Is there any program or way to make Mac OS X's ⌘-Tab behave like Windows' Alt-Tab?

151

Is there any program or way to make Mac OS X's ⌘Tab(Command-Tab) behave like Windows' AltTab?

That is, instead of switching between applications, to switch between windows of all applications?

I do know there's a way to switch between windows of the same application using ⌘`, but that's not what I want either.

I'm not just trying to make Mac OS X behave like my recent former OS, I've been a Mac user for over two years and before that Ubuntu. After using Expose and ⌘Tab I think Windows' or Ubuntu's AltTab is better.

pupeno

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 8 223

Sorry Pablo. AFAIK you can't change that behavior. In the end we are talking about completely different operating systems here. Not every detail can be mimicked by the other vendors. I learned to live with Exposé. If this approach is better or not is arguable. ;-) – lajuette – 2010-09-29T07:51:11.667

I rarely use Exposé. ⌘-tab and ⌘` are good enough for me. Having said that, I've heard good things about Witch mentioned below. – fideli – 2010-09-29T12:37:37.100

5Try this:

switch between applications using Cmd-tab, but hold the Cmd key after you released the tab key, and while still holding the Cmd key, press up- or down arrow. This brings up Expose right from program switching. – Florenz Kley – 2012-10-22T21:08:27.910

2+1 for this question, especially when using a non-US keyboard where the ` key is on the right side of the keyboard. – martin jakubik – 2013-01-31T09:56:41.150

2Ignore first comment from lajuette. incorrect. Yes, there is a program which does this. 'Witch', see accepted answer. – malatio – 2013-07-12T18:29:40.663

You mean "behave like non MacOS' alt-tab". This ⌘ makes me sick. – Pierre de LESPINAY – 2013-08-07T08:18:05.647

Windows Emulator – Butzke – 2013-12-18T12:06:50.303

Answers

You can get Witch which makes alt-tab work like Windows switching between windows not apps. However see This question if there are alternatives.

The Apple way is exposé but does require a different way of thinking.

user151019

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 5 312

18The real problem for me is that I do not want ALL my terminal windows popping up and covering over my browser with the command I want to type and my code that I'm referencing.. I want just the last terminal window from a different application and NOT all of them. – Damon – 2014-09-19T21:56:38.543

This is what alt-tab does in Witch – user151019 – 2014-09-20T19:48:50.173

1This (Witch) allows you to access your minimised windows with the keyboard. Why thus can't usually be done is beyond me. – Alexander Kartun-Giles – 2016-11-19T03:13:30.683

23I did use "thinking differently" for over two years, it tires my finger. Thanks for the recommendations, looks like they are exactly what I was looking for. – pupeno – 2010-09-30T08:39:44.450

Wouldn't tabbing through all windows rather than just applications tire your finger more? Confused. – ghoppe – 2010-10-02T01:24:26.340

29@ghoppe The order of tabs in windows-style alt-tab is dependent on the order of when the windows were last visited. Therefore, if you know you need to get to the last window you were looking at, a single alt-tab is all you need, as opposed to having to locate the window in expose – Matt – 2010-10-06T15:30:15.533

@Matt This is the way OS X works too. Single command-tab goes to the last application and window that had focus, single command-` goes to the last window that had focus. In fact, they're reverse ordered as well. Open 4 windows up in the browser, visit them in sequence, command-` reverses the visit order. – ghoppe – 2010-10-06T23:17:37.057

Magnet($1.99) is a cheaper than Witch ($13.99). It does not do the same thing, but it is enough for me if I:

Never maximize windows, and set Magnet Full Screen to respond to F5 instead (and then use only F5).
Do the Alt+Tab + Alt+` thing.

