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Loikein

Q: In El Capitan, can I have the thumbnails of spaces without mouse movements in Mission Control as in Yosemite?

You won't see those thumbnails unless you move your mouse to the top of the screen, which I found very inconvenient.

I can't find any setting options in system preferences, but is it possible to display them by default? 

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 2, 2015 5:53 PM

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Q: In El Capitan, can I have the thumbnails of spaces without mouse movements in Mission Control as in Yosemite?

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  • by CJN Development,

    CJN Development CJN Development Oct 7, 2015 2:17 AM in response to Loikein
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 7, 2015 2:17 AM in response to Loikein

    I would like an answer to this as well. This one simple feature is what keeps me from updating my main computer - I use spaces and full screen applications a lot - without the thumbnails it is impossible to get a quick overview, so finding the correct space to switch to takes a lot of extra time. A really big annoyance. There must be some way to re-enable the old behaviour?

  • by Botnik,

    Botnik Botnik Oct 21, 2015 8:01 PM in response to Loikein
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Music
    Oct 21, 2015 8:01 PM in response to Loikein

    This UI regression was the first thing I noticed about El Capitan.  When the Spaces Bar appears at the top of the screen, it shows Desktop 1, Desktop 2, etc., and you have to move the pointer up there to get the graphical view.  The titles are not useful, however seeing the individual desktops (Yosemite behaviour) is very useful.  I can't find a setting to display the thumbnails by default, either with or without the titles.

     

    For the most part, Apple products are more polished than others, but Apple does some brain-dead things sometimes.  The other thing that drives me nuts is capslock doesn't turn on unless you hold it down, but a normal keypress will turn capslock off (mid 2012 Retina MacBook Pro).  Okay there might be someone who is annoyed that they accidentally turn capslock on sometimes, but for the people who can type, sheesh the "delay to turn capslock on" should be configurable.

     

    One workaround for the Spaces Bar is to use the upper-left or upper-right hot corner for Mission Control.  If you put your pointer into that corner the graphical view of the desktops will show automatically.  However I have had years of using the lower-right hot corner to show Spaces and it's going to be difficult for me to relearn.  Whether or not the desktop thumbnails show by default when Mission Control is opened really should be configurable.

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Oct 21, 2015 9:25 PM in response to Botnik
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 21, 2015 9:25 PM in response to Botnik

    El Capitan seems strange in a few ways.  As you say, the mission control thing is certainly a regression, not an improvement.  The other really funny thing is that they are touting the idea that all of the windows in a desktop show up when you go to Mission Control.  That's not new, it was there in Yosemite.  Very strange.

  • by djmce,

    djmce djmce Nov 9, 2015 8:20 AM in response to Loikein
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2015 8:20 AM in response to Loikein

    Yep a lot of people out there agreeing that this is a step back rather than forward, myself included.

     

    I can see the logic in this for load time, but as mentioned above it's a step back rather than forward in terms of usability.

     

    A forward step would be 'magnification on hover' over a space

     

    Apple Devs, please roll out a preference update to allow thumbnails to be shown automatically as in Yosemite.

  • by WeeptheGreed,

    WeeptheGreed WeeptheGreed Nov 22, 2015 7:02 AM in response to Loikein
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 22, 2015 7:02 AM in response to Loikein

    Just to agree here. it is very annoying to use keyboard shortcuts to launch spaces, but then have to mouse up there to actually see what is within them. A two step operation for no reason. If they opened where I could see what was on each, then it would be useful.

  • by Whickwithy,

    Whickwithy Whickwithy Nov 22, 2015 7:37 AM in response to WeeptheGreed
    Level 1 (68 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 22, 2015 7:37 AM in response to WeeptheGreed

    On the whole, I just don't get El Capitan.  It is supposed to be this significant upgrade and I just don't see it.  As mentioned here, it has actually taken some steps backwards.  Better performance?  I don't see it.  Features?  None that I care about, except the one that wasn't even publicized.

     

    And, that's the oddest one of all.  They add a feature that allows you to increase the size of the menu bars, etc and not the slightest mention of it, anywhere.  If I hadn't continued to howl about it, here, I may never have discovered it.

     

    Weird.

  • by roberto.cr.tv,

    roberto.cr.tv roberto.cr.tv Sep 7, 2016 5:21 AM in response to Loikein
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 7, 2016 5:21 AM in response to Loikein

    Hi!

    I'm also not like the Mission Control on El Capitain and this is one of reason for not switch from Yosemite to El Capitain.

     

    Waiting from a Apple Solution I have set "Hot Corners" like this: the top-left or top-right corners to open Mission Control.

    It simulates the old behavior, but only because in triggering the Hot Corner callback, you've placed your mouse within the area that triggers the thumbnail expansion anyway