Is there a keyboard shortcut to move a window to another monitor on a Mac?

Not by default. You can make one in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Shortcuts for the Window menu's Move to item, or use a window manager that has a move to next display shortcut.

Why can't I drag a window to my second monitor?

The window has to cross where the screens meet in System Settings, Displays, Arrange. If the monitor sits above the MacBook in that picture, drag up instead of sideways. Full screen windows must leave full screen first.

Can I move every open window to the external monitor at once?

Not with macOS alone. DisplayShift lists every window when a monitor connects and moves the ones you tick together, full screen apps included.

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How to move a window to another screen on a Mac, with a keyboard shortcut

By Aqib Javed · Updated Oct 12, 2026

To move a window to another screen on a Mac, drag it by its title bar across the edge into the other display, or choose Window, then Move to and your display's name, in apps that offer it. macOS has no built-in keyboard shortcut for this, but you can add one in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Shortcuts using that exact menu name. To move many windows at once when a monitor connects, use an app such as DisplayShift.

Drag the window across

Check how your screens are arranged in System Settings, Displays, Arrange. A window crosses at the edge where the two screens touch in that picture.
Drag the window by its title bar towards that edge and keep going until it appears on the other screen.
If the window is in full screen, leave full screen first (press Control Command F or use the green button), move it, then make it full screen again.

Use the Window menu

Many apps list your other display in the Window menu as Move to followed by the display's name, for example Move to Built-in Retina Display. Pick it and the window jumps across, keeping its size where it fits.

Not every app has this item, and the name changes with the display you have connected, so it's worth checking the menu in the apps you use most.

Add your own keyboard shortcut

Open the Window menu in your app and note the exact wording of the Move to item, including the display's name.
Open System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, then App Shortcuts, and click the plus button.
Choose All Applications, type the menu title exactly as it appears, and press the keys you want, for example Control Option Command Right Arrow.
Try it in an app that has the menu item. Apps without it ignore the shortcut, and window managers such as Rectangle offer a Next Display action that works more widely.

Moving all your windows at once

Moving windows one by one gets old when you dock a MacBook every morning. DisplayShift drops a list out of the notch the moment a monitor connects. Tick the windows that should move, full screen apps and other desktops included, and they all go across together. When you unplug and plug back in, it offers to put every window back where it was.

Questions

Is there a keyboard shortcut to move a window to another monitor on a Mac?: Not by default. You can make one in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Shortcuts for the Window menu's Move to item, or use a window manager that has a move to next display shortcut.
Why can't I drag a window to my second monitor?: The window has to cross where the screens meet in System Settings, Displays, Arrange. If the monitor sits above the MacBook in that picture, drag up instead of sideways. Full screen windows must leave full screen first.
Can I move every open window to the external monitor at once?: Not with macOS alone. DisplayShift lists every window when a monitor connects and moves the ones you tick together, full screen apps included.