How to see all open windows on a Mac

Mission Control: everything on this desktop

Open it any of these ways:

• ⌃↑
• The Mission Control key (F3 on most Mac keyboards)
• Swipe up with three or four fingers on the trackpad
• Double-tap the Magic Mouse with two fingers, if that gesture is on in Mouse settings

Every window on the current desktop shrinks so they all fit. Click one to bring it forward. Other desktops and full-screen apps are the thumbnails in the bar at the top; hover over the bar if it's collapsed to see them larger.

If windows from the same app look jumbled, turn on Group windows by application in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Mission Control. Each app's windows then sit together.

App Exposé: one app's windows

⌃↓ shows only the front app's windows. Minimized windows appear in a row at the bottom, which makes App Exposé the quickest way to find a window you minimized and forgot.

Other ways in:

• Right-click the app's Dock icon → Show All Windows.
• In the ⌘Tab switcher, highlight the app and press ↓.
• Turn on App Exposé in System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures and swipe down.

Windows that don't show up

• Minimized windows are in the Dock, to the right of the divider, and in App Exposé. They don't appear in Mission Control's main view.
• Hidden apps (⌘H) don't show their windows anywhere until you switch back to the app.
• Windows on other desktops only appear as part of that desktop's thumbnail.
• Windows on another display show up in Mission Control on that display.

A list instead of thumbnails

• Window menu: most apps list their open windows by name at the bottom of the Window menu.
• AltTab: a free window switcher (⌥Tab by default) that shows a thumbnail of every window, across apps, in one row. See Alt-Tab on a Mac.

If you open Mission Control every few minutes

That's a sign windows are piling on top of each other. Mission Control is a good way to find a window, but it's a detour every time.

A scrolling window manager keeps every window visible as a column on one long strip, so you rarely need an overview at all. In Ribbon, the strip indicator at the bottom of the screen shows an icon for every window in order. Hold ⌃⌥ to keep it up, then click any icon to jump there, or drag icons to reorder windows. It's the same idea as Mission Control, but it never covers your work. Try it in the live demo, or see pricing: $9.99 once for one Mac.