This may seem like a simple feature in Mac OS X but most don’t give it a second look. Exposé is enabled by default but can be played with even further. Spaces is not active by default meaning you have to activate it yourself, but that’s what we’re here for. These two features are extremely useful for even simple day to day activities. Once you really start seeing the potential of ‘Exposé & Spaces’ you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Let’s get down to business…
Please Explain!
Exposé: Instantly view all open windows in stunning style with a single keystroke. Exposé unshuffles overlapping windows on your desktop into an organized thumbnail view, so you can quickly locate and switch to any window or get to any file on the desktop.
Spaces: Spaces lets you group application windows together according to the way you work and easily switch between them. Create a space for work. Create a space for play. Organize each space just the way you want it.
1- Start by clicking the ‘System Preferences’ icon in your dock. (Or by going to Apple/System Preferences…)
2- Click on the ‘Exposé & Spaces’ icon.
3- The ‘Exposé & Spaces’ preferences will open up and you’ll see the following;
Note: You’ll automatically be taken into the ‘Spaces’ preferences. You may want to start by ticking the two boxes pointed by the arrows. The first box will enable ‘Spaces’ and the second will display its icon on your menu bar. By activating this feature you’ll get the following on your menu bar;
This icon enables easy switching between finder spaces.
4- Next you might also want to change the number of spaces available. You can do that by clicking on the + button to add (rows or columns) or the – to take away (rows or columns).
Note: You can tweak ‘Spaces’ even further by choosing keyboard shortcuts to Activate or Switch Between ‘Spaces’.
Another great feature of ‘Spaces’ is Application Assingments. This enables you to ‘assign’ different application to specific spaces. This means every time you launch that application it will automatically open in the space you assigned for it.
After clicking the + button you’ll be presented with some common applications. If the one you wish to assign isn’t shown you can click ‘Other…’
You’ll then be presented with a browser window asking you to pick an application;
Choose an application and click ‘Add’
It will be added to the list. You can then assign it to the appropriate space.
5- Now let’s move onto ‘Exposé’.
Start by clicking on the ‘Exposé’ button. You’ll be presented with this window;
Note: As mentioned before, Exposé is activated by default on your Mac. You can activate it by pressing F7 on your keyboard (Newer Macs have a dedicated button for Exposé). You can change this keyboard shortcut at any time.
The first option you’ll be presented with are the ‘Active Corners’. This is extremely useful. Start by choosing a corner and then clicking on the drop-down menu.
After selecting an option from the menu you’ll notice that every time you move your mouse over to that corner, the assigned feature will be activated. You can assign up to 4 corners.
The second option are the ‘Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts’. Here you’re able to assign keyboard keys to activate different features of ‘Exposé’.
6- Lastly you can also play around with the ‘Dashboard’ settings.
Please Explain!
Dashboard: Dashboard is home to widgets: mini-applications that let you perform common tasks and provide you with fast access to information. With a single click, Dashboard appears, complete with widgets that bring you a world of information — real-time weather, stock tickers, flight information, and more — instantly. Dashboard disappears just as easily, so you can get back to what you were doing.
Please write any questions on the comments section below.
