Use Stage Manager to organize apps and windows on Mac
Stage Manager organizes apps and windows so that your desktop is clutter-free and you can stay focused.
Turn Stage Manager on or off
Requires macOS Ventura or later
Click Control Center in the menu bar, then click Stage Manager.
Organize apps and windows in Stage Manager
Stage Manager shows the app you're currently using in the center of the screen. Other apps you're using appear as thumbnails on the side.
To switch between windows, click a thumbnail.
To access files and folders on your desktop, click the desktop.
Thumbnails are arranged automatically based on recent use, with up to six thumbnails shown, depending on the size of your desktop. Each thumbnail shows a live view of its window, so you can see updates like incoming messages without switching to that window.
To create a group of windows in the center, drag a thumbnail to the center window, or press the Shift key while clicking the thumbnail. The image above shows two groups: Keynote and Finder windows are grouped in the center, and News and Music windows are grouped in the bottom thumbnail.
To remove a window from a group you created, drag it back to the thumbnail area.
To move or resize the center window, drag its title bar, or drag an edge of the window to expand that side of the window. If a window covers the thumbnails, the thumbnails hide until you uncover them or move the pointer to the left edge of the screen. If you make a window enter full screen, it moves to its own space outside of Stage Manager.
To drag items to another window, hold the dragged item over a thumbnail until its window moves to the center, then drop the item into the window. If multiple windows are in the center, you can hold the item over a rear window until it moves to the front, then drop the item.
To send a window to the side as a thumbnail without switching windows, click the minimize button in the corner of the window. Or press Command-M.
To hide an app's thumbnail and windows, press Command-H. When an app isn't visible because it's hidden or hasn't been used recently, you can switch to that app in other ways, such as from the Dock or by pressing Command-Tab.
Change Stage Manager settings
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar, then click Customize next to Stage Manager on the right.
Recent applications
When this setting is turned on, thumbnails remain visible, unless covered by a window.
When this setting is turned off, thumbnails are hidden until you move your pointer to the left edge of the screen.
Desktop items
When this setting is turned on, items on your desktop remain visible.
When this setting is turned off, items on your desktop are hidden until you click your desktop.
Show windows from an application
All at Once: The app in the center of the screen shows all of its windows at the same time.
One at a Time: The app in the center of the screen shows one of its windows at a time. Its other windows are in the app's thumbnail. To switch between them, click the thumbnail. You can still drag windows from the thumbnail to the center to create a group.
On most keyboards that have a character key to the left of the number 1, you can press that key together with the Command (⌘) key to quickly switch between the windows of the app you're using.
If you don't see Stage Manager in Control Center
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar, then scroll down on the right and make sure that “Displays have separate Spaces” is turned on. You should now see Stage Manager in Control Center.
