100 Tips #8: How To Use Exposé

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Exposé is a system built into Mac OS X, designed to help you find your way around windows and applications more easily.

When you have a lot of different windows cluttering up your screen, it can be hard to locate the exact one you want. Exposé makes it easier by momentarily displaying all of them, shrunk down a little so that they will all fit into view.

These snack-size thumbnail windows are just enough to see what’s what. Usually, you’ll be able to see the one you want right away.

If you’ve switched from Windows, this is a bit like the Flip feature you might have used in Vista or Windows 7, except the Mac alternative displays all your windows at the same time, rather than in a stack with only the frontmost one fully visible.

Activating Exposé is easy: just hit the F3 button on your keyboard, or F9 on some older Macs. Exposé comes in three different flavors, which do slightly different things. Here’s a short screencast that explains them:

(You’re reading the 8th post in our series, 100 Essential Mac Tips And Tricks For Windows Switchers. Find out more.)

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