New default desktop wallpaper for macOS Sonoma
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For macOS Sonoma: Apple has changed the Mac so that clicking on the desktop will activate Expose and hide all your applications. Fortunately, you can stop this — albeit with a workaround.
We won't use words like “annoying”, but you can. The first time you use macOS Sonoma and click on the desktop, it's startling to say the least.
This means you can instantly go to your desktop and any files and folders there. But you won't be able to access any of the open folders without opening them again.
That's because now one click is the same as spreading five fingers apart on a trackpad. This is Apple's Expose feature.
The right gesture on the trackpad can show you all your open windows and documents, or open Mission Control so you can switch to a new app. But in this case, Expose throws every application and every document on the screen aside, leaving only a meaningless strip of each one around the edges.
You've made it so easy to ignore Expose that many Mac users probably don't even know it exists. But getting the Mac to do this every time you click on the desktop requires a workaround.
How to disable mouse click to open desktop in macOS Sonoma
- Open Settings
- Select Desktop & Pin
- Scroll down to Desktop & Stage Manager
- Under click wallpaper to open desktop, click to change the value from Always to Only in Stage Manager >/li>
If you disable the new feature, but the control is in the State Manager settings
That's all you need, but good luck assuming the option is related to Stage Manager if no one told you.
Desktop display using Stage Manager
Yes the problem is that in order for the Mac to never do this, you would have to specifically tell it not to do this in Stage Manager. So if you like and use Stage Manager, this is a problem.
However, if your goal is to have Stage Manager as well as quick access to your desktop, you can do it in a manner of your choice when the desktop splits, opening files there and folders.
First, you need to configure it so that Stage Manager does not automatically hide desktop files and folders.
- In Settings go back to Desktop & Stage Manager
- Click to Show Items simply in Stage Manager and/or on Desktop
Then, to flip your current Mac windows aside and view files on your desktop, spread five fingers apart on the trackpad. However, there is no equivalent to the Magic Mouse.
