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How-To: Group Mission Control windows by application on OS X [Video]

Mission Control is a tool that I use every day on my Mac to quickly locate open app windows. In my opinion, though, finding a specific window in the Mission Control view can be a challenge if you have many app windows open at once.

The good news is that it’s easy to group like applications while using Mission Control. More importantly, enabling grouping places the relevant app icon near groups and single windows. Having an app icon displayed makes it even easier to identify a particular app window while using Mission Control.

How to enable Mission Control window grouping

Step 1: Open System Preferences → Mission Control.

Step 2: Click the check box next to Group windows by application.

Step 3: Invoke Mission Control.

With grouping enabled, not only are app windows grouped together, but each window now features an app icon for quick identification. Not everyone will appreciate having grouped windows in Mission Control, but I largely prefer it to using non-grouped windows. Watch the video below as I compare Mission Control before and after enabling grouping.

Video walkthrough

Be sure to check out some of our other OS X tips for more Mac tutorials, and if you’re new to the Mac, have a look at our top OS X tips for new Mac users.

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Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.