With many windows open, you quickly lose track on a MacBook. Mission Control helps: one swipe shows all your open windows side by side. With Spaces you create several desktops, for example one for work and one for personal use. This article explains how to use Mission Control and Spaces, and how to find your apps quickly now that Launchpad works differently in newer macOS versions.
Blue Apple repairs MacBooks in Amsterdam. If trackpad gestures no longer work properly, the trackpad itself may be the cause; more about that at the end.
Opening Mission Control
- Trackpad: swipe up with three (or four) fingers.
- Keyboard: press the Mission Control key (F3, with the rectangles) or Control + up arrow.
You see all your open windows side by side. Click a window to go to it. At the top you see a bar with your desktops (Spaces).
All windows of one app
Swipe down with three fingers (or press Control + down arrow). You then see only the windows of the app you are using. Handy when you have many documents open in the same app.
Spaces: several desktops
- Open Mission Control.
- Click the plus at the top right. A new desktop is added.
- Drag windows to the desktop where you want them.
- Switch between desktops by swiping left or right with three fingers, or with Control + left/right arrow.
An app in full screen automatically gets its own Space. If you always want an app on a certain desktop, right-click its icon in the Dock and choose the desktop under Options.
Showing the desktop
If you briefly need a file on your desktop, spread your thumb and three fingers apart on the trackpad. All windows slide aside. The same gesture in reverse brings them back.
Finding your apps
Older macOS versions had Launchpad: a screen with all your apps as icons. In macOS Tahoe and newer you find your apps in their own overview via Spotlight and the Dock. The fastest way remains: Command + Space bar, type a few letters of the app, and Return. Spotlight also finds files, mails and settings. You can also open the Applications folder in the Finder or put it in the Dock.
Hot Corners
With Hot Corners you start a function by moving the pointer into a corner of the screen. For example, put Mission Control in the top-left corner and Desktop in the bottom-right corner. You set them in System Settings, Desktop & Dock, with the Hot Corners button at the bottom.
Adjusting the settings
In System Settings, Desktop & Dock you find the Mission Control options, such as grouping windows by app and whether Spaces rearrange automatically. Better turn the latter off if you want your desktops always in the same place. In System Settings, Trackpad, under More Gestures, you choose which gesture does what.
Gestures do not work
- Check the settings under Trackpad, More Gestures.
- Clean the trackpad with a slightly damp cloth.
- Restart the Mac.
If the trackpad responds poorly in general, no longer clicks or feels hard, read MacBook trackpad not working and right-click on a MacBook.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
We test and repair trackpads, keyboards and the rest of your MacBook. A trackpad that no longer clicks can also point to a swollen battery; we check that straight away. More on our pages about MacBook trackpad repair and MacBook repair in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
How many Spaces can I create?
Up to sixteen per screen.
Where did Launchpad go?
In newer macOS versions it was replaced by an app overview via Spotlight. You also find your apps in the Applications folder.
Can I use Mission Control with a mouse?
Yes, with the Mission Control key or by setting a screen corner (Hot Corners).
