MACSTORIES EXTRAS

More stories for Club members.

I'm Finished with Stage Manager

• John

Two years after its introduction in macOS Ventura, I’m abandoning Stage Manager on the Mac. I had high hopes for the feature when it was released, and I still think it has potential. However, like so many alternative window management systems Apple has introduced for the Mac and iPad, Stage Manager seems to have been abandoned or simply deemed good enough. As a result, I’m not optimistic that it will get a significant update anytime soon.

I love the idea behind Stage Manager. It promises a way to quickly switch between groups of windows, allowing you to keep more active windows open without the messy complexity that would typically entail. The feature is a little bit like Spaces, but more visual and contained in a single desktop environment. The trouble with the reality of Stage Manager is that, too often, it works at cross purposes with users and is frustratingly uncustomizable.