Home·Keyboard shortcuts

Windows · Switch between open windows

Window

Windows · Linux

Alt+Tab

Mac

Not on this system

Steps between the open windows; hold Alt and tap Tab to choose, and Ctrl+Alt+Tab leaves the picker on screen after you let go.

Group
Window
Keys held
2

Win-key combinations are captured before any program sees them — nothing can clash with them, and nothing can override them either.

Reading the key names

  • Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
  • On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
  • Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
  • With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
  • When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.

Common questions

Q. What is the shortcut for Switch between open windows in Windows?

Steps between the open windows; hold Alt and tap Tab to choose, and Ctrl+Alt+Tab leaves the picker on screen after you let go. It is Alt+Tab on Windows and — on a Mac.

Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?

No — Alt+Tab on Windows, — on a Mac.

Q. How many keys is that?

2 pressed together. The combination sits under Window in Windows.

Shortcuts nearby