Trick to open the same application several times on Mac

Open the same app multiple times

There are some times when it can be useful to have multiple copies of the same application open simultaneously, not just a separate window, but entire versions of the application running side by side, which can come in handy if we work with two screens, for example. And that's why it's Have you ever wanted to open the same application several times? and you could not

It is true that Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), does not make it easy in this section, because you may want to configure different desktops that have applications parked there or for another reason to access duplicate versions of the same application. Whatever the reason, we can do it. In today's article we are going to see how to open the same application several times in a simple way, from terminal from the Mac.

Can I right click on the icon?

While this may seem like the most obvious route, it won't do as you'll see there's no option to open the app. The same thing happens if you go to the menu bar when the application we have chosen is running, and then select the app and look in the dropdown menus.

This is due to the fact that the operating system MacOS it's not really set up to open multiple versions of an app at the same time. The guys at Cupertino didn't think of this back in the day, nor do they remember it in OS updates, so you'll have to go to the command line instead. But don't worry, it's not as difficult as it seems. Let's see how it's done!

Use the Terminal app

Open the same app multiple times

The way to run two versions of an application at the same time is to use the Command line. This may sound daunting, but it's just a single line of code you need to enter, and there's no danger of breaking anything. Plus it's very easy.

If you're someone who hasn't used the command line before, which is perfectly normal, then I advise you, you can get to it by opening Spotlight and searching for Terminal. When you see the app appear in the list of results, select it and you'll see an open window with some code at the top.

Now, all you have to do is enter the following command on the system: open -n /Applications/(app name.

Let's go with the example that we want to open two Telegram windows, for example. So now we would put:

  • open -n /Applications/telegram.app

You should now see a second window open containing another exact copy of Telegram. That's all. If you didn't have Telegram open when you typed the command, simply enter the command again to open the second version of Telegram.

This is how the two versions of the same app work

As you can see, it is as simple as opening the underused terminal and put the sentence: open -n /Applications/ --app obviously substituting "application" for the app that we want to open a second time. It can be useful, for example, to convert video with two programs at the same time and get more performance, or as I said before, if we work on a double screen, but it is also true and we must take into account that opening two identical applications will reduce the performance of Mac.

Now you can use both versions of the application independently and simultaneously. However, there are some caveats that we should keep in mind, before duplicating an application. If the app employs an autosave feature, then macOS may get confused as to which is the authentic version, which one it should save. Therefore, before embarking on any lengthy or critical endeavour, such as writing our memoir, or our final degree project, we better check that our work is saved when you have two versions open.

In addition, try to set up a test document or message on Telegram, then close the app and check if your work has been saved. It should be fine, but we don't want you to lose any important data using this workaround, and it may behave differently depending on the app you're using.

You could use multiple user accounts instead

On the other hand, if you don't want to waste time with the command line or any problem it may cause in terms of saving data, although we have already seen that it is very simple, the truth is that we also have another option available. you could set up a second user profile on your computer Mac and then switch between them when you want to use the other instance of the app.

And although it is true, that it may not be the best option, you should know that it is a fairly quick transition, so it could be that you create a work account and a home account that can access versions of the same application in different places. .

If you also use this command, let us know in the comments.


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  1.   A said

    Hi, it doesn't work for me, I have Mac OSX 10.6.3.

  2.   osvaldo said

    This procedure does not work for me ... I get that there is no such application. help please