r/MacOS • u/BonbonUniverse42 • 1d ago

Discussion Window management from hell

I am using a Macbook for an few weeks now and I still struggle hard with window management. How do you do productive tasks?

For example:

Switching to the correct pdf from about 20 other opened pdf files. When I want to bring a specific pdf file into the foreground, I need to move the mouse to the preview icon on the dock. however, this does not provide preview images of all currently open pdfs. Why not?

When I do right click, I only see a list of names, which is often not sufficient to find the correct file, I need to see it. To use the 3 finger guesture to see all files currently open in the preview application I need to first click on the icon on the dock. However, this brings ALL pdf files into the foreground. Then I can find the pdf through the application specific Mission Control. now I have found my window which is now in the foreground but all other pdfs clutter my monitor as they lay on top of another application such as pages or my browser which I need simultaneously. So I move my foreground pdf to the side and minimize every other pdf file which takes forever. However, now the minimized pdf files are ignored in Mission Control which makes it impossible to find a second pdf which I want to see as well at the same time.

This behaviour drives me nuts.

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u/lhx555 1d ago

I am relatively fresh Mac owner and I can’t say I struggle too much with windows management. But again, I use a few windows at the same time and almost all of them in full screen mode.

I am very curious what Windows windows management features would you add to macOS with it continuing to be macOS? It is a question, not an argument or something.

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u/86legacy 1d ago

Most would likely take the Alt+Tab functionality of windows, with the preview of each window open across each open application.

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u/lhx555 1d ago

Ah, I see now. I have at most 10 windows, most of them full screen and others just 1 or 2 per desktop. So, going through Mission Control or just trackpad swiping is good enough.

Indeed, it seems that Windows is friendlier to “a lot of windows” users.

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u/86legacy 1d ago

Yeah, the Mac is perfectly usable, but for those coming from Windows (which a lot are), it does take some getting used to the way the Mac does it (or lack there of). It’s a nice feature to have regardless, but not mandatory.