Alt Tab

AltTab brings the power of Windows’s “alt-tab” window switcher to macOS.

Installation

Alternatively, you can use homebrew:

Homebrew 2.5 or aboveHomebrew 2.4 or below
brew install alt-tabbrew cask install alt-tab

Compatibility

From macOS 10.12 to 10.15

Localization

Sep 23, 2020 Mystery blank window with blue F-icon in alt-tab view appears at random I have a problem that I have searched for hours on to no avail. At what seems to be at random, this blue/white F-icon window will appear in the Alt-Tab little windows.

The app is available in:

Vista Alt Tab

For example, if you’re writing a document in Microsoft Word, you can click the “+” button to open an Edge browser tab and search for something, then switch back to your Word tab—all without ever leaving the window. The Alt+Tab Key Combo Now Shows Tabs, Too Microsoft changed how Alt+Tab works to make it easier to switch between Sets tabs. Another thing you can try is the Alt-Tab-Esc shortcut, which often seems to fix issues with Alt-Tab in general. Method 3: Restart Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer essentially allows you to browse your files with a visual interface. It’s often regarded as the backbone of your system since most of us wouldn’t know how to navigate our PCs.

Tab

Alt Tab Microsoft Edge Tabs

Bahasa Indonesia, Čeština, Deutsch, English, Español, Français, Italiano, Lëtzebuergesch, Magyar, Nederlands, Norsk, Polski, Português, Português (Brasil), العربية, Slovenčina, Slovenščina, Suomi, Svenska, Türkçe, Русский язык, українська мова, 中文 (简体), 中文 (繁体), 日本語, 한국어

Alt Table

Configuration

Change the shortcut keys, switch to a Windows theme and more, using the Preferences window:

Alternatives

Before building my own app, I looked around at similar apps. However, none was completely satisfactory so I rolled my own. Also, the almost-good-enough apps are not open-source.

AlternativeDifferences
HyperSwitch and HyperDock$10. Closed-source. Thumbnails are too small. App icon is on top of the thumbnail
WindowSwitcher$7. Closed-source. Thumbnails are small and blurry. App icon is on top of the thumbnail
SwitchOpen Source. Thumbnails are small. Very little customization. Latest release is from 2016
Witch and Context$10-15. Closed-source. Focus on text. No thumbnails
MissionControl Plus$10. Closed-source. No chronology and order to windows. Hard to navigate windows with keyboard
Built-in MissionControlNo keyboard support
Built-in ⌘ command + ⇥ tabOnly shows apps, not windows (note: can press down to see window of selected app)
Built-in ⌘ command + `Cycles through tabs and windows, but only of the same app. Only cycling, no direct access

There are also related apps which don’t really overlap in functionality, but target similar needs: Swish, Hookshot, Magnet, Spectacle, Rectangle, yabai, LayAuto, OptimalLayout, BetterTouchTool, BetterSnapTool, Moom, uBar

Screenshots

1 row2 rowsWindows theme

License

AltTab is under the GPL-3.0 license.

I don’t know about you, but Alt + Tab has become an essential Windows feature for me, so when I ended up with blurry windows in Windows 11, the whole thing has become quite a pain in the neck.

It’s not like I wasn’t able to use it anymore, but my Alt + Tab screen looked awful, which makes little sense for an operating system that’s supposed to be as modern as it gets.

Alt Tab Keys Codes

But of course, given Windows 11 is still in its early days and is only available in the Windows Insider program, this makes perfect sense, and it was pretty clear Microsoft was supposed to fix the whole thing rather sooner than later.

And as it turns out, this was one of the first things Microsoft addressed as part of the Windows Insider program, as the most recent preview build of Windows 11 finally resolves the blurry windows in Alt + Tab.

Alt + Tab now looking good

As you can see in the screenshot here, everything is looking exactly as you’d expect it to look, so if your thumbnails are blurry, just make sure you install Windows 11 preview build 22000.65. It’s available right now as part of the Windows Insider program in the Dev channel.

On the other hand, keep in mind Windows 11 is still a work in progress, so don’t be too surprised if you come across other bugs while using it.

According to Microsoft’s own schedule, the operating system is projected to get the go-ahead in the fall of the year, and the company has even dropped some hints the release could take place in October. Windows 11 will be offered as a free upgrade to certain eligible Windows 11 devices, with the upgrade to land in the last months of this year and then continue into 2022.