Mission Control and App Exposé are related visual switchers with different scopes. Mission Control provides a broad desktop overview and exposes the Spaces bar. App Exposé shows windows from one application.
Use Mission Control for the whole desktop
Open Mission Control when you do not know which app owns the target, when the window may be on another desktop, or when you need to move items between windows and Spaces. Apple’s current shortcut is Control-Up Arrow, and the Mission Control key or configured gestures can also open it.
The result can become visually dense when many windows look alike. Grouping by application is an optional Mission Control setting, not the same as App Exposé.
Use App Exposé for one application
Activate the app and press Control-Down Arrow, use the configured trackpad gesture, or choose Show All Windows from its Dock menu. This removes unrelated applications from the candidate set and is useful for several documents or browser windows.
Select the narrowest sufficient view
| Known clue | View |
|---|---|
| Only appearance or desktop | Mission Control |
| Application | App Exposé |
| Exact title | Window title search |
| Project outcome | Project group |
Neither view searches closed files or recreates windows. If the window is absent, check minimized, closed, and other-Space states before opening a duplicate.