How to See All Open Windows on Mac

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We all know how annoying it can get when you have a lot of windows open on your laptop or PC. Sorting through that mess can be a big headache; more often than not, we end up closing all the tabs instead of the necessary ones. This article details how to See All Open Windows on Mac.

Things can get cluttered fairly quickly if you have a few windows open or are actively working on something that needs you to open new windows. Apple has made it very easy to manage all open windows on your Mac. Mac has a Mission Control feature that allows you to view all the windows open on your desktop intuitively.

How to See All Open Windows on Mac?

There are various ways you can see all open windows on Mac. The first method is the easiest; all you need to do is use a three-finger gesture to open Mission Control. This method will only work if your Mac has a trackpad. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac and open a few random windows just to test this method. 
  • Once that is done, place three fingers on the trackpad and swipe them simultaneously upwards.
See All Open Windows on Mac
  • You will notice the screen responds instantaneously, and Mission Control will show up, containing all the actively running apps in the background arranged in a grid. 

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How to Use Mission Control From the Dock?

You can also access Mission Control from the dock. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac and open a few random windows just to test this method. 
  • Next, look for the Mission Control app on the dock; it should have three small colorful squares as icons. 
  • Click on it, and you’ll be able to see the Mission Control launch. 
  • Furthermore, you can also use a Spotlight search to do the same. Use the Command-Space shortcut to launch the search bar, type in “mission control,” and hit the return key to launch the app. 

How to Launch Mission Control From The Keyboard?

Mac’s also has a dedicated key to open Mission Control from the Keyboard. The key will have three squares drawn on it, indicating that it is a shortcut for Mission Control. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac and open a few random windows just to test this method. 
  • On most Macs, this key is the F3 key; however, this may be different for you. Press the F3 key to launch Mission Control on your Mac. 

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How to Launch Mission Control Using Hot Corners?

Hot corners are shortcuts triggered when the cursor goes to one of the four extreme corners of Mac’s screen. It is pretty straightforward to set up a hot corner to launch Mission Control from it. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac. 
  • Head over to the menu bar and choose the Apple logo.
  • Click on System Preferences from the list and head over to the Desktop & screen saver tab. 
  • Click on the Screen saver tab and choose Hot corners from the bottom of the window. 
  • A new pop-up window will open where you can select what apps you want to put in the hot corners available. Select any corner you wish to and click on the drop-down menu beside it. 
  • Select Mission Control from the list and click on Ok. Now, whenever you move the cursor to that hot corner, your Mac will launch Mission Control. 
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How to Launch Mission Control From the Dock?

You have yet another method to launch Mission Control if you have a Mac with a touch bar. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac.
  • Press the small arrow next to the Control Strip on your touch bar. The Control Strip is the list of icons containing the brightness, volume,  and mute controls. 
  • When you press the small arrow, a list of additional icons will fill up the entirety of the touch bar. 
  • Click on the icon with three different-sized squares to launch Mission Control. 

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How to Change Keyboard Shortcuts For Accessing Mission Control?

You can easily change the keyboard shortcut to access mission control from the System Preferences. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  • Sign in to your Mac. 
  • Head over to the menu bar and choose the Apple logo.
  • Click on System Preferences from the list and head over to the Mission Control tab.
  • In the Keyboard and Mouse shortcuts section, press the box next to the Mission Control option, and a list of potential alternatives will be displayed in the list. You can choose whichever shortcut you’d like to use for opening Mission Control.
how to see all open windows on mac with mouse
  • Next, do the same thing with the Application Windows option and select a different shortcut that is somewhat related to the one to open up Mission Control. This will be handy as it allows you to open and close Mission Control easily. 

Can I Add Mission Control to The Dock?

Yes, all you have to do is simply drag and drop the Mission Control app to add it to the dock. Read the details provided below to know more about the process. 

  1. Sign in to your Mac, open a Finder window from the dock, or use a Spotlight search to do the same. Use the Command-Space shortcut to launch the search bar, type in “finder,” and hit the return key to launch the app. 
  2. Head over to the Applications tab from the menu on the left side. 
  3. Click on the Mission Control app once to select it, then drag it over to the dock and drop it. 
  4. The Mission Control app will now be added to the dock. 

Conclusion

That’s it, for this article folks. We hope you understood how you can access Mission Control using various methods and how useful it is in day-to-day operations. Here we saw, How to See All Open Windows on Mac.

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