The Disorienting Slide
macOS utilizes a feature called Mission Control to manage multiple virtual desktops, known as “Spaces.” A deeply ingrained behavior of macOS is that if you click on an application’s icon in the Dock, or click a link that opens in a specific app, the operating system will automatically and rapidly slide your screen over to the specific Space where that application’s window is currently open. While intended to be helpful, this automatic switching can be intensely disorienting, especially if you were trying to open a new window of that app in your current workspace, rather than being violently yanked across three virtual monitors to an old, unrelated document.
Halting the Automatic Space Switch
To maintain your focus on your current virtual desktop and stop macOS from automatically switching Spaces when you switch applications, you must adjust the core Mission Control preferences.
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings (or System Preferences). In the left-hand navigation sidebar, scroll down and click on Desktop & Dock. Scroll down the main panel until you reach the section titled Mission Control. Within this section, look for the setting labelled When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application. By default, this toggle is turned on. Click the toggle switch to turn it Off (or uncheck the box on older macOS versions). Now, clicking an app in the Dock will simply activate its menu bar in your current Space, allowing you to press Command+N to open a new window exactly where you are.