macOS window management: 7 useful built-in tools

Find the right window

1. See everything in Mission Control. Press Control–Up Arrow, or swipe up with three or four fingers on a trackpad. Choose the window you need. The gesture can be changed in System Settings → Trackpad.
2. See only the front app’s windows. Press Control–Down Arrow. This is especially handy when one app has several documents open; it does not show every app’s windows.
3. Use separate desktops (Spaces). Open Mission Control, then use the + in the Spaces bar to add a desktop. Drag a window onto a desktop thumbnail to move it there. You can keep work and personal windows apart without closing either app.

Arrange your workspace

4. Put two apps in Split View. Hover over a window’s green button and choose Full Screen → Left of Screen or Right of Screen; then select the second window. Drag the divider to adjust their widths. Split View creates its own Space and requires compatible apps.
5. Tile a regular window. On supported macOS versions, drag a window to the left or right screen edge and release it when the highlighted area appears. This keeps the window on your desktop, unlike full-screen Split View. You can change tiling behavior in System Settings → Desktop & Dock.

Clear clutter without closing apps

6. Hide other apps. Press Option–Command–H to keep the front app visible and hide other apps. Switch back to a hidden app with Command–Tab when you need it; hiding does not quit it.
7. Reveal the desktop. Press Command–Mission Control, Fn–H or Fn–F11, depending on your keyboard. A trackpad alternative is to spread your thumb and three fingers. Repeat the shortcut or gesture to bring the windows back.

Shortcuts can differ if you have customized them or an app overrides them. Start with Mission Control and one other move you will actually use, then check your Mac’s keyboard and trackpad settings if a gesture behaves differently.