Group Windows with Stage Manager in macOS 13

Stage Manager in macOS 13 Ventura organizes open applications into a single strip on the side of your screen to reduce desktop clutter. This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to combine multiple app windows into unified workspaces, switch between them, and remove windows from a group to streamline your multitasking workflow.

Enable Stage Manager

Before grouping windows, ensure Stage Manager is turned on:

  1. Click the Control Center icon in the top-right corner of the menu bar.
  2. Click the Stage Manager tile to activate it.

The active application will center on your screen, and your other open applications will move to the left side of the display as thumbnail groups.

How to Group Windows Together

You can group different apps or multiple windows of the same app into a single workspace using two primary methods.

Method 1: Drag and Drop from the Side Strip

  1. Click on the primary application window you want to work with so it appears in the center of your screen.
  2. Move your cursor to the left edge of your screen to reveal the Stage Manager strip (if it is hidden).
  3. Click and hold the thumbnail of the window or app you want to add.
  4. Drag the thumbnail into the center of the screen next to your active window and release the mouse button.

Both windows are now grouped together. Whenever you click away to another app and return, both windows will open simultaneously in this layout.

Method 2: Use the Shift Key

  1. Bring your primary window into the center workspace.
  2. Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
  3. Click the app or window thumbnail in the left-hand Stage Manager strip, or click an open app's icon in the Dock.
  4. Release the Shift key. The selected window will join the active workspace.

How to Remove a Window from a Group

If you no longer want a specific window in your active group:

  1. Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to remove.
  2. Drag the window all the way to the left-hand Stage Manager strip.
  3. Release the mouse button once the strip highlights or the window snaps into place as an individual thumbnail.

Alternatively, closing or minimizing the window will also remove it from the group without affecting the remaining windows in that set.