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TMO Quick Tip - Spaces: Screen Jumping

by , 7:30 AM EST, January 30th, 2008

Leopard's Spaces feature is great because it adds Desktop space without requiring you to add extra monitors to your Mac, and it also lets you organize apps, documents, and other windows on specific virtual Desktops. Moving items from Desktop to Desktop is pretty easy, too, thanks to the handy Spaces F8 keyboard shortcut -- but there is an even easier way.


Spaces: Virtual Desktops

Instead of displaying all of your virtual Desktops and then moving items from space to space, you can jump items from one Desktop to another without first tapping the F8 key. Here's how:

  • Just click and drag the item you want to move to the edge of your screen that is closest to the virtual Desktop you want to move the item to
  • You'll need to make sure that your mouse pointer makes it all the way to the edge of your display before you can initiate a jump.
  • Don't release the item until you jump Desktops.

Drag a window to the edge of one Desktop...

Since Spaces positions each virtual Desktop in relation to the other virtual Desktops you use, you can control which Desktop you jump to by picking a specific screen edge to drag an item to. For example, if you have four Spaces Desktops and want to move an item on Desktop number 1 to Desktop number 3 -- which is directly below Desktop 1 -- drag the item to the bottom of your display. Desktop 1 will slide up as desktop 3 slides into place.


...to jump to the connecting Desktop.

If you want to learn more about using Leopard's Spaces feature, check out the Quick Tip on using Spaces with Expos.


Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

if you have tips or tricks to share, or Mac-related questions you want answered.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:doogald Posts: 7 Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Subject: good to know but . . .

. . . I'm not sure that I would call that necessarily "easier". Personally, I really prefer using F8 and the F9 (which are my hot keys to call up Spaces and then Expose show all windows, respectively, though you can do it reversed, too) and then drag and drop from there. Particularly with the less than perfect Mighty Mouse that I unfortunately bought.

Close Name:iphonzie Posts: 2 Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Subject: Grab window then control-arrow

I use the drag to the edge and wait method, but more often click and hold a window's title bar then use the control-arrow key shortcuts to jump to another space. I find this quicker (no waiting at the screen edge) and it lets me get quickly to any space I want.

Close Name:Mikuro Posts: 453 Joined: 15 Jun 2002
Subject:

Thanks for the tip. I was only aware of the control-arrow method. I didn't realize you could drag the window thumbnails on the "show all spaces" screen or to the edge to switch spaces.

I find it disappointing that Spaces does not work like Exposй, though. One of the best features of Exposй is that you can use it in the middle of a drag-and-drop operation. Let's say you want to move a file from one Finder window to another that's not visible. Initiate the drag, hit F10 (without releasing the mouse button), then hover over the window you want and either wait for it to activate or activate it immediately with the space bar.

Since Spaces does not work this way, it's impossible to drag most items (like files or text) from one space into another. It's good to know you can at least drag windows, though.

Close Name:computerbandgeek Posts: 46 Joined: 09 Jun 2006
Subject:

Quote
Mikuro wrote:
Thanks for the tip. I was only aware of the control-arrow method. I didn't realize you could drag the window thumbnails on the "show all spaces" screen or to the edge to switch spaces.

I find it disappointing that Spaces does not work like Exposй, though. One of the best features of Exposй is that you can use it in the middle of a drag-and-drop operation. Let's say you want to move a file from one Finder window to another that's not visible. Initiate the drag, hit F10 (without releasing the mouse button), then hover over the window you want and either wait for it to activate or activate it immediately with the space bar.

Since Spaces does not work this way, it's impossible to drag most items (like files or text) from one space into another. It's good to know you can at least drag windows, though.


Sure you can, I just did. Select whatever it is you want to select, initiate a drag, and use the control+arrow keys to drag to whatever space you like.

Close Name:Mikuro Posts: 453 Joined: 15 Jun 2002
Subject:

Quote
computerbandgeek wrote:
Sure you can, I just did. Select whatever it is you want to select, initiate a drag, and use the control+arrow keys to drag to whatever space you like.

Hah. Apparently I'm crazy, then! I coulda sworn I tried that. More than once. Thanks.

Actually, I just tried the "view all spaces" mode, and it works, too! (Not with windows, but with text and files and things.) They must have fixed it in 10.5.1. Either that or I really am crazy.

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