100
38
On Windows when I do alt+tab I can switch between windows. If I have 5 firefox windows open then using alt+tab will switch between them.
On my MacBook, cmd+tab switches between applications, not windows, so it will switch between firefox and xcode, but not between two different firefox windows.
I am sure there is SOME way to use keyboard shortcuts to switch between active windows. What am I missing?
Nir Levy
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 1 210
98
Cmd-` toggles through the windows forward.
Cmd-Shift-` toggles through the windows in reverse.
Cmd - alt - arrowkey switches between tabs
Am1rr3zA
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 4 715
5On my new MacBook Pro with Mavericks this just cycles within windows of the current application. It doesn't cycle all open windows of all open applications which is what alt-tab on Windows does. – opticyclic – 2014-08-09T19:15:26.817
8What's that angle bracket shortcut again? It does not work on my mac. And why is it the only one using '+' instead of '-' between keys? – cregox – 2010-04-13T19:50:01.400
1cmd-shift is nice, didn't know that before. – Tomas Andrle – 2010-08-23T15:01:01.593
@TomasAndrle, Cmd Shift arrow doesn't work on Sierra. (I tried with two finder windows.) – Pacerier – 2017-12-09T14:48:03.943
@Am1rr3zA, Where is the alt key? – Pacerier – 2017-12-09T14:48:24.450
4When did Cmd+> Cmd+< happen? I don't have them on 10.5. – taw – 2010-10-07T12:18:37.303
1On my Macbook Air with Mountain Lion, Cmd+> just beeps like an invalid key combination. It does not switch windows. – Howiecamp – 2012-08-10T21:28:14.380
1@Am1rr3zA - On my Macbook Air with Mountain Lion, Cmd+> just beeps like an invalid key combination. It does not switch windows. – Howiecamp – 2012-08-10T22:09:22.383
1What happens if my keyboard layout is different? I have the italian layout, and to get the symbol you need to press Alt + 9. Pressing Alt + Cmd + does not work. Is there anywhere where I could see the italian correspondant of this? – Gabriele Cirulli – 2012-11-05T21:14:58.030
My macbook plus with mountain lion only beeps as @Howiecamp describes. – drevicko – 2012-12-19T08:07:07.350
Doesn't work for Adium ( – Nakilon – 2014-02-13T09:06:39.030
15
There's a 3rd party app called Witch which will let you cycle through all windows of all apps.
Doug Harris
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 23 578
13
Along with the other suggested shortcuts, you could always use Exposé.
On a recent MacBook, or aluminium keyboard, the 'F3' key is dedicated to Exposé. If you don't have a keyboard with an Exposé key on it, you can use 'F9' and 'F10':
F3 or F9 to show all windows on the current space.
Ctrl-F3 or F10 to show all windows belonging to the current application on the current space.
For even easier access, I use the four-finger upward swipe to activate Exposé.
Josh Hunt
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 20 095
It's actually not F3 key, it's a fn key located on top of the F3. – cregox – 2010-04-13T19:50:55.813
@t0r0X, Expose = Mission Control? – Pacerier – 2017-12-09T14:51:07.480
1The issue with Exposé is that the order of the windows tiles/miniatures shown by Exposé changes. E.g. I have FireFox with six open windows. As soon as I switch from one of those windows to another, Exposé shows them next time in another unpredictable order and I loose the overview. – t0r0X – 2013-05-19T11:36:35.473
10
On my Swedish Mac keyboard the ´ and ` are on the same key. For the back-tick is a shifted forward-tick.
So, I can only use cmd-shift-` to cycle the windows in one direction, and it doesn't work in all apps, like the terminal. Very annoying.
As Doug Harris pointed out Witch is a really nice way of "solving" this problem for Windows to Mac switchers that have alt-tab the muscle memory.
Jörgen Lundberg
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 201
3Only $14 more to get your mac to be almost usable! (Witch currently costs $14) – Fixee – 2014-08-25T06:51:48.050
1It's not just muscle memory, it often makes more sense to switch between individual windows and not applications: e.g. when you have multiple applications with multiple windows each, and want to keep one window of each on top and switch back and forth between the two. – Michael – 2015-08-12T21:29:23.360
For future visitors: to remap the keys, see also Victor's comment on the question. (But I guess that for you, Jörgen, after more than 3 years you're used to it now.)
– Arjan – 2013-05-19T12:44:40.6137
You're looking for Cmd+`, or if you're not sure, the one with the ~.
This will cycle through all open windows for a single application.
BinaryMisfit
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 19 955
4Surround the text you want with <kbd> and </kbd>. – John Rudy – 2009-09-22T21:28:38.133
except in safari on a macbook plus with mountain lion... – drevicko – 2012-12-19T08:13:54.657
@drevicko It works for me on that setup – BinaryMisfit – 2012-12-19T08:20:59.170
@Diago interesting! Do you know if you did anything special to make it so? Mine is an out-of-the-box factory install just a few weeks old.. – drevicko – 2012-12-20T00:09:51.180
@drevicko Alt+` switches between windows. Ctrl+tab switches between tabs. Factory install on both my MacBook Pro and iMac. Just confirm which your trying to switch. I tend to ever only have one Safari window open but just tested again and it does work, actually it works in all application. – BinaryMisfit – 2012-12-20T07:08:32.970
@Diago switching windows is what I'm after. I havn't found a way to do it with the keyboard ): Apparently either I inadvertently did something to change the behaviour or perhaps my localisation (Australian) isn't set up properly?? As I recall, Alt-` works in some applications, but not most (my mac is in the office at the moment - I'll check which work when I go in tomorrow) – drevicko – 2012-12-20T09:01:56.983
@Diago I've discovered that Alt+` switches between windows (in the same application) only when the windows aren't in full-screen mode. I've not found a way to use the keyboard to switch between full-screen windows. – drevicko – 2013-01-02T04:57:18.760
@drevicko Interesting. I have a 27" iMac and at work a 24" external so hardly ever use fullscreen. Thanks for the additional info. – BinaryMisfit – 2013-01-02T05:50:39.333
5
Just a small clarification:
CMD+`
Switches between open windows for the same application, in OS "El Capitan" this works only when the windows are not in fullscreen mode. Maybe this is the reason because some guys reply saying that this shortcut doesn't work.
