktops can be a hassle on large monitors, primarily due to the distance between the different icons and buttons to access these functions. With Hot Corners, tasks like these can be simplified to a large extent. For instance, I have set the bottom-right corner to take a quick note, the top right to display Mission Control, the bottom left to show the desktop, and the top left to lock my Mac. For those unaware, Mission Control allows you to switch between multiple apps and desktops on your Mac. So, the next time I want to do that, I just have to hover my mouse over a corner of the screen.

Sometimes, I quickly want to glance at a widget on the desktop. This is why I have set one of the corners to show me the desktop. You can even set a corner to open a certain app that you may use frequently. Trust me, once you start using Hot Corners, there's no going back. You'll certainly see a boost in productivity.

4 Window Resizing

Snap 'em windows!

It's shocking how a simple feature like this was only introduced recently with macOS Sequoia. If you don't know what I'm talking about, earlier versions of macOS didn't allow users to snap windows to one half or corner of the screen. This is a basic feature on Windows and has been around for ages. Thankfully, with the introduction of the feature now, more users can enjoy multitasking on large ultrawide monitors by snapping windows to the edges of the display.

The way this works is you open an app and drag it to a corner of the monitor, and it shrinks into a small window and stays on that edge. You can repeat the same with other apps, and they will snap into place. While I'm glad the feature is now natively available, the execution is slightly disappointing. Firstly, the apps have a slight border around them which is a waste of space. Moreover, it takes a lot of effort to snap a window to a corner, since you need to hold it in the right position and release the mouse click at the exact time.

Alternatively, you can use an app called Magnet -- a service that I used prior to the feature becoming available on macOS Sequoia. It works extremely well, even better than the first-party feature. It also has more snapping options so if you have an ultrawide monitor, you can open up to six windows and stack them next to each other instead of just four that are supported natively.

3 Use BetterDisplay

Change that DPI

Some of the best ultrawide monitors out there, including mine, have a resolution of 3440 x 1440. The issue is that this particular resolution is not natively present on macOS. As a result, the scaling may appear odd when you connect a 1440p ultrawide monitor to your Mac. A bad DPI means a poor viewing experience, along with the fact that parts of the screen may appear blurry. This experience isn't desirable at all, especially after spending top bucks on a high-res ultrawide monitor. Don't worry, though. There's a simple solution to fix this problem.

All you have to do is download BetterDisplay on your Mac. BetterDisplay is an app that lets you pick custom resolutions that aren't natively supported by macOS but can help in rendering better graphics when connected to an ultrawide monitor. Once you install the app, go through the various DPI settings and pick the one that matches your monitor's resolution. I have an LG 34-inch ultrawide monitor and the most apt resolution for my monitor is 2752 × 1152. Compare how elements on your screen look before and after you change the resolution, and you will certainly notice a big difference.

If you're a photo or video editor, you absolutely must try BetterDisplay. Thank me later.

2 Populate the desktop with widgets

Information at your fingertips

I'm generally not a big fan of widgets. I don't use them on my iPhone, nor do I have them on my Android phone, even though they have been around for ages now. A big reason for this is that I'm not a big fan of having too many elements on my screen, especially if they're going to drain more battery. However, the scenario is the exact opposite on macOS. Since the desktop spans across such a large surface area, it looks rather plain and boring. Upon seeing this, I decided to add widgets to my Mac's desktop; it ended up being an excellent decision.

I primarily have three widgets on my desktop that I use all the time. The first one is the standard weather widget to quickly check whether it's raining outside or not, given that I stay in a region where it rains frequently. As for the second widget, it's one of the most helpful ones for me personally -- the battery widget. This widget not only displays the battery level of my Mac but also of my AirPods case and each individual earbud. Finally, there's a Reminders widget where I add all my tasks for the day. I essentially use it as a to-do list. Whenever I want to quickly glance at any of the widgets, I use the Hot Corners shortcut I mentioned above to switch to the desktop. It's simple to tick off my tasks this way as and when I get done with them.

There is a plethora of widgets to choose from, some of which will definitely help in increasing your productivity when used right.

1 Reduce the size of the dock

Launch your favorite apps quickly

Like every OS, macOS also has a bunch of apps that you absolutely need to install. As and when you keep using your computer more, you may install a lot more apps that aid you in your workflow. Ideally, you would want these apps to be a simple click away at all times. The best way to do that if all your Hot Corners are already filled is using the persistent dock on the Mac. If there's no more space left on your dock either, don't worry. There's a simple hack that lets you add more apps to the dock.

Head to the System Settings and navigate to the Desktop & Dock section. Then, reduce the size of the dock using the slider at the top. Doing this will automatically create more space in the dock for newer apps. A small dock also looks cleaner on an ultrawide monitor considering the higher DPI. You can also enable/disable the option to show your recent or frequently used apps in the dock based on your preference. I keep the setting turned off since I only want the apps I choose to occupy the precious space on the dock.

Get the best experience with an ultrawide monitor

There are so many shortcomings of macOS that prevent you from getting the most out of your ultrawide monitor. Thankfully, there are ways via which you can maximize your productivity while using a Mac with an ultrawide monitor. Both Hot Corners and BetterDisplay are game-changers, so ensure you check them out without fail.