RibbonHow to focus on one window at a time on a Mac
The quickest fix is ⌘⌥H, which hides every app except the one you're in. Full screen goes further but cuts you off from everything else. If you want the other windows out of sight but one keystroke away, centre the window you're working in and let the rest sit beside it.
1. Hide everything else
⌘⌥H hides all other apps. Their windows vanish until you switch back to them with ⌘Tab or the Dock. Nothing closes or moves, so it's safe to do constantly.
If you like this, there's an old habit worth picking up: hold ⌥ while clicking another app's window or Dock icon, and the app you're leaving hides as you go.
2. Full screen
⌃⌘F in most apps. The window takes the whole screen in its own Space, and the menu bar and Dock hide. It's the most distraction-free option, but switching to another app means sliding to another Space, and you can't glance at a reference window without leaving.
3. Focus modes for notifications
Visual clutter is half the problem; notifications are the other half. Open Control Center → Focus and turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus you've set up in System Settings → Focus. A Focus can allow notifications from chosen people and apps only.
4. Stage Manager
Stage Manager shows one app (or group) in the middle and the rest as thumbnails at the side. Some people like it for focus; others find the thumbnails distracting and the window shuffling slow. See Stage Manager alternatives if it isn't for you.
5. Centre the window you're working in
All of the above make a trade: either you see only one window, or you see clutter. There's a middle ground: the window you're working in sits in the middle of the screen at a comfortable width, and everything else waits to the left and right, partly visible or just off screen.
That's how a scrolling window manager behaves. In Ribbon:
- ⌃⌥C centres the focused column on screen.
- A centre focused column setting can do this automatically: never, only when the column wouldn't otherwise fit, or always.
- ⌃⌥F makes the window full width without a separate full-screen Space.
- Optional dim inactive windows and a focus border make the active window stand out.
- ⌃⌥← / → or a three-finger swipe brings the neighbours in when you need them, then you swipe back.
No window ever covers another, so "focus" is just where the strip is scrolled to. Try it in the live demo; pricing is $9.99 once for one Mac.
Which to use
- Writing or reading for a long stretch: full screen, plus a Focus mode.
- Quick concentration in the middle of a busy day: ⌘⌥H.
- Working mostly in one window but checking others often: a centred column on a scrolling strip.
FAQ
How do I hide all other windows on a Mac?
Press ⌘⌥H to hide every app except the front one.
How do I make one window stand out on a Mac?
macOS dims nothing by itself. Full screen hides everything else; a window manager like Ribbon can dim inactive windows or draw a border round the active one.
Is full screen good for focus?
Yes, for a single task. It's less good when you need to look at a second window regularly, because each switch slides to another Space.