2ark0
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 83
1Thank you, I was having this issue until I took the window responsible out of fullscreen. – hcs – 2016-11-22T00:02:22.933
3
Optimal Layout is another commercial app that gives you a simple way to switch between application windows from the keyboard.
Disclaimer: I'm the developer of Optimal Layout.
Benedict Lowndes
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 474
2
You can use Mission Control. CTRL + ARROW UP will activate Mission Control and it will show you all active windows separately. CTRL + ARROW DOWN will show you all active windows of the current applications. So if you just want to switch between Chrome windows, this might be your solution!
Marc
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 21
2
CMD-` will cycle through open windows.
CMD-Shift-` will cycle through them in reverse.
Steve Tranby
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 186
4This is incorrect. It cycles through open windows of a given application. – Howiecamp – 2012-08-10T22:20:57.773
2
For switching through tabs, I prefer these shortcuts:
Cmd-{ to move left.
Cmd-} to move right.
I find those keys more comfortable than the arrow keys.
Justin Voss
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 203
1there's also ctrl+tab and ctrl+shift+tab for even more uncomfortable ones. ;) – cregox – 2010-04-13T19:51:45.737
1
I'm using HyperSwitch https://bahoom.com/hyperswitch/ these days as it not just supports window switching (as opposed to app switching) but also shows previews of windows in a way MS Windows started to do since Vista (or was it Windows 7?).
alexeit
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 451
1
On Mountain Lion it became a (nicer IMO) opt+tab. On a US keyboard, that is.
Jan
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 135
uh... on my US keyboard with mountain lion in chrome that switches which page element has focus... – Michael – 2015-08-12T21:30:41.383
1
The best app for MS Windows like window switching is Contexts https://contexts.co/
Beautiful, perfect in every way and too cheap when considering how much everyday pain of OSX suboptimal window management it fixes.
alexeit
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 451
0
If you want command + tab to switch between all windows, you can try Contexts. I love it.
Joseph Hansen
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 3 578
0
I'm the author of Command-Tab Plus application which allows you to quickly switch between applications, and additionally between windows (using the ability of Mac OS cmd+tilde https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL8CgMVptug
Serge Gerasimenko
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 1
The problem of switching between applications and Windows applications faced by every Mac OS user, as I do not like the built-in Mac OS application switcher, then I have developed my decision.
I tried a few solutions for switching between Windows and realized that I prefer to switch between applications. Maybe because I'm used to the MacOs, Mac OS x is slightly different ideology and so many people already switch between applications and not between windows – Serge Gerasimenko – 2017-03-12T21:17:49.433
Although your answer is 100% correct, it might also become 100% useless if that link is moved, changed, merged into another one or the main site just disappears... :-( Therefore, please [edit] your answer, and copy the relevant steps from the link into your answer, thereby guaranteeing your answer for 100% of the lifetime of this site! ;-) You can always leave the link in at the bottom of your answer as a source for your material... – Donald Duck – 2017-03-12T21:36:38.980
Sorry, I don't quite understand what link you mean? Link to my website/site ? main suite
[command tab plus link] (http://commandtab.noteifyapp.com)
-1
CMD+` Switches between open windows in an application.
Parallax33
Posted 2009-09-22T21:21:06.307
Reputation: 1
2One of most annoying thing on MAC for programmers. Why are the making us use 2 shortcuts to switch between windows, so inefficient :/ Is there app which would let me group up my windows as I like? – Srneczek – 2016-04-21T21:38:32.523
An update from the future (as this question gets many views still): for users that prefer windows-type switching, you may wish to consider using an excellent little tool called HyperSwitch that does the job. – Nir Levy – 2017-12-11T13:48:58.390
1
Just in case you never saw it: see also http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343 and http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/
– Arjan – 2009-09-22T22:07:21.4571thank you all. I've eventually decided to change the keybinding for this in the system settings and now i am using <kbd>Cmd</kbd>-<kbd>§</kbd>. Hope i didn't break anything else. – Nir Levy – 2009-09-24T11:28:00.780
2@Arjan this mostly doesn't work on international keyboards, where often
\`` on same key as´and is obtained by pressingShift+´` :-( – t0r0X – 2013-05-19T11:46:46.9704@Nir Levy THANKS! On my german keyboard (OS X 10.8) the mappings were "Focus to next window" =>
Cmd+\``, and "Focus to ?toolbar?(Seitenleiste des Fensters)" =>Cmd+Shift+``. Since both´and\`` are on same key (see my previous comment), rotating between application windows went only in one direction. All I had to to was change the 1st mapping toCmd+´and 2nd mapping to something else, e.g.Cmd+ß, and suddenly window switching works in both directions:Cmd+´andCmd+Shift+´. That simple... BTW, the default suggested by OSX isCmd+<` for Window switching. – t0r0X – 2013-05-19T12:11:34.330