26 | MACFORMAT | DECEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformatContext is king
The Touch Bar is designed to
change according to the app you’re using
and provide useful tools for that app.
Here, in Safari, there are thumbnails that
can navigate between browser tabs.Adjust the options
To change what appears on the
Touch Bar, press and hold one, as you
would an iOS app, and drag to reorder or
move to Trash. Alternatively, click View
and choose Customise Touch Bar.Customise the controls
Touch Bar customisation is app-
specific, and isn’t available for every app.
Here we’re looking at the customisation
for Apple Mail. To add a tool, drag it from
the screen and onto the Touch Bar.1 2 3
Mission Control
Take control of your windows and applications
1
Get the hang of gestures
Mission Control makes great use of
trackpad gestures. You can open it with a
three-fingered swipe upwards, and close
it by doing the same thing downwards.
Swipe left or right with the same three
fingers and you can move between open
windows. You can customise these
gestures in System Preferences.FEATURE 87 timesaving tips
2
Get hot in the corner
You can automatically access Mission
Control features by assigning Hot
Corners, which activate when you move
the pointer to that corner and which can
open Mission Control or focus on the
current window. They are big time savers.3
Use the arrow keys
If you don’t want to use Hot Corners
or trackpad gestures, you can hold down
≈ and use the arrow keys. ≈+... will
open Mission Control, ≈+æ will focus
on the current window, or ≈+“ or ‘
will move between your spaces.4
Create new spaces
You can create a new, full-screen
desktop for an app or an individual app
window by invoking Mission Control and
then dragging the app to an empty bit
of the Spaces bar. To remove a space,
hold å and then click on the ‘X’. Open
windows in that space won’t be closed;
they’ll be moved to one of your open
spaces instead.5
Assign apps to desktops
You can get your Mac to open appsin specific desktops without having
to open the app first. Click and hold
or ≈-click on an app’s dock icon
and select Options.6
Make each desktop
look different
You can easily put a different wallpaper
on each of your Mission Control desktops.
To do it, go into System Preferences >
Desktop & Screen Saver (you may need
to drag the window to the desktop you
want to change).Go distraction-free
> Use Mission Control to create a
distraction-free working zone. Put
Mail, Twitter and all the other things
that can break concentration in one
space, then put the apps you need
for work in another. Then simply
move between them with a keyboard
shortcut or trackpad gesture.Working with the Touch Bar