Running out of room on one screen? macOS lets you create extra full-screen desktops — Apple calls them Spaces — so you can keep email and Slack on one desktop, your project on another, and a browser full of tabs on a third. Switching between them takes one keystroke, and nothing overlaps. Here is exactly how to add a second desktop space, move windows into it, and make specific apps always open where you want them.
The fastest way: add a Space in Mission Control
- Open Mission Control. Swipe up with three or four fingers on the trackpad, press the Mission Control key (F3, the icon with three rectangles), or press Control + Up Arrow.
- Look at the strip of thumbnails along the top of the screen — that is the Spaces bar. It shows “Desktop 1” and any full-screen apps you have open.
- Move your pointer to the top-right corner and click the + (plus) button. A new “Desktop 2” appears.
- Click that new desktop thumbnail (or press Escape) to start using it. You now have a second, completely separate desktop.
You can add several Spaces this way — most Macs comfortably handle up to 16. Each one is its own clean desktop with the same wallpaper and Dock.
Switch between desktops in one keystroke
- Control + Right Arrow / Control + Left Arrow — slide to the next or previous desktop.
- Three- or four-finger swipe left/right on the trackpad — the most natural way once you are used to it.
- Control + a number (for example Control + 2) jumps straight to that desktop — but you have to turn it on first in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Mission Control, where each “Switch to Desktop” shortcut has its own checkbox.
Move a window to another desktop
Three ways, from easiest to most precise:
- Drag it in Mission Control. Open Mission Control, then drag any window thumbnail up onto the desktop you want in the Spaces bar.
- Drag it to the screen edge. Grab a window by its title bar and push it hard against the left or right edge of the screen — hold for a second and macOS slides you to the neighboring desktop with the window in hand.
- Right-click the app in the Dock > Options. Best for making an app stay put (next section).
Make an app always open on a specific desktop
This is the real productivity win — pin Mail to Desktop 1 and your code editor to Desktop 2, and they open where you expect every time.
- Switch to the desktop where you want the app to live.
- Right-click (or Control-click) the app’s icon in the Dock.
- Hover Options, then choose one:
- This Desktop — the app always opens on the desktop you are on now.
- All Desktops — the app appears on every Space (handy for a music player or notes).
- None — the default; the app opens wherever you happen to be.
Full-screen apps are their own Space
When you click the green full-screen button on any window, macOS gives that app its own dedicated Space automatically — it slots into the Mission Control strip right beside your desktops. That is why a full-screen video or a maximized Safari window “disappears” from your main desktop: it did not close, it just moved to its own space. Swipe or Control-arrow over to find it.
Handy Spaces settings worth changing
Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock and scroll to the Mission Control section:
- “Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use” — turn this off if you want your desktops to stay in a fixed order (recommended when you use Control + number shortcuts).
- “When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application” — turn on if you want clicking an app in the Dock to jump you to its desktop.
- “Displays have separate Spaces” — controls how Spaces behave when you plug in an external monitor.
Spaces vs. Stage Manager vs. Split View
Spaces give you multiple full desktops. If instead you want two apps side by side on one screen, use Split View. If you want a single desktop that auto-tucks your other windows into a tidy strip on the left, that is a different feature — they all live under Mission Control and you can mix them freely.
Does your Mac feel slow juggling all this?
Spaces are free and every Mac supports them, but running email, a browser with 30 tabs, and design apps across several desktops leans on RAM. If your Mac beach-balls when you swipe between Spaces, it is usually memory pressure, not the feature. A clean Apple-silicon Mac handles a dozen desktops without blinking — a refurbished M2 MacBook Air from $974.99 or an M2 Mac mini from $897.99 is plenty, and you can find them on our Apple clearance page starting even lower with the M1 Air at $569.99. Every Mac we sell is fully tested and backed by our 1-year warranty.
Frequently asked questions
How many desktop Spaces can I have on a Mac?
Up to 16 Spaces per display. In practice, three or four is the sweet spot before switching between them becomes more work than it saves.
Why did my second desktop disappear?
If a Space had no open windows and you left it, macOS may remove it automatically, or “rearrange Spaces based on most recent use” reordered it. Turn that setting off in Desktop & Dock to keep your desktops in a fixed order.
How do I delete a Space?
Open Mission Control, hover the desktop thumbnail in the top strip, and click the X in its corner. Any windows on it move to your main desktop — nothing is lost.
Do Spaces work with an external monitor?
Yes. With “Displays have separate Spaces” on, each monitor gets its own independent set of Spaces; turn it off to span one set of Spaces across both screens.