Every Spaces keyboard shortcut on macOS, and how to add more
macOS has only a few Spaces shortcuts turned on by default: ⌃↑ for Mission Control, ⌃↓ for Application windows, and ⌃←/⌃→ to move one desktop left or right. "Switch to Desktop 1" and the rest exist but are off. You turn them on in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Mission Control. macOS has no shortcut to move a window to another desktop. Here's the full list, and what Spacepal adds.
What are the built-in Spaces shortcuts?
| Shortcut | Action | On by default? |
|---|---|---|
| ⌃↑ or the Mission Control key | Open Mission Control | Yes |
| ⌃↓ | Application windows (all windows of the current app) | Yes |
| ⌃← / ⌃→ | Move left or right a space | Yes |
| ⌃1, ⌃2 … | Switch to Desktop 1, 2 … | No |
| F11 (or fn F11) | Show Desktop | Yes |
Trackpad and mouse: swipe left or right with three or four fingers (two on a Magic Mouse) to change desktops, and swipe up to open Mission Control. You can change these in System Settings > Trackpad > More Gestures. Apple lists the switching methods in Work in multiple spaces.
How do you turn on "Switch to Desktop N"?
- Open System Settings > Keyboard and click Keyboard Shortcuts…
- Select Mission Control in the sidebar and expand the Mission Control item.
- Tick Switch to Desktop 1, Switch to Desktop 2 and so on. Double-click a shortcut to change its keys.
Only desktops that exist when you open this list are shown. Add a desktop in Mission Control (the + at the right of the Spaces bar) first, then come back to turn on its shortcut. Also turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use in System Settings > Desktop & Dock, or the numbers will point to different desktops over time. Every built-in switch plays the slide animation.
Is there a shortcut to move a window to another desktop?
Not in macOS. The closest you can get: hold a window by its title bar and press ⌃→, ⌃← or ⌃ plus a number, and the window comes along. See Move a window to another desktop.
What does Spacepal add?
Spacepal's shortcuts use ⌃⌥ by default, so they don't clash with macOS's ⌃ ones. You can switch to ⌃⌘, ⌥⌘ or ⌃⌥⌘ in Settings, Shortcuts.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌥Tab | Overview of every Space with previews (keep holding ⌥ and press Tab to step through) |
| ⌃⌥1 … ⌃⌥0 | Go to Space 1 to 10 instantly, with no slide. Press again to go back. |
| ⌃⌥⇧1 … ⌃⌥⇧0 | Move the front window to Space 1 to 10 |
| ⌃⌥← / ⌃⌥→ | Previous or next Space; add ⇧ to take the window along |
| ⌃⌥↑ / ⌃⌥↓ | Up or down a row, when a grid column count is set |
| ⌃⌥` | Last Space you were on |
| ⌃⌥F | Search windows on all Spaces (⌘Return brings one here) |
| ⌃⌥W | Windows on this Space |
| ⌃⌥L | Open an app on this Space |
| ⌃⌥/ | Show or hide the scratchpad app |
| ⌃⌥M, then a letter / ⌃⌥', then a letter | Mark a window / jump to a marked window |
The full list is in Keyboard shortcuts. Every action also has a spacepal:// link, such as spacepal://switch/Mail to go to a Space by name, so you can put actions on Shortcuts, Raycast, a Stream Deck or any app that can open a URL (see URL scheme).
The shortcuts need the Accessibility permission. Instant switching falls back to the built-in "Switch to Desktop N" shortcuts if it can't run, so it's worth turning those on as well (see Troubleshooting). Spacepal needs macOS 14 or later.
Related guides
- Switch Spaces instantly without the slide animation
- The Mission Control settings power users change
- How to rename desktops on a Mac
Summary
- On by default: ⌃↑ Mission Control, ⌃↓ Application windows, ⌃←/⌃→ to move one desktop.
- "Switch to Desktop N" (⌃1…) is off by default and only listed for existing desktops. Turn it on in Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Mission Control.
- macOS has no shortcut to move a window to another desktop.
- Spacepal adds instant switching, window moving, window search and more on ⌃⌥, plus
spacepal://links for every action.
Written by Dan Bayer, developer of Spacepal. Last updated 2026-10-27.