Apple has added a new multitasking feature called Stage Manager, which helps you work more easily with multiple applications on your Mac.
Juggling multiple apps and windows on your Mac can be tricky, especially if you’re trying to focus on just one app or window at a time while keeping the others easily accessible. With macOS Ventura, Apple added a new multitasking feature called Stage Manager.
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With Stage Manager, your current app stays in the center of the screen while other open apps reside on the left side. Appearing as thumbnails, apps are sorted by recent use, with up to six thumbnails visible at a time depending on your resolution and screen size. Each tile displays a live view so you can see updates and new information, assuming the tile is large enough.
What you’ll need to use Stage Manager on macOS
To use Stage Manager, your Mac must be running macOS Ventura or higher. To update from a previous version, click the Apple icon, select About This Mac, then click the Software Update button. Click the Upgrade Now button to install the update.
Multitasking with Stage Manager on macOS Ventura
First method: activate Stage Manager first
You activate Stage Manager before or after opening several applications. Let’s first try to activate it beforehand. Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and select the control for Stage Manager (Figure A).
Figure A
Open an app and it takes center stage. Then open a second app. The second app replaces the first one in the center, while the first app appears as a smaller tile on the left side.
You can easily switch between the two apps by clicking the one that appears as an icon on the left (Figure B).
Figure B
Open a third application, then a fourth, a fifth and a sixth. Each new app you open appears in the center, while other apps reside as small thumbnails on the left side. Continue to switch between each app by clicking on a specific app on the left to move it to the center (Figure C).
Figure C
Depending on the resolution set on your Mac, Stage Manager can display up to six different applications, with the one in the center and five on the left side. If you open a seventh app, one of the apps on the left will no longer be visible, although you can still open it from the Dock (Figure D).
Figure D
From Stage Manager, you can also close the central window, and one of the applications takes its place (Figure E).
Figure E
Method Two: Open Multiple Apps First
You can activate Stage Manager after you have already opened several applications and want to organize them. Open multiple apps, then click the Stage Manager control in the control center. Your most recent app appears in the center, while other apps appear as smaller tiles on the left (Figure F).
Figure F
Method Three: Control Stage Manager Behaviors
You can control certain behaviors in Stage Manager. If you enlarge the central window, the applications on the left hide. Restore the central window to a smaller size and the applications become visible again. If you move the central window to the left, apps in that area are pushed to the side out of view of the screen. Move the central window to the right and the applications reappear (G-figure).
G-figure
Method 4: Group windows in Stage Manager
You can add multiple applications or windows in a single group. Move an app from left to center so that it overlaps the current center window. These two applications are now part of a group (H-figure).
H-figure
Click one of the other apps on the left so it takes center stage, and the two windows you added to the group remain grouped together as smaller thumbnails to the side (I figure).
I figure
Click on the grouped windows on the left side to reposition them in the center. To remove one of the windows from the group, drag and drop the app to the left side until it becomes a smaller thumbnail. The remaining window stays in the center (Figure J).
Figure J
Method Five: Change Stage Manager Settings
Finally, you can change some Stage Manager settings. Click the Apple icon, select System Settings, then select Desktop and Dock. Scroll down this screen to the Stage Manager section and click the Customize button. Turning off the switch for recent apps hides the tiles on the left. Turning off the switch for desktop items hides all files on your desktop.
Click the drop-down menu for Show Application Windows. Setting this option to All at once displays all open windows of your current application in the center. Setting it to One at a time displays only one of its windows at a time (Figure K).
Figure K
