New feature Stage Manager macOS 13 VenturaStage Manager can be used to organize your windows. You can use Stage Manager to quickly switch between applications and documents. This will save you the hassle of searching for the right window.
It’s easy to set up, but it’s a big change from what we’ve been using for decades on the Mac. Here’s everything you need to know about the Mac’s newest navigation and multitasking method.
macOS Ventura – Set up Stage Manager
You can activate or disable Stage Manager from the Control Center. However, you can also activate it and modify it in System Settings. Here’s how.
- Time to complete: 2 minutes
Tools needed: macOS Ventura Materials required: Ventura compatible with Mac Cost: Upgrades available for free
System Settings Stage Manager
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Select from Open System Settings Desktop & DockScroll down to the left column. Scroll down to the Stage Manager section in the main window. To toggle Stage Manager on/off, click the switch. A pop-up window will appear explaining what Stage Manager does when you turn it on the first time. Click the Turn on Stage ManagerClick the button to confirm you want it to be turned on.
Manage Stages Customized
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Click PersonalizeTo adjust how Stage Manager appears. Three settings are available:
- Recent applicationsTo stay on the screen, you will need to see the thumbnails on your left. Turning it off will hide the thumbnails and you’ll need to move the pointer to the left side of the display to make them appear.
- Desktop Items: Show your Mac’s storage devices, any files you save to the Desktop, etc.
- An application can show windows: This is an app that has multiple windows open. Two options are available:
- All at once: displays all the app’s windows stacked on the screen at the same time.
- One at a time: Displays only one window of the app. When you click the other app window’s thumbnail on the left, the currently displayed window switches with the thumbnail you clicked.
Close System Settings when you’re done
macOS Ventura: Stage Manager
The left side of your screen shows thumbnails for apps. When you launch the first app or have only one app open, it’s active on the screen and there’s no thumbnail. When you launch another app, that app becomes a thumbnail. You can launch more apps, and more thumbnails will be created until you have five. If there are more apps than five open, thumbnails are the most recent apps. If you quit an app, one of the thumbnail rows takes its place.
Clicking on the thumbnail displays the window. If you have multiple windows of an app open, how they appear depends on the setting you can customize in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Stage Manager > Personalize. (See step 2.) Apple offers two options. All at once (displays all the app’s windows stacked on the screen at the same time) or One at a time (displays only one window from the app and when you click the other app window’s thumbnail on the left, the currently displayed window switches with the thumbnail you clicked).
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macOS Ventura: Create Stage Manager groups
Groups of windows can be created that work together to improve your workflow. For example, if you’re writing a research paper, you can have Pages, Safari, Dictionary, and the Notes apps open, and you can group them together by dragging each thumbnail to the center of the screen. Click on a thumbnail within Stage Manager to automatically create a group. Click on the group thumbnail to bring up the app windows.
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MacOS Ventura: Hide the Stage Manager – Recent applications thumbnail strip
You can make Stage Manager hide the thumbnails from the top of the screen so they don’t always appear on the screen. You can turn the strip off in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Stage Manager > Personalize > Recent Applications. If you don’t want the thumbnails hidden, turn the switch off.
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macOS Ventura: Desktop access to Stage Manager
In System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Stage Manager > PersonalizeDesktop Items are an option. When it’s on, anything on the Desktop can be seen whenever you are in an app. When it’s off, anything on the desktop is hidden, and to see a Desktop item, you have to click on the Desktop.
This option should be turned off if you don’t like a clean desktop in an app. Turn this option on if the Desktop is used frequently as a place for storing and accessing files.
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