mission control not working

snowy986 wrote:

Hi Apple community.

I am currently using a MacBook Pro 16'', with the M1 pro chip. I have only used my new computer for two weeks and during that two weeks, I realize that mission control is not working from time to time. I tried to switch the desktop with put four fingers on the trackpad and it won't work as well. The F3 key doesn't work either. Any function that has to do with mission control, launch pad, and switch desktop is not working. I went to the apple store and they are generous enough to exchange a brand new one for me. On my second day of using this brand brand new laptop, this issue happened AGAIN! No F3, no mission control, no switch desk, no launchpad. I have been going to 3 different apple stores and talking to the Apple customer service on the phone for hours and hours. No one knows why, and I am so so confused too. I have no idea if this is a hardware issue or a software issue. Does anyone have the same issue as me on MacBook Pro 16'' M1 pro chip?

Thank you!

Verify your preferences:

>System Preferences>Trackpad

Use Multi-Touch gestures on your Mac - Apple Support

Use Multi-Touch gestures on your Mac - Apple Support

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS

To trouble shoot further you can:

—Try a SafeBoot How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

Takes noticeable longer to get to the login screen, does a 5 minute disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, including dynamic loader cache, etc.

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

In Safe mode third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled, it removes malware, etc hampering smooth operation, however a reboot will put it back to normal mode.

This test will tell you if third party interference; extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.

—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac - Apple Support

This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account. 

same issue here. easiest workaround I found is run `killall Dock` in terminal.

As usual, the "Apple recommended" reply is just a boilerplate check-everything-and-uninstall-everything response to avoid any effort or responsibility. The OP clearly states that keyboard shortcuts don't work either, so any suggestion to check touchpad settings is lazy and unhelpful.

Wang Jianping's reply is the only helpful one. Forcing Dock to restart gets everything working again. Whether a third-party app or extension may or may not have caused it might help the final solution, but the issue itself is clearly Apple's problem, since restarting the Dock process magically fixes their own Mission Control and Launchpad features after hanging up.

Odds are this will never be fixed and might go away someday by accident.

thanks!