Multiple desktops on Mac: add, switch and delete Spaces.

Understand what a desktop Space separates

Spaces separate groups of open windows. They do not create separate user accounts, copies of your files, or independent Desktop folders. Use one workspace for writing and another for reference if that reduces window overlap. Two clear workspaces are often easier to remember than a long row of nearly identical desktops.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗

Add another desktop in Mission Control

Create a workspace when you have a real task for it. You can change its wallpaper to make it easier to recognize, but that is a visual cue rather than a file-storage boundary.

1. Press Control-Up Arrow to enter Mission Control.
2. Move to the Spaces bar at the top and click the plus button.
3. Click the new desktop thumbnail to enter it.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗

Switch desktops with keys or gestures

Control-Left Arrow and Control-Right Arrow move between adjacent Spaces. A configured trackpad gesture can also move between them. If the shortcut does something else or no gesture works, inspect Keyboard Shortcuts and Trackpad settings before assuming the desktop was lost.

• Use Mission Control thumbnails when you need to choose a particular Space.
• Check the Spaces order if you keep arriving at the wrong workspace.
• Test on the intended display when you use more than one monitor.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗

Move a window to another Space

Open Mission Control and drag the window onto the destination desktop thumbnail. Move the actual working window rather than opening another copy of the document unnecessarily. You can also inspect the app’s Dock Options to assign it to a desktop; assignments explain some unexpected desktop switching.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗

Delete an extra desktop without deleting files

Removing a Space closes that workspace container, not its documents. Apple moves windows from the removed Space to another one. Save important work before rearranging a busy session so you can check the result calmly.

1. Enter Mission Control.
2. Point at the desktop thumbnail you want to remove.
3. Click its close button, then inspect where its windows moved.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗

Restore a useful workspace arrangement

If you remove the wrong Space, create another and move the windows back. The old arrangement is not automatically restored as a named saved layout. Keep a small number of task-based desktops and inspect app assignments when windows keep pulling you somewhere else.

Source: Apple: Work in multiple Spaces ↗