OS X's Mission Control lets you manage the screen clutter that accompanies today’s advanced computing environment by providing a bird’s-eye view of all your open applications and windows. You’re the one really in control when you learn how to manage Mission Control’s features.

Q: How do I activate Mission Control?

A: With a press of a function key, a trackpad swipe, or any keyboard shortcut you wish. If you have a newer Apple keyboard or laptop, press F3, the Mission Control key. Otherwise, F9 is the default, fn-F9 on a laptop. Set your shortcuts through System Preferences in up to three different places:

The Mission Control pane Choose from a limited list of options to trigger Mission Control from the keyboard and/or with mouse buttons.

The Trackpad pane In the More Gestures tab, check the box for Mission Control and select a swipe configuration from the menu. It’s a good idea to set the “opposite” motion for App Exposé (to show all the windows for the current app); I use a four-finger upward swipe for Mission Control and four-finger downwards for the windows.