How to rename desktops (Spaces) on a Mac

You can't rename desktops with macOS's own settings. Mission Control always labels them "Desktop 1", "Desktop 2" and so on, and nothing in System Settings changes that. To give a Space a name, you need a third-party app that keeps track of each Space and shows your name in the menu bar and in Mission Control. Below is what macOS can do on its own, and how Spacepal does the naming.

Can you rename a desktop in Mission Control?

No. In macOS 14 Sonoma through macOS 26, open Mission Control (⌃↑ or a three- or four-finger swipe up) and you get the Spaces bar along the top. Desktops show up as "Desktop 1", "Desktop 2" and so on. Full-screen apps show the app name. Double-clicking a label does nothing, and System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Mission Control has no naming option.

The numbers aren't even fixed. If Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use is on (it is by default), macOS reorders your desktops by how recently you used them, so "Desktop 3" may hold different windows tomorrow.

What can you do without extra software?

A few things help you tell desktops apart, even though none of them gives you a name:

Different wallpapers. Go to each desktop and pick a wallpaper in System Settings > Wallpaper. Each desktop keeps its own.
A stable order. Turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Mission Control, so Desktop 2 stays Desktop 2.
Fixed apps per desktop. Control-click an app in the Dock and choose Options > Assign To > This Desktop. The app then opens on that desktop, which makes each desktop's purpose easier to remember (Apple: Work in multiple spaces).

The menu bar still won't tell you which desktop you're on. macOS has no "current desktop" indicator.

How do you name Spaces with Spacepal?

Spacepal is a menu bar app for macOS 14 and later. It stores a name, a colour, an icon and a one-line note for each Space. The name of the Space you're on appears in the menu bar.

Install Spacepal and grant Accessibility and Screen Recording (see Setup).
Click the menu bar item and choose Rename, or press ⌥Tab to open the overview and double-click a Space's name.
Type a name such as "Mail", "Design" or "Client A" and press Return.

Other ways to rename:

When you create a Space. Spacepal asks you to name it. You can turn this off in Settings, General ("Ask to name new Spaces").
From a script or launcher. spacepal://rename/current?name=Design renames the current Space, and spacepal://note/2?text=Invoice%20due sets a note (see URL scheme). AppleScript works too: rename space 3 to "Design".
Automatically. An optional setting names unnamed Spaces after their main app.

Do the names show up in Mission Control?

Yes, while Spacepal is running. macOS gives apps no way to change the "Desktop N" labels, so Spacepal draws its own label, with your name, icon and colour, on top of each native label while Mission Control is open. You can turn this off in Settings, General ("Show names in Mission Control"). Because it's an overlay, any other app that reads desktop names from macOS will still see "Desktop 1", "Desktop 2".

Do names survive reordering and restarts?

Each name belongs to the Space itself, not to its position, so if macOS reorders your desktops the names stay with them. Still, turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use so the numbers in Spacepal's shortcuts (⌃⌥1 and up) match what you expect. If names end up on the wrong desktops, see Troubleshooting.

Related guides

Summary

macOS can't rename desktops. Mission Control always shows "Desktop N".
Built-in workarounds: a different wallpaper per desktop, a stable order, and assigning apps to desktops.
Spacepal adds a name, colour, icon and note to each Space, shows the name in the menu bar, and draws it over the labels in Mission Control.
Rename from the menu bar, the ⌥Tab overview, the prompt for a new Space, a spacepal:// link or AppleScript.

Written by Dan Bayer, developer of Spacepal. Last updated 2026-10-27.