Stage Manager is a unique MacOS feature that takes multitasking to a whole new level. I have already covered the first functionality and use of the tool and, for a long time, I used Stage Manager on my MacBook Pro. However, I ran into one particular multitasking situation where Stage Manager wasn’t very good. When that happened, I disabled Stage Manager and forgot about it.
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Fast-forward a few months and my brain said, “Hey, remember that cool MacOS feature?” After deciding I wanted to go back to that handy option, I decided there had to be an easier way to enable and disable it on the fly.
And guess what? There is. This feature means that anytime I run into a situation where Stage Manager isn’t the best fit, I can easily disable it. Then, if I want to return it, I can do so. It gives me the best of both worlds and I don’t have to bang my head against the wall to try and remember the feature name (because we all know how frustrating that can be).
To make this approach even better, I combined Stage Manager with the window-snapping app, Rectangle, to get a truly unique way of interacting with my macOS desktop. With that combination, I can use Stage Manager and get full-screen windows for a supercharged, multitasking experience.
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But how do you configure the easier enable/disable feature of Stage Manager? Let me show you.
How to create quick access to Stage Manager
What you need: To make this work, you need to enable Stage Manager on a device running MacOS. I outline this simple process in this article. Now, let’s simplify the Stage Manager.
Click the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the desktop and, from the dropdown, select Settings.
From the Settings window, click Control Center in the left sidebar.
You can also launch Settings from the Dock’s Launchpad. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Find the Stage Manager list (under Control Center Modules), click the dropdown, and select Show In Menu Bar. You can close the Settings.
There are many other tools you can add to the Menu Bar as well. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
If you click on the Stage Manager icon (square with three dots on the left side) in the Menu Bar, you will see an On/Off toggle switch. Click that switch, so it’s in the On position to enable the Stage Manager. To disable Stage Manager, go back to the Menu Bar dropdown and click the On/Off switch until it’s in the Off position.
You can easily enable or disable the Stage Manager from the Menu Bar. Image: Jack Wallen
You can switch back and forth on the fly, so you don’t have to navigate to Settings to find the Stage Manager entry. With the Menu Bar icon, Stage Manager is at your request.
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Since discovering this simple way to enable/disable Stage Manager, I now have control over when it’s on or off, which means I use the feature more than not — even though I know I can I will reject it, if something happens.
