If you work on a Mac, you may have noticed that macOS does not let you easily open two or more instances of the same application. However, there is a simple workaround. Using the Terminal, you can launch multiple instances of any app on macOS.
Here are the commands I use regularly:
| App | Command |
|---|---|
| Autodesk Maya | open -n /Applications/Autodesk/maya2025/Maya.app/ |
| Substance 3D Painter | open -n -a “Adobe Substance 3D Painter.app” |
Make sure to change the year in the Maya command to match your installed version.
Why This Is Useful: Running multiple instances of an app is especially helpful in a production environment. For example, in Maya you might want to quickly open another scene to copy objects or settings from it. Instead of closing your current scene, you simply launch a second instance and work in parallel.
A Story From Production: I remember one project where everyone in the studio kept a second, empty Maya window open at all times. The reason? Maya crashed frequently during that particular project. With a backup window already open, we could quickly reload the scene and continue working without major delays. It was a simple trick that saved us a lot of time.
A Small Mystery: Interestingly, Maya and Substance 3D Painter each require slightly different Terminal commands. I still don’t know why. If anyone has an explanation or knows commands for other apps, please let me know!