We take a closer look at Stage Manager in macOS 13 Ventura, here's how to use it

[harlan4096]

Apple released macOS 13 Ventura this week. One of the biggest changes that it brings is Stage Manager.



Let's take a closer look at the multitasking feature, and learn how to use it.

How to use Stage Manager in macOS 13 Ventura

To get started, click on the Control Center in the Menu Bar, and then click the Stage Manager icon. This enables the feature.



Want to access it faster? You can pin Stage Manager to the Menu Bar by dragging it from the Control Center, or by going to the Apple Menu > System Settings > Control Center >, look for the Stage Manager and click the Show in Menu Bar option next to it. This also lets you access its settings quickly.



Note: When you toggle it for the first time, macOS will ask you if you want to enable the feature, it displays a window similar to the one in the following image. Select "Turn on Stage Manager" to proceed. It won't prompt you about this after the first use, so the toggle reacts instantly.



Now that Stage Manager has been enabled, here's how to use it. Open an app window, and it will appear in the center of the screen. You may notice that the window may not be maximized or in full screen mode, we'll get to this in a bit.



When you open a second app, it will take center stage by replacing the first app. The other app will be minimized to the sidebar, you will see a thumbnail preview of its contents. E.g. See the image featured above, Firefox has taken center stage, while Telegram has been moved to the sidebar.

Each time you open a new app, the previous one gets minimized to the side, that's the point of Stage Manager. It gives you a distraction-free experience to work with a single app. You can access other apps by clicking on the desktop, or the shortcuts on the Dock, or by running them from Spotlight.

To switch to a different app in Stage Manager, click on its thumbnail on the sidebar. Optionally, you may use the Command + Tab hotkey to jump between apps like you do normally. You may resize app windows in Stage Manager by dragging on its title bar, or on the edges, or by clicking the maximize button. Switching to full screen mode is slightly different, it moves the app out of the Stage Manager mode. The thumbnails on the sidebar will be hidden if you resize an app window over the panel, the icons will reappear if you mouse over the left edge of the screen, and they will hide automatically when you move the mouse away.



Stage Manager will show up to six thumbnails on the sidebar on large screens. These thumbnail previews are like live tiles, i.e., they get updated with new information automatically. For example, if you receive a new message, it will display a badge on it. In some cases, like Telegram, it actually shows a preview of the conversation.

Note: Not all thumbnails will display a preview. The Mail app's thumbnail, for instance, will only show its icon and badges, and not its contents.
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