Mission Control on Mac: How to Open & Use It on MacBook Air/Pro?

Mission Control for Mac Systems: Efficient Multitasking Guide

Mission Control is a fast and smooth multitasking tool in Mac systems that allows you to quickly switch between full-screen applications, expand workspaces between multiple virtual desktops, and more. Thanks to the built-in shortcut keys and gestures of macOS, it is very convenient to use.

This guide will show you all the ways to use Mission Control on your Mac and provide some practical tips to help you make the most of it to enhance your multitasking experience.

What is Mission Control on Mac?

Mission Control is a feature of macOS that speeds up multitasking by providing simple Mac gestures and shortcut keys to navigate between active applications. If you use a full screen program on a smaller display, such as a MacBook, it is difficult to see other applications in the background, and Mission Control is especially useful at this time.

Mission Control also allows you to manage multiple Spaces (essentially virtual desktops) and switch quickly between them. We recommend this feature for users who want to organize their applications by task, such as setting up a Space for work software and another Space for personal use.

How does Mission Control work on macOS

One of the main selling points of Mission Control in macOS is that it can display all open applications in one layer. This makes it very easy to find specific windows when you open many applications at the same time, and it allows you to navigate between programs that are opened in full screen or split view.

Mission Control can greatly improve how you multitask on your Mac, especially if you are the type of person who needs to run many software simultaneously on a smaller screen. It is also an indispensable tool for macOS users who are not very good at organizing applications and windows.

How to open Mission Control on MacBook

There are several ways to open Mission Control on your Mac, such as pressing the Mission Control key on any keyboard that supports it, or swiping up with three fingers on your MacBook's trackpad.

If you don't have a Mission Control shortcut or Apple trackpad, our team recommends that you press and hold the Control key and press the up arrow on your keyboard to access Mission Control on your Mac. Alternatively, you can add Mission Control to your Mac's Dock and open it from it.

The specific operation is as follows:

Open
1. Finder and select Applications folder in the sidebar.
Find
2. Mission Control and drag the icon into the Dock on your Mac to pin it there.

Now, you can click this icon in the Dock at any time to open Mission Control.

How to use Mission Control on Mac

There are some great ways to really improve your multitasking experience with Mission Control on your Mac. Here are four features powered by or supplemented by Mission Control, and you should know how to use them:

1. Using full screen application window
2. Multiple desktops in Mission Control
3. Split View in Mission Control
4. Move the window to Spaces

1. Use full screen application window

The problem with using a full screen application is that it makes finding other windows more difficult, but Mission Control can solve this problem. To manage and navigate between full-screen programs, try the following:

1. Put your app to full screen mode by clicking on the green circle in the upper left corner of its window.
Activate
2. Mission Control using one of the above methods.
Use the Spaces panel at the top of the screen to view and move between full-screen applications.
To minimize a full-screen application, hover over its position in the Spaces panel and click the
4. Minimize button in the upper left corner of its window.

2. Multiple desktops in Mission Control

One of the best features of Mission Control is that it allows you to use multiple virtual desktops, which Apple calls Spaces. To create, close, and navigate between different Spaces, follow these steps:

Access
1. Mission Control on your Mac using the method that works best for you.
Click the
2. button to the right of the Spaces panel to create a new virtual desktop.
If you want to turn off a Space, hover over it and click the
3. X button in the upper left corner of it.

3. Split view in Mission Control

Split View is another great multitasking feature on your Mac, which allows you to place two apps side by side in full screen mode, and it works really well with Mission Control. Here is the setting method:

1. Open two applications to use in the split view.
2. In one of the apps, hover over the green circle in the upper left corner of its window to show more options.
3. Go to Full screen and select on the left side of the screen or on the right side of the screen .
4. Your application will now go to Split view. Select the second application to display on the other half of the screen.
5. To navigate to other applications and Spaces, go to Mission Control and select the application or Space you want to switch to.

4. Move the window to Spaces

If you want to know how to clear your Mac home screen and keep it neat, you can organize your apps across multiple Spaces. I chose to use the main application in one Space and the secondary application in another; you might want to set up separate Spaces for work and personal programs. The method is as follows:

1. Enter Mission Control and click the button in the upper right corner to create a new Space.
2. Drag the application you want to move to the second desktop into the Space you just created.
3. Rearrange them by simply dragging Spaces in the Spaces panel.

After you create the required Spaces, you can quickly switch between them by sliding left and right with three or four fingers on your Mac's trackpad, or pressing the Left arrow or Right arrow on the keyboard while holding down the Control key.

How to configure Mission Control on Mac

Apple didn't give us too many ways to customize Mission Control on Mac, but you can configure the available options from your system settings as follows:

1. Open System settings and select Desktop and Dock in the sidebar.
2. Scroll down to the Mission Control option and configure it according to your preferences. You can choose to automatically rearrange Spaces, create separate Spaces for different monitors, and more.

Unfortunately, it will be very convenient to lock individual Spaces on your Mac. If you use your Mac for working applications, you still need to understand how to lock the screen on your Mac to protect your sensitive data.

Conclusion

Mission Control is one of the best multitasking methods in macOS, which gives you faster control over your applications and desktop Spaces. There are many ways to take advantage of it, such as making your app full screen, putting them in a split view, and so on - all of which you can learn above.

If you find that multitasking slows down your Mac, it may be because of insufficient available memory. Use MacKeeper's memory cleaner to safely clear old data from system RAM without restarting your Mac, and you will immediately notice the improvement in speed and stability.

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