How to Stop Desktop Spaces From Rearranging on macOS

To keep Mac virtual desktops in a predictable order, turn off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use. Open Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock, scroll to Mission Control, and switch that option off. macOS will stop sorting your desktop Spaces according to which ones you used most recently.

What the setting changes

Apple calls its additional virtual desktops Spaces. Each Space can hold a different set of app windows, and Mission Control shows your desktops as thumbnails in the Spaces bar at the top of the screen. With automatic rearranging enabled, macOS can change the order of those desktop thumbnails to bring recently used Spaces closer together. That can be convenient when you regularly jump between a few desktops, but it can make a numbered workflow harder to remember.

Turning the option off stops that recency-based reordering. Your windows stay open, your Spaces remain available, and you can still move between them with Mission Control, a trackpad gesture, or Control–Left Arrow and Control–Right Arrow. The change affects the order of desktop Spaces; it does not turn off virtual desktops or prevent you from creating more. Apple’s Desktop & Dock settings guide lists this control under Mission Control.

Turn off automatic Space rearranging

1. Open System Settings. Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen, then choose System Settings.

2. Open Desktop & Dock. Select it in the System Settings sidebar. If you do not see it, scroll the sidebar. In the settings pane, scroll down to the Mission Control section.

3. Turn off the sorting option. Switch off Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use. Leave the neighboring options unchanged unless you also want to change how apps or displays behave.

4. Check the order in Mission Control. Press Control–Up Arrow or swipe up with three or four fingers on a trackpad to open Mission Control. The Spaces bar shows your desktop thumbnails. Switch to another Space and return to Mission Control to confirm that recent use no longer moves the desktops into a different order.

Space order is different from app switching

A Mac can move you to another Space when you switch to an app that already has an open window there. That behavior is controlled by a separate Mission Control option: When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application. It can make the active desktop change even when the Spaces bar has not been reordered.

If the order of the thumbnails changes, turn off the automatic rearranging option described above. If the thumbnails stay in the same sequence but the active desktop changes after you click an app in the Dock or switch apps, review the separate app-switching option. Leave it on if you want macOS to take you to an app’s open windows; turn it off only if you prefer to stay on the Space you are using. Apple explains both behaviors in its guide to working in multiple Spaces.

If Spaces still seem to move

• Check the correct display. On a Mac with more than one display, enter Mission Control on the screen you are using and inspect that screen’s Spaces bar. Mission Control shows the windows and Spaces associated with the active display.
• Verify the exact switch. Return to System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Mission Control and make sure Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use is off. The similarly placed app-switching control does not lock Space order.
• Look for a manual change. This setting prevents automatic sorting by recent use; it does not prevent you from intentionally changing your desktop setup or moving app windows between Spaces.
• Check the label on an older macOS release. Earlier versions use System Preferences instead of System Settings. Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Mission Control and look for the same automatic rearranging option.

Once the switch is off, you can continue using Spaces normally and choose the desktop you want from Mission Control or with the keyboard and trackpad shortcuts. If you later prefer macOS to bring your most recently used desktops forward, return to the same Mission Control setting and turn automatic rearranging back on.