diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 5c09802..90c2bf4 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -238,8 +238,7 @@ func repaint(name string, data tk.Opt) {
 	} else {
 		tk.App.WmTitle("why")
 	}
-	// causes weird behavior on macOS 26 where the window re-renders during the move
-	// tk.App.Center()
+	center()
 }
 
 func menuSelect() {
@@ -375,6 +374,31 @@ func main() {
 
 	repaint("", tk.Data(noise))
 	tk.Pack(img)
-	tk.App.Center()
+	center()
 	tk.App.Wait()
 }
+
+func center() {
+	// Force Tk to flush pending events so geometry info is accurate
+	tk.Update()
+
+	w := tk.App
+
+	// Get screen dimensions
+	sw, _ := strconv.Atoi(tk.WinfoScreenWidth(w))
+	sh, _ := strconv.Atoi(tk.WinfoScreenHeight(w))
+
+	// Get current window dimensions
+	// Note: If testing at startup before the window is visible,
+	// you might need WinfoReqWidth(w) instead.
+	width, _ := strconv.Atoi(tk.WinfoWidth(w))
+	height, _ := strconv.Atoi(tk.WinfoHeight(w))
+
+	// Calculate center
+	x := (sw - width) / 2
+	y := (sh - height) / 2
+
+	// Apply geometry directly without hiding the window
+	// This moves the window to x,y while preserving current width/height
+	tk.WmGeometry(w, fmt.Sprintf("+%d+%d", x, y))
+}