When you have a dozen windows open, finding the right one is easier if you can see them all at once. On a Mac, Mission Control spreads out every open window on the current desktop, and App Exposé shows just the windows of one app. This guide covers every way to open them, how to customise them, and a few related tricks for clearing the screen.
Quick Answer
Press Control-Up Arrow or the Mission Control key (F3 on many keyboards), or swipe up with three fingers on the trackpad, to see all open windows. Press Control-Down Arrow to see only the current app’s windows. Click a window to bring it to the front.
Open Mission Control
According to Apple’s Mission Control guide, you can enter or leave it in several ways:
- Keyboard: press the Mission Control key or Control-Up Arrow.
- Trackpad: swipe up with three fingers; swipe down to leave.
- Magic Mouse: double-tap with two fingers.
- Drag a window to the top of the screen; click the desktop to leave.
Mission Control lays out all windows on the current desktop in a single layer. Full-screen apps, Split View pairs and other desktops appear as thumbnails in the Spaces bar along the top.
See Only One App’s Windows (App Exposé)
- Click any window of the app, such as a Safari or Finder window.
- Press Control-Down Arrow. If App Exposé is enabled in Trackpad settings, you can also swipe down with three or four fingers.
- Click the window you want. Recently closed documents for some apps appear along the bottom.
You can also right-click an app’s icon in the Dock and choose Show All Windows.
Group Windows by App
If Mission Control looks cluttered, open Apple menu, System Settings, Desktop & Dock, scroll to Mission Control and turn on Group windows by application. Windows from the same app then stack together, which makes them easier to scan.
Show the Desktop
To push every window aside and reach files on the desktop, press Command-Mission Control or spread your thumb and three fingers apart on the trackpad. Press the keys again, or pinch, to bring the windows back. Apple suggests this trick for copying or moving files to the desktop while lots of windows are open.
Other Ways to Move Between Windows
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Command-Tab | Switch between open apps |
| Command-` (grave accent, left of 1) | Cycle through windows of the current app |
| Control-Left or Right Arrow | Move between desktops (spaces) |
| Command-M | Minimise the current window |
| Command-H | Hide the current app |
Set Up a Hot Corner
To open Mission Control by moving the pointer into a screen corner, go to System Settings, Desktop & Dock, click Hot Corners at the bottom, and choose Mission Control or Application Windows for one corner. Hold a modifier key such as Command when choosing if you want to avoid triggering it by accident.
Troubleshooting
- Shortcut does nothing: check System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control, and make sure the shortcuts are turned on.
- Trackpad gesture doesn’t work: in Trackpad settings, More Gestures, confirm Mission Control and App Exposé are enabled and see which finger count they use.
- Some windows are missing: minimised windows appear at the bottom in App Exposé, and windows on other desktops only show in that desktop’s Mission Control.
- Two displays: Mission Control on a second display shows only the windows and spaces on that display.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see windows on other desktops?
Open Mission Control and hover over a desktop thumbnail in the Spaces bar, or click it to switch to that desktop.
Can I change the keyboard shortcut?
Yes. Go to System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control, and set new keys.
Does this work on older macOS versions?
Yes. Mission Control and App Exposé have worked the same way for many years; older versions keep the settings in System Preferences instead of System Settings.
Summary
- Press Control-Up Arrow or swipe up with three fingers for all windows.
- Press Control-Down Arrow for one app’s windows.
- Turn on Group windows by application to reduce clutter.
- Press Command-Mission Control to show the desktop.
- Add a hot corner for one-move access.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He started on a university help desk, spent years as the IT person for small businesses, and has been writing tech guides full time since 2020. Each guide is checked on a device he owns, and re-checked when a menu moves. More about Kermit.