How to Set Your Mac Apps to Open New Documents in Tabs or in New Windows
Reading Time: 2 minutes In many macOS apps, you can open new documents or files in either a new window or in a tab in the same window you already have open. Apps such as Pages, Keynote, Safari, Mail, Preview, and more support tabs. For example, while you are viewing a PDF document in Preview, you can open another PDF as a new tab in the same window or as a new window. This means that you can consolidate your open documents into a single window with multiple tabs, or you can use separate windows.
Opening apps in new tabs rather than new windows can be a matter of user preference and convenience. I prefer to open them in new tabs to reduce the clutter on my desktop. Having too many windows open on my desktop often confuses me. I prefer to work in tabs because I can switch between the tabs easily. This makes navigation among the documents easier and makes switching between the documents simpler.
However, I occasionally want to use separate windows if I am using multiple screens or if the projects are completely unrelated.
There is a little-known Mac setting that allows you to set all macOS apps to open new documents either in a new tab or in a separate window. Here is how you can change that setting:
- Open System Settings on your Mac.
- From the left sidebar, click Desktop & Dock.
- You will see many settings related to the Dock and Desktop. Scroll down and find the Windows section.
- Find the Prefer tabs when opening documents option. If you click on the double-arrow next to it, you will see a drop-down menu with three options:
- Never: This always opens new documents in a new window.
- Always: This always opens the new documents in a new tab.
- In Full Screen: This opens new documents in tabs only when in full-screen mode.
You can choose a setting based on your personal preference and then save your settings and exit System Settings.
As I said above, I prefer to open new documents in new tabs but rarely want to see them in a new window. If you want to declutter your desktop, maybe you should choose the Always option. Then, if you need to see your documents in separate windows, simply drag the tab out of the window to open it in a new window.
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