Disadvantage: Not quite the same as Alt+Tab. Advantage: price and excellent windows like Magnet functionality. – Lucio – 2019-08-19T18:30:18.467

@Lucio That should be an answer – user151019 – 2019-08-19T18:38:00.657

@ghoppe Though that should work in practice, in actuality there are some annoying "glitches". Such as switching between two chrome windows, if you were focused on a youtube/flash video, the command-` shortcut sometimes doesn't even work even though command-tab does. "Witch" ignores that glitch or "feature" of mac os x – victoroux – 2012-07-20T13:25:52.763

@ghoppe The Command-Tab does NOT visit last application (i.e. MRU). Not clear how the app is actually chosen – javadba – 2013-09-28T14:23:21.733

@javadbanote that ghoppe says alt-tab not command tab. alt-ta is what Witch uses and the list of windows is (or can be configured to be) in order of last use. Apple's cmd0tab does appear to be in LRU order as well – user151019 – 2013-09-28T14:26:34.490

@javadba Um, yes it does. If it doesn't on your machine, you must have a non-standard setup or extension installed. I'm using it now. If you still don't believe me, here's an article explaining the behaviour: "Command-Tab: This activates the menu and switches through applications in order of when they were last accessed. The foremost application will be on the left, and repeatedly pressing the Tab key will go through each application you have open."

– ghoppe – 2013-09-28T17:52:40.220

@ghoppe Ah i see now. But the problem is: the highlight is on the MIDDLE app, not the LEFT most app. So then what .. I have to hit left arrow a few times to get over to the leftmost one. – javadba – 2013-09-28T19:45:44.677

@Mark The command-tab does work -according to its own design. But the highlighted app is in the middle while the MRU is at the left. How to make the MRU the default/highlighted one? – javadba – 2013-09-28T19:48:30.500

@javadba the MRU is at the left for me – user151019 – 2013-09-28T19:49:56.073

@Mark Yes likewise. But the "cursor" is in the middle so I have to hit left arrow key a few times. Any idea how to either have MRU in middle or to have cursor start on the left? – javadba – 2013-09-28T20:17:36.360

Cursor is on left unless before you hot cmd-tab it is on the screen where the list of icons will bw – user151019 – 2013-09-28T20:19:50.757

@Mark Pls clarify last comment "on the screen where list of icons will be". In my case the cursor is NEVER on the left – javadba – 2013-09-28T20:25:48.937

Use ⌘ Command+Tab to switch between different open applications and ⌘ Command+` (backtick) to switch between multiple open windows of a single program.

Krishna

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 665

3This would be great if it worked for switching between windows of the same app while one of those windows is in a different space (or fullscreen). Sadly it doesn't... – Power-coder – 2015-08-12T18:23:18.537

3Also those functions have very different behavior. Cmd-Tab lets you switch back and forth between two windows of different apps in addition to cycling. Cmd-` cycles through windows of an app, and does NOT give the ability to switch back and forth between two windows, which is why I never use it. – Ryan P – 2016-11-22T17:47:33.713

This is actually the most time saving and useful thing to know here, and in my view is THE ONLY REASON why expose is not complete junkware. I can't believe I've been using a mac for 4 years and this has not come up. I can move my finger 1cm and solve the problem? Conversation closed (for me). – Tim Ogilvy – 2017-06-27T01:00:27.237

This is perhaps valid for US layout. To use backtick I'd have to use two hands on my Swedish layout. – VonSchnauzer – 2018-06-04T08:40:18.920

2Distinctly not what was asked, question author directly stated that he knew how to switch between windows of a single application already. – derekv – 2019-01-11T17:15:17.547

2that's not Cmd-~ but Cmd-(and like that it's also described in the documentation). Cmd-~ does not exist, If it was a shortcut, it would be described as Cmd-Shift- – Florenz Kley – 2012-10-22T18:33:57.927

Hyperswitch is another application to switch between all open windows of all open applications like in Windows/Linux. It defaults to using alt+tab so that you can still use the default ⌘ command+tab switching, but you have the option of overriding that and can set it to use ⌘ command+tab to replace the default functionality.

It is currently free while it is in beta.

Otherwise you have to do ⌘ command+tab to get to your application, let go of the tab and press 1 to activate the windows of your application, then use the arrow keys (or the mouse) to select the window you want.

