TL;DR. Most issues are Accessibility off, Stage Manager on, another window manager still running, or an app that refuses resize. Fix those first. Full-screen Spaces and sheets stay outside the strip on purpose.
Direct answer
If the strip misbehaves, check permissions and conflicts before assuming a bug. Ribbon only moves windows it is allowed to manage, and only while Stage Manager and other managers are not also steering frames.
Quick checks
- System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility: Ribbon is enabled.
- Stage Manager is off (why).
- Quit Rectangle, Magnet, Spectacle, and similar tools.
- “Displays have separate Spaces” is on (multi-display).
- Restart Ribbon from the menu bar.
Walk the checklist on Mac Setup.
Common symptoms
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Window will not resize | App may be fixed-width. Ribbon lists it under Apps as cannot be managed after two failures. |
| Strip jumps on wake | Displays flicker after sleep. Ribbon waits and rebuilds. |
| Full-screen apps ignored | Full-screen Spaces stay alone. Exit full screen to join the strip. |
| Sheets and dialogs float | Save panels stay above the strip on purpose. |
| Three-finger swipe does nothing | Default Finger swipe is 3. Turn off macOS full-screen swipe and Three Finger Drag, or use Option + two fingers with Finger swipe Off. |
| Engine stopped | Menu bar app restarts it. If it stops twice, check the ribbon CLI and engine log. |
| License will not unlock | Paste the purchase key in Settings → License. |
Next
- Setup
- Shortcuts
- Download again if the app never launches