Mission Control shortcuts for Mac: the useful ones

Apple keyboards often include a Mission Control key marked with three small rectangles. On keyboards where the top row controls media and system features, you may need to hold Fn while pressing the key.

Control–Down Arrow shows the windows for the current application. Command–Tab switches applications rather than Spaces, so it can move you to a different desktop when the chosen app has windows elsewhere.

Swipe up with three or four fingers on a trackpad to open Mission Control. Swipe left or right with three or four fingers to move between Spaces. On a Magic Mouse, double-tap with two fingers to open Mission Control and swipe with two fingers to change Space.

The exact finger count follows your Trackpad settings. If a gesture does nothing, open System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures and check Mission Control and Swipe between full-screen applications.

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts, then choose Mission Control. You can enable or replace the shortcuts for Mission Control, Application windows and moving left or right a Space.

Avoid shortcuts already used by an editor, browser extension or remote-desktop tool. Pick a combination you can press without leaving the home row, then use the same pattern for left and right movement.

Keyboard speed only helps when the destination is predictable. Turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use if you want the same project to remain the same number of key presses away.

Give each Space a visibly different wallpaper. The keyboard moves you quickly; the colour and project name confirm that you arrived in the right place.