Docking Station for MacBook: Spruce up Your Desk With a Mac dock
Docking Station for MacBook: Spruce up Your Desk With a Mac dock
Mac docked with a monitor, keyboard and mouse is the most used setup for Mac users. This is because you cannot use your Mac in any other way when you dock it with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. But what if we tell you there is actually another way of using your Mac that is much more comfortable than the traditional setup? You might think we are talking about switching to a laptop or something like that but no. What we are talking about here is macOS virtual desktops feature. In this article, we will see how to use macOS virtual desktops on your docked MacBook Pro or iMac.
What is a macOS virtual desktop?
A virtual desktop is basically a virtual space that you can use to create multiple desktops. No, we don’t mean the actual desktop where you have all the icons and apps, but a virtual space where you can put your apps and windows. People primarily use virtual desktops because they find it much easier and more comfortable to work on multiple apps at once instead of focusing on one app at a time, like you do while using your docked Mac. Apart from that, virtual desktops are also beneficial for people who work with multiple monitors as you can easily switch between the different desktops with a keyboard shortcut and have all your windows on a certain desktop on the monitor you are currently working with. In short, virtual desktops are basically a more efficient way to use your docked Mac.
How to setup macOS virtual desktops for docked Mac?
First of all, you need to enable macOS virtual desktops on your Mac. You can do that in System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts. Once you are in, you will see a drop-down menu that says ‘Show Desktop’. Simply click on the drop-down menu and select ‘Show All Desktops’. This will enable macOS virtual desktops on your docked Mac. Once you have enabled the macOS virtual desktops, you need to create a desktop for every window you have open on your docked Mac. You can do this by clicking and dragging a window to the edge of the screen. You will see that the window will get smaller and a bar will appear at the edge of the window. Simply drag the window to the edge of the screen on the side where you want your new desktop to appear and let go. You have successfully created a macOS desktop. You can do this with as many windows as you want, but remember that the more windows and desktops you have, the harder it will be to find the right one at the right time.
Why should you use macOS virtual desktops on your docked Mac?
As we mentioned above, virtual desktops are beneficial for people who work with multiple monitors as you can easily switch between the different desktops with a keyboard shortcut and have all your windows on a certain desktop on the monitor you are currently working with. However, if you use a docked Mac, you can use the same feature to organize all your windows and have them on separate virtual desktops. This way, instead of having several windows on your main desktop, you can have them on different virtual desktops so that you can focus better on each of them. Another reason why you should use virtual desktops on your docked Mac is to avoid distractions. Let’s say you have a task on your to-do list that you have to focus on for hours. You have this task on your main desktop and a couple of social media apps on separate desktops. If you are distracted by the social media apps, you will have to go to the other desktop and then come back again to finish your task. If the social media apps were on a separate desktop, you would actually have to go to the desktop where they are present. You see how virtual desktops are beneficial for docked Mac users.
Which keyboard shortcuts are available for macOS virtual desktops?
You can switch between the different virtual desktops by pressing ‘Command + Tab’ on your Mac. This is a very common keyboard shortcut used to switch between apps on your Mac. You can use the same shortcut to switch between the different virtual desktops. You can also view all the virtual desktops that are currently open on your Mac. You can do that by pressing ‘Command +`’. This will show all the virtual desktops that are currently open on your docked Mac.
Problems with using macOS virtual desktops on a docked Mac
The biggest problem with using virtual desktops on a docked Mac is that you cannot see the different desktops on your monitor. This is because the virtual desktops are only available on your Mac and are not visible on your monitor. This can be an issue at times because you cannot see which desktop has which window. This can cause you to switch to the wrong desktop and have to go back to the correct desktop again. Another problem with using virtual desktops on a docked Mac is that it is harder to move windows from one desktop to another. You cannot simply drag and drop a window from one desktop to another like you normally do on an undocked Mac. You have to go to the desktop where the window is present and then click on ‘Move to Another Desktop’ on the menu bar. This can be a little time-consuming, and you might lose focus on your work.
Conclusion
We have discussed how to use macOS virtual desktops on your docked Mac and why it is beneficial for you. However, you must remember that using virtual desktops on a docked Mac is not as comfortable as using it on an undocked Mac. You cannot see the different virtual desktops on your monitor, and they are difficult to move. However, they are worth it as they are much more efficient when compared to having all your windows on your undocked Mac. So, if you docked your Mac and want to switch to using virtual desktops, follow the instructions mentioned above and you are good to go.
