In Mac OS X, while running multiple applications, how can I clean up my cluttered screen?
If you often work with several applications at a time in Mac OS X, you may find that your screen becomes overrun with windows from the various programs. You have several options for cutting down on this clutter.
Hiding applications
You can hide applications and the windows associated with them,
which removes them from the desktop without actually quitting them. To
hide the currently active application, hold down the
Option key and click the desktop (the background part of
the screen that is not filled with windows).
Alternately, you can hide the active application by using the
Application menu. The Application menu is directly to the right of the
Apple menu on the left side of the screen and is named after the
currently active application. To hide the active window, from the
Application menu, select Hide [Application] (where
[Application] is the name of the active program). The
keystroke equivalent of this, which works in most applications, is
Command-h .
You may also use the Application menu to hide the windows of all
applications except the active one. From the Application menu, select
Hide Others. To show the hidden applications, from the
Application menu, select Show All.
Collapsing windows
You may collapse windows into the Dock. Click the minimize button, which is the middle button (usually yellow) on the left side of the window. To bring the window back, just click its representation in the Dock.
Pop-up windows
Pop-up windows were included in Mac OS 8 through 9.x, but not in OS
X. When you drag a window to the bottom of the screen, it transforms
into a tab labeled with the window's name. To turn a window into a
pop-up window, from the View menu, select as Pop-up
Window. You can see the contents of the window by clicking the
tab, or you can drag it from the bottom of the screen to turn it back
into a regular window.
Multiple desktops
Although the capability is not built into the operating system (prior to 10.5), some third-party applications let you create virtual desktops. Think of it as having multiple copies of your desktop and the ability to switch back and forth between them. You can place windows on several different desktop screens, keeping each screen uncluttered but allowing you to run multiple applications with many open windows. Typically, you can move windows between the virtual screens, assign some windows so they appear in all screens, and manage which screen is active through keystrokes and/or a palette.
Several applications provide this functionality:
- VirtualDesktop for OS X is available from CodeTek Studios. Virtual for Mac OS 9 and earlier is available from many Macintosh software archives.
- You Control: Desktops is available from You Software.
- Desktop Manager is being developed by Richard Wareham.
Last modified on November 24, 2009.
