How to Assign an App to a Space on Mac

Step by step

1. 10 sec

   Open the space you want to use

   Switch to the desktop where the app should live. Press Control and the Right Arrow until you land on it, or open Mission Control and click its thumbnail. The assignment you are about to make refers to whichever space is showing now.

   Note: Do this first. This Desktop means the one you are standing on, not the one you had in mind.
2. 10 sec

   Open the Dock icon options menu

   Right click the app icon in the Dock, or hold Control and click it. In the menu that appears, move to Options. A submenu opens with the Assign To choices at the top. The app needs to be running or kept in the Dock.

   Note: Control-click exists because the first Macs shipped with one mouse button. That decision is older than most people using it.
3. 10 sec

   Choose an Assign To option

   Pick All Desktops, This Desktop, or None. All Desktops shows the app windows on every space. This Desktop binds new windows to the space you are on. None removes any assignment and lets windows open wherever you happen to be.

   Note: None is the default, and None is not the same as This Desktop. One is a rule, the other is the absence of one.
4. 20 sec

   Confirm the assignment holds

   Quit the app and open it again from another space. An app assigned to This Desktop pulls you back to its home desktop instead of opening in front of you. The assignment survives quitting the app and restarting the Mac.

   Note: It is stored per app, not per window. Nothing to set again after an update, which is rarer than it should be.
5. 10 sec

   Undo or change it later

   Return to the Dock icon, open Options, and choose None. The app forgets its home. If you want it on a different space instead, switch to that space first, then choose This Desktop again from the same menu.

   Note: Assignments are easy to forget you made. If an app keeps yanking you to another desktop, this menu is why.