Screen DividerMission Control on Mac: open it, use multiple desktops (Spaces), change the settings
Mission Control is the bird’s-eye view of your Mac: every open window laid out at once, with your desktops (Spaces) and full-screen apps in a strip along the top. Here’s how to open it, how to use Spaces, and the settings that change how it behaves.
Checked against Apple’s Mac User Guide and Mac keyboard shortcuts page on October 22, 2026.
How to open Mission Control
From Apple’s Mission Control guide, any of these opens it, and the same move closes it again:
| Using | Open Mission Control |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | Control-Up Arrow, or the Mission Control key in the top row |
| Trackpad | Swipe up with three fingers (swipe down to leave) |
| Magic Mouse | Double-tap with two fingers |
| Dragging a window | Drag it up to the top of the screen (click the desktop to leave) |
The keyboard shortcut can be changed in Keyboard settings and the gestures in Trackpad or Mouse settings. Option–Mission Control opens Mission Control’s settings directly (Apple’s shortcut list). On a second display, Mission Control shows only that display’s windows and spaces.
The other Mission Control views
- All windows of the current app: Control-Down Arrow (or swipe down with three or four fingers if App Exposé is on in Trackpad settings). For keyboard-only switching without the overview, see how to switch between windows on a Mac.
- Show the desktop: Command–Mission Control, or spread your thumb and three fingers apart; more ways in our guide to showing the desktop on a Mac.
- Group windows by app: turn on “Group windows by application” in Desktop & Dock › Mission Control.
Multiple desktops on a Mac: Spaces
Spaces are additional desktops, each with its own windows. Apple’s Work in multiple spaces guide:
Add a space
Open Mission Control and click the add button (+) in the Spaces bar at the top. You can have up to 16 spaces. Click a space’s thumbnail to go to it. Tip from Apple: give each space a different wallpaper so you can tell them apart.
Move between spaces
- Control-Right Arrow or Control-Left Arrow.
- Swipe left or right with three or four fingers on a trackpad, or two fingers on a Magic Mouse.
- Open Mission Control, move the pointer to the top edge and click a space.
Move a window to another space
- Drag the window to the edge of the screen and hold it there; after a moment it moves to the next space.
- Or open Mission Control and drag the window up onto the space you want in the Spaces bar.
Drag a window onto a full-screen app’s thumbnail instead and the two open in Split View; see how to split screen on a Mac.
Keep an app in one space
Control-click the app’s icon in the Dock, choose Options, then under Assign To pick All Desktops, This Desktop, Desktop on Display (with several displays) or None.
Remove a space
In Mission Control, move the pointer to the top edge, hold it over the space and click the close button. Its windows move to another space. Full-screen and Split View apps have an Exit button on their thumbnail instead; for more on those, see the full screen shortcut on Mac.
Mission Control settings worth knowing
In System Settings › Desktop & Dock, scroll to Mission Control (Apple’s Desktop & Dock settings):
- Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use. If your spaces keep changing order, turn this off.
- When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application. This is why opening a new document can jump you to another desktop. Turn it off to stay put.
- Group windows by application. Stacks each app’s windows together in Mission Control.
- Displays have separate Spaces. Each display gets its own spaces and the Dock is available on every display. Stage Manager needs it on (see Stage Manager on Mac), and so does Split View on a second display. (See MacBook dual monitor setup for connecting and arranging a second screen.)
Mission Control finds windows; it doesn’t arrange them
Mission Control is great for finding a window and sorting work into desktops, but inside each desktop the windows still land wherever they open. To lay them out, use macOS’s own window tiling (macOS 15 and later) for halves and quarters, or a layout app. Screen Divider lets you draw a grid, merge cells into your own zones and drag windows into them to snap, with a separate layout for each display. It’s a $12 one-time menu-bar app for macOS 13 and later.
FAQ
What is the shortcut for Mission Control on Mac?
Control-Up Arrow, or the Mission Control key on the top row of the keyboard. On a trackpad, swipe up with three fingers. Do the same again to leave.
How do I add multiple desktops on a Mac?
Open Mission Control and click the add button (+) in the Spaces bar at the top of the screen. You can create up to 16 spaces.
How many desktops can a Mac have?
Up to 16 spaces (desktops). Apps in full screen or Split View also show up as thumbnails in the Spaces bar.
How do I switch between desktops on a Mac?
Press Control-Right Arrow or Control-Left Arrow, or swipe left or right with three or four fingers on a trackpad.
How do I stop my Mac from rearranging Spaces?
System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Mission Control: turn off “Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use”.
How do I move a window to another desktop?
Open Mission Control and drag the window onto a space in the Spaces bar, or drag the window to the edge of the screen and hold it until it moves to the next space.