How to turn off macOS Sonoma's click to reveal desktop

AppleInsider

For macOS Sonoma, Apple changed the Mac so that clicking on the desktop activates Expose and hides all your apps. Fortunately, you can stop it -- albeit with a workaround.

The new macOS Sonoma's default desktop wallpaper

We're not going to use words like annoying, but you might. The first time you use macOS Sonoma and you click on the desktop, it is startling at least.

It's meant to mean that you can get to your desktop instantly, and to and to any files or folders there. But you can't get to any folders you have open, not without opening them again.

This is because now one click is like spreading out five fingers on a trackpad. It's Apple's Expose feature.

The right gesture on a trackpad can show you all open windows and documents, or it can open Mission Control to let you switch to a new app. But in this case, Expose throws every app and every document on screen to the side, with just a pointless sliver of each one around the edges.

You've been able to ignore Expose so easily that it's likely many users don't even know it's there. But stopping the Mac doing this with every click you make on the desktop takes a workaround.

How to turn off macOS Sonoma's click to reveal desktop

1. Open Settings


2. Choose Desktop & Dock


3. Scroll down to Desktop & Stage Manager


4. Under click wallpaper to reveal desktop, click to change from Always to Only in Stage Manager

If you turn off the new feature, but the control is under State Manager's settings

That's all it takes, but good luck guessing that the option is to do with Stage Manager if no one's told you.

Desktop reveal with Stage Manager

There is the issue that in order to stop the Mac ever doing this, you've had to tell it specifically to not do it in Stage Manager. So if you like and use Stage Manager, it's a problem.

However, if your aim is to have Stage Manager and also quick access to your desktop, you can do it so that it's your choice when the desktop springs apart to reveal files and folders there.

First, you need to set it up so that Stage Manager does not automatically hide desktop files and folders.

1. In Settings, go back to Desktop & Stage Manager


2. Click to Show Items just in Stage Manager and/or on desktop

Then to fling the Mac's current windows to the side and see your desktop files, spread out five fingers on your trackpad. There isn't a Magic Mouse equivalent, however.



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paisleydisco

Absolutely annoying feature that apple set as active on Sonoma. Shameful. 

macseeker

Merry Christmas William.  Thank you..

macxpress

This has got to be the most annoying and useless feature I've ever seen in a new OS release of any kind. And of course it's enabled by default. First thing I always do is disable this stupid feature. 

chadbag

Gratuitous non helpful changes are Apple’s forte.  They should introduce new features like this and always make them opt-in.  Installing a new version of the OS shouldn’t change how one I get acts with and uses the OS.  

This is one reason I’m always a version or two behind.  I don’t want to be surprised or have things “break” when I don’t have time to deal with it.  I’m always busy and use my Macs for real work and managing of my life and such surprises are more than I want to deal with so I tend to upgrade conservatively. 

MplsP

I'm going to disagree and say that I find it quite useful. To each their own.

tzx4

Does anybody even use stage manager? When  it came out I played with it for about 30 minutes and that was it. Seems like every other year they come out with another way to manage your open windows. To be honest snow leopard was the best, you could pick exposé and spaces simultaneously and then use a hot corner to expose every window and space and go right to that window that you wanted. They and did that witht in that Mission Control that I consider to be more lame but I do use it.
As far as desktop review I've always set my lower left-hand corner to be a hot corner for desktop reveal and this new set up works for me this is convenient to click on the desktop to review it. Anybody out there use Launchpad I played with it for about five minutes when it came out years ago and that was the end of it.
The thing is every year Apple has to create often times gimmicky changes to create hyperbole and excitement it's all part of marketing.  I kind of dread every fall because I'm gonna have to readjust things that I've been used to for a year. I still haven't gotten used to the way the dictation works in Sonoma versus last year's OS which I still work with on my Intel iMac.

zeus423

I just had to turn this off. Thank you for the quick, easy directions on how to get back to normal!