If Screens cannot open windows in fullscreen mode, it’s likely because its icon is hidden in the Dock.
Why Does Hiding the Dock Icon Disable macOS Spaces for Screens?
When you enable the "Hide Screen Icons in Dock" option in Screens, macOS Spaces functionality becomes unavailable for the app. This is due to how macOS handles app windows and Spaces. Here’s a detailed explanation:
How macOS Spaces Work
macOS Spaces is part of the Mission Control system, which allows you to organize app windows into different virtual desktops. To manage these windows and their association with specific Spaces, macOS relies on the app's presence in the Dock.
Why Hiding the Dock Icon Affects Spaces
When the Dock icon is hidden:
- App Identification Issues: macOS no longer has a clear association between the app process and its windows. Without the Dock icon, the system treats the app's windows as detached, making them incompatible with Spaces.
- Simplified Window Management: macOS assumes that apps without Dock icons are either background utilities or helpers that don’t need to participate in Spaces. As a result, full Spaces functionality is disabled for those apps.
Impact on Screens
For Screens:
- When the Dock icon is hidden, the app cannot open in a dedicated Space.
- Using the green traffic light button to maximize the window will only resize it within the current Space instead of creating a new one.
How to Enable Spaces for Screens
To use macOS Spaces with Screens, you need to disable the "Hide Screen Icons in Dock" option:
- Open Screens.
- Go to Settings > General.
- Uncheck the Hide Screens icon in Dock option.
With the Dock icon visible, Screens will work seamlessly with macOS Spaces.
Additional Notes
This behavior is a limitation of macOS and how it manages Spaces and window associations. While it might be inconvenient, it ensures consistent behavior for apps across the system.