# How to get more screen space on a MacBook

Source: https://ribbonformac.com/more-screen-space-macbook  
Updated: 2026-10-29

The biggest single change is the display scaling: System Settings → Displays, pick the option towards <b>More Space</b>, and everything gets smaller so more fits. Then auto-hide the Dock (<kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>⌥</kbd><kbd>D</kbd>), consider hiding the menu bar, and stop windows overlapping so the space you have is all in use.

## 1. Scale the display to More Space

System Settings → **Displays**. The built-in display shows a row of sizes from **Larger Text** to **More Space**. Each step to the right shrinks text and controls, and fits more on screen. On a 13- or 14-inch MacBook, one step past the default is usually still comfortable to read; the furthest setting is small for most people.

Text stays sharp at every option, because macOS renders at a high resolution and scales down.

## 2. Auto-hide the Dock

Press <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>⌥</kbd><kbd>D</kbd> to toggle Dock hiding, or turn on **Automatically hide and show the Dock** in System Settings → Desktop & Dock. The Dock appears when you push the pointer to the bottom edge. While you're there, a smaller **Size** helps too.

Some people move the Dock to the left or right edge (Position on screen), because MacBook screens are wider than they are tall and vertical space is scarcer.

## 3. Hide the menu bar

macOS can hide the menu bar until you move the pointer to the top. The setting has moved between versions, so the quickest way is to open System Settings and search for **hide the menu bar**. Depending on the version, you can hide it all the time, only on the desktop, or only in full screen.

## 4. Turn off tiling margins

On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, tiled windows have a small gap around them. Turn off **Tiled windows have margins** in System Settings → Desktop & Dock to tile them edge to edge.

## 5. Trim each app's chrome

- **Hide toolbars and sidebars** you don't use: most apps have **View → Hide Toolbar** and **View → Hide Sidebar**.
- **Browsers:** hide the bookmarks bar (<kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>⇧</kbd><kbd>B</kbd> in Chrome and Safari) and zoom pages out with <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>-</kbd>.
- **Editors:** VS Code has Zen Mode and JetBrains IDEs have Distraction Free Mode, both of which hide the panels.

## 6. Turn off Stage Manager

Stage Manager keeps a column of thumbnails down the left side. If you don't use it, turn it off in Control Center. See [Stage Manager alternatives](https://ribbonformac.com/stage-manager-alternative).

## 7. Stop windows overlapping

Overlapping windows waste the space they cover: half of one window hides behind another, and you can't use either fully. Full screen fixes that for one window at a time, but hides everything else.

A scrolling window manager uses the screen's width fully without hiding windows. In [Ribbon](https://ribbonformac.com/), each window is a column on a strip that's wider than the screen. Give the window you're working in most of the width, keep a narrow reference column beside it, and the rest wait just off screen, a swipe away. On a small MacBook this usually beats both halves (too narrow for most apps) and full screen (too isolated). The [MacBook window manager guide](https://ribbonformac.com/macbook-window-manager) goes into more detail, and you can [try the strip in the live demo](https://ribbonformac.com/#demo). Ribbon is [$9.99 once](https://ribbonformac.com/#pricing).

## FAQ

### How do I make everything smaller on my MacBook screen?

System Settings → Displays, and choose an option towards More Space. Text and controls get smaller and more fits on screen.

### Does "More Space" make text blurry?

No. macOS renders at a high resolution and scales down, so text stays sharp. It just gets smaller.

### What's the shortcut to hide the Dock?

<kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>⌥</kbd><kbd>D</kbd> toggles automatic hiding.

## Keep reading
- [MacBook window manager](https://ribbonformac.com/macbook-window-manager) — Grids get cramped on 13–15" screens. What works better on a laptop, honestly.
- [Maximize without full screen](https://ribbonformac.com/maximize-window-mac-without-full-screen) — Fill, Option-click the green button, double-click the title bar, and shortcuts.
- [Trackpad gestures for multitasking](https://ribbonformac.com/mac-trackpad-gestures-multitasking) — Mission Control, App Exposé, desktops, Show Desktop, and freeing a swipe for a window manager.
- [Focus on one window](https://ribbonformac.com/focus-on-one-window-mac) — Hide others, full screen, Focus modes, and a centred column with the rest nearby.
- [MacBook + external monitor](https://ribbonformac.com/macbook-external-monitor-setup) — Arrangement, Spaces, moving windows between screens, clamshell mode and tiling.