The Mission Control Chaos
If you use a Mac with multiple monitors or heavily rely on multiple virtual desktops (Spaces) in Mission Control, you depend on muscle memory to find your windows. You know that your email is one swipe to the left, and your browser is on the external display. However, macOS includes a feature that actively tracks which Spaces you use most frequently and automatically reorders them based on your recent activity. This means the spatial relationship between your virtual desktops is constantly changing, completely destroying your workflow and forcing you to hunt for windows that have seemingly vanished.
How to Disable Automatic Rearrangement
To lock your virtual desktops in place and force macOS to respect your manual organization, you must dive into the Mission Control settings.
1. Click the Apple logo () in the top-left corner of the menu bar.
2. Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
3. Scroll down the left-hand navigation sidebar and click on Desktop & Dock. (On older macOS versions, click the dedicated “Mission Control” icon).
4. Scroll down the main pane until you reach the Mission Control section.
5. Look for the toggle switch labelled Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use.
6. Click the toggle switch to turn it Off (or uncheck the box on older macOS versions).
Once disabled, your Spaces will remain exactly where you put them. Desktop 1 will always be Desktop 1, and Desktop 2 will always be Desktop 2, regardless of how often you use them.
Locking Displays to Specific Spaces
If you are using multiple physical monitors, there is an additional setting you should review in the same menu.
Locate the toggle switch labelled Displays have separate Spaces. If this is turned ON, each monitor acts independently, allowing you to swipe through virtual desktops on one screen without affecting the other. If you turn this OFF, your multiple monitors are treated as a single, massive, unified workspace. Sweeping to a new Space will shift the content on all monitors simultaneously. Choose the setting that best matches your mental model of your workspace.