Written by
Amanda Wong
Summary: Do the opened windows disappear when you click the wallpaper on macOS Sonoma? This is because of the new macOS Sonoma feature, the 'click wallpaper to reveal desktop' option. Read this post to know more.
When the macOS Sonoma was finally released on September 26, 2023, just like most Mac users, I immediately upgraded to macOS Sonoma to try out those powerful features like Widgets on the Desktop, Game Mode, enhanced video effects, and so forth.
But you may encounter a problem that when I click the desktop, your windows quickly slide to the side, which gets me puzzled. Relax, this is not a bug. This is a new option in Dock & Stage Manager that came with macOS Sonoma, namely, click wallpaper to reveal desktop.
Introduction to macOS 'click wallpaper to reveal desktop' option
After upgrading to macOS Sonoma, you may accidentally trigger this "click wallpaper to reveal desktop" feature when you simply click outside an app's window on a wallpaper, because this feature is enabled by default on macOS Sonoma.
It is designed to quickly show the Mac desktop to access the items there. When you click the wallpaper, all the windows move out of the way and the desktop gets a black edge, you can view and access the widgets and objects on the desktop, and click the wallpaper again, it brings the windows back.
Actually, there are similar features to reveal Mac desktop on earlier macOS versions. Your Mac's Hot Corners can be configured to place the Desktop in one of the screen corners, and when you click beyond the window of the on-screen app, Stage Manager on macOS Ventura hides the app window.
How to turn off macOS Sonoma's click to reveal desktop
On macOS Sonoma, even if the Stage Manager is disabled, you can also click wallpaper to show the desktop. Although Apple introduced macOS's click to reveal desktop option with good intentions, some Mac users feel it is annoying when misusing this function frequently despite not intending to
If you have some trouble, you can simply stop macOS Sonoma from hiding your windows when you click the wallpaper, here's how:
- Navigate to the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Scroll down the sidebar to open Desktop & Dock.
- In the Desktop & Stage Manager section, you can see the "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop" option.
- Expand the box next to this option and choose "Only in Stage Manager."
- Then make sure the Stage Manager feature is turned off.
As long as the Stage Manager is disabled, you won't trigger this Sonoam click to show the desktop feature when you click the wallpaper. You can easily turn this feature on, you can also choose Always to click wallpaper to reveal desktop without the Stage Manager enabled.
Do not close any apps and windows while showing the desktop on a Mac is possible, and this tutorial provides you with ways to complete that work, also, you can learn how to minimize windows.
Let more people know macOS Sonoma's click wallpaper to reveal desktop option!