Or control+F4 but that doesn't give you the previews - it just cycles open windows.

opticyclic

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 1 169

1Hyperswitch is the best one I've used. Closest to the Windows native alt-tab format I'm used to. – Eric Warnke – 2015-06-08T19:45:11.733

Awesome tool! Definitely mimics the Windows experience I'm so used to. – Elad Nava – 2016-02-03T19:29:28.170

Awesome! Also stops OSX from raising every f*n Chrome window on every monitor when I Cmd-Tab to one. – Ryan P – 2016-11-22T17:55:10.817

11 is perfect solution for me – resting – 2019-08-30T17:30:56.703

This is so great, so much better than Which, thank you. – Darian Moody – 2019-11-13T21:50:11.260

Another option is to 'hide' the application using ⌘(command) + H rather than minimizing it. This way you can use ⌘(command)+tab to select the application and bring it to focus like Windows.

Chris

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 209

2Windows has a window-based switcher, while OS X has an application based switcher. Your answer does not seem to address that fundamental difference. – Daniel Beck – 2012-07-25T11:48:43.763

1That's true it doesn't, but the high level question is also how to make the Mac 'behave' more like Windows alt-tab. As you say the biggest difference is the window vs application behaviour but another key difference in the behaviour is that in Windows when a window is selected with alt-tab it is maximized even if it had been previously minimized, this doesn't happen in the Mac. Using ⌘(command) + H rather than minimizing means that when an application is later selected with ⌘-tab it is automatically brought to the front and I see this as behaving more like Windows. – Chris – 2012-07-25T12:32:02.523

After googling like a madman for a simple answer, this is the best one I found. Instead of the CMD+M I'll use CMD+H and that's that. Thanks a lot. – PatrickT – 2013-11-10T09:01:00.963

For me the best option is contexts. Just check their site, app is amazing and beat all other solutions (and believe my, I try almost all of them). It's not yet perfect, but for me, competition is miles behind.

SuitUp

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 390

You may want to try Optimal Layout as well: it combines powerful application and window switching with instant preview of window content + grid based window resizing and layout if needed.

Philippe

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 41

As a user with the same need, so far Witch is really the best answer. It provides a recent window switch behavior very much like Windows/UNIX.

The one drawback I've experienced, is that when you close a window in MacOS, it brings the next window from that application forward -- very annoying behavior when you expected to get back to the window from the OTHER application underneath. I'm doubtful there will be a way to fix this behavior.

For users who don't understand why Command-Tab is not a viable alternative.... Command-Tab brings ALL of an application's windows forward, which is not the desired behavior. Switching quickly between 2-4 recently used windows without disturbing any other windows is very easy with windows-style alt-tab, and very hard with mac Command-tab command-tilde.

David Jeske

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 181

@SuitUp Change what where? Not sure if you are referring to OSX or Which. Can you elaborate? Thanks! – Lee – 2016-05-03T17:46:33.297

Option + Tab switches between windows like Windows. Shift + Option + Tab to reverse cycle.

If it's not working check Keyboard Shortcuts Move focus to active or next windows and set to Option + Tab.

Sam Inverso

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 219

This is not exactly like windows: it doesn't implement a stack, so Option +Tab, Option + Tab doesn't take you back to the window you started at. Still a useful addition though thanks. – ahcox – 2017-10-04T17:22:14.287

1This worked for me. Default was ^F4. – dokkaebi – 2013-09-05T00:44:16.873

-1

I just found that there's another alternative, that I'm using on my Ubuntu machine: there I switch between applications using Alt-Tab and between their windows using Alt-^ (which is the button on the top left corner on a German keyboard layout; on US keyboards it's actually ~ as Krishna pointed out). This way you only have to lift your finger a little higher when you want to switch windows of the current application.

To set that shortcut change Settings > Keyboard > Move focus to next window to ⌘-~ (DE: ⌘-^)

Stefan

Posted 2010-09-29T07:25:29.700

Reputation: 99