Spaces and profiles
Work, home and side projects, each in its own space
- Switch space
- ⌃1 … ⌃9
- New space
- ⇧⌘S
- Private space
- ⇧⌘N, memory only
- Per profile
- Cookies, logins, site data, history, bookmarks
- Per space
- Name, colour, icon
- Available on
- macOS today
What is the difference between a space and a profile?
A space is a set of tabs in the sidebar with its own name, colour and icon. A profile is the data behind it: its own WebKit data store, so its own cookies, logins, site data, history and bookmarks. Several spaces can share one profile, so you can split work into projects and stay signed in to the same accounts.
How do I create and switch spaces?
⇧⌘S opens the New Space card: pick a profile, or create a new, fully separate one, then give the space a name, colour and icon. Edit Space… in a space's menu changes them later.
- ⌃1 to ⌃9 jumps to a space by its position
- With trackpad gestures on (Settings › Tabs), swipe left or right over the sidebar
- ⇧⌘N opens the private space, which lives in memory only
Can a site always open in the right space?
Yes. In a site's Site Settings, "Always open in" picks a space for that host. New tabs of it, from links in other apps, ⌘-clicks, links that open a new window and addresses typed into a new tab, then open there. Settings › Profiles › Space Rules lists and removes them.
Can a space save its tabs or switch on a schedule?
Save Space as Snapshot keeps the addresses, titles and groups of a space's tabs, per profile, until you delete the snapshot; it holds no page state or cookies. Edit Space can also set a schedule of weekdays and hours, and the window switches to that space when the schedule covers the current time, unless you changed space by hand within the last hour.
Questions
Do two profiles share cookies?
No. Each profile has its own WebKit data store, so a login in one profile is not seen by another. You can choose "Share data with another profile" when creating a profile if you want two profiles to use the same store.
Is history kept per profile?
Yes. History, cookies, cache, permissions, downloads and settings are stored separately for each profile on your Mac.
What happens to the private space when I quit?
None of its tabs, cookies or history were written to disk; the private space keeps them in memory only. Files you downloaded stay in your Downloads folder.
How many spaces can I switch to by keyboard?
⌃1 to ⌃9 select the first nine spaces in sidebar order. These keys are fixed and cannot be rebound.
Can I delete everything a profile stored?
Yes. Settings › Privacy › Your data exports a profile's data as JSON and deletes its spaces, tabs, snapshots, history, site settings and WebKit cookies, cache and storage. Files you downloaded stay.
What it does not do
- Space rules do not move a script's pop-up, which keeps its opener for sign-in and payment flows, or links followed inside a tab.
- The private space cannot save a snapshot, and no space rule can send tabs to it or take tabs from it.
- A snapshot keeps addresses, titles and groups only, not page state, form input or cookies.
- Spaces and profiles ship on macOS today; Windows, Linux, iOS and Android are in development.
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