Window management
Managing windows and full-screen apps is easier than ever with El Capitan’s enhanced version of Mission Control
Apple has reintroduced a more helpful layout as a default setting for Mission Control. Windows are now spread out, with no overlaps, rather than stacked up according to the app they belong to, making it easier to find the one you want. 21> You can return to having windows stacked up (Yosemite’s default) by turning on ‘Group windows by application’ in System Preferences > Mission Control.
22> A new gesture for opening Mission Control cuts the number of steps for moving a window to a new space; try dragging it past the top of the screen.
The Spaces bar at the top of the screen has changed to initially display only the names of your desktops and full-screen apps. This gives more space for the window previews below. Moving the pointer up to the top of the screen reveals graphical previews of each space, as does dragging a window.
As in previous versions of OS X, dropping a window onto another desktop moves it there. However, there are subtle changes to what happens when you drop a window onto empty spaces or full-screen apps in the bar.
23> Previously, dropping a window onto an empty area would make a new desktop and move it there. Now you must explicitly drag it to the space that slides in at the right of the bar, marked with a +, because El Capitan reserves the empty areas for another purpose. 24> Drag a window belonging to an app that supports full-screen mode over an empty part of the bar and a new space named after that app to appear, then let go to switch the window to full-screen mode.
Similar actions work as a shortcut to Split View. 25> Merge two apps by dragging a window or an app that’s already in full-screen mode onto another full-screen app in the Spaces bar. As before, placing the pointer over a space and click either the cross down Control enables you to remove Spaces from Mission Control. Any windows that are in that space are moved to their previous desktop.
Mission Control in Yosemite (top) cascades windows from the same app together. In El Capitan (bottom), every window gets a full preview. The Spaces bar has also been reduced to give more space to app previews.