How to Use Mission Control and Multiple Spaces on a Mac
Your screen gets crowded with windows, and you’d like a clean way to see them all or split your work across separate desktops.
Why: Mission Control lays out every open window in a single view so you can jump to the one you need. Spaces are additional desktops — each shows only its own windows — so you can keep, say, email on one and a project on another.
Step 1: Open Mission Control
Use whichever is easiest:
- Trackpad: Swipe up with three fingers.
- Magic Mouse: Double-tap with two fingers.
- Keyboard: Press the Mission Control key, or press Control–Up Arrow.
You’ll see all your open windows spread out, with a Spaces bar of desktop thumbnails along the top.
Step 2: Create another desktop (Space)
- Open Mission Control.
- In the Spaces bar at the top, click the Add button (the +).
- Click the new space’s thumbnail to switch to it.
You can create up to 16 spaces.
Step 3: Switch between Spaces
- Swipe left or right with three or four fingers on a trackpad (two on a Magic Mouse).
- Press Control–Right Arrow or Control–Left Arrow.
- Open Mission Control and click the space you want in the Spaces bar.
Step 4: Move a window to another Space
- Drag the window to the left or right edge of the screen and hold — after a moment it moves to the next space, or
- Open Mission Control and drag the window’s thumbnail onto the space you want in the Spaces bar.
To make an app always open in a certain space, Control-click its Dock icon, choose Options, then pick This Desktop (or All Desktops to show it everywhere).
FAQ
How do I delete a Space? Open Mission Control, point at the space in the Spaces bar, then click the Delete (×) button when it appears. Any open windows move to another space automatically.
What’s the difference between Mission Control and Spaces? Mission Control is the overview that shows all your windows; Spaces are the separate desktops you switch between. You manage Spaces from inside Mission Control.
Can full-screen apps show up here? Yes. Apps in full screen or Split View appear as their own thumbnails in the Spaces bar alongside your desktops.
Sources: Apple Support — See open windows and spaces in Mission Control on Mac · Apple Support — Work in multiple spaces on Mac