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I would like to switch between programs, not individual windows from every program. I believe this is how Windows used to work back in Windows XP.

When you switch between programs in macOS, you switch between applications showing their icon. When you select the program, it opens every window for that program.

Switch app on macOS.

When you use Alt + Tab in windows, a thumbnail of each window shows.

Alt Tab in Windows

Is there a program or shortcut in Windows to make Alt + Tab function like macOS?

This is the opposite question as this one: Is there any program or way to make Mac OS X's ⌘-Tab behave like Windows' Alt-Tab? [closed]

The closest program I have found was from NeoSmart Technologies, Link: Easy Window Switcher

But I wasn't able to get it to work on Windows 11.

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  • 1
    I don't have a Mac so can not compare, but does this help: addictivetips.com/windows-tips/…
    – Joep van Steen
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 15:22
  • NVM, it's not exactly what you're asking, it still does icon for each individual instance. I applied it myself anyway because I think it's an improvement over thumbnails.
    – Joep van Steen
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 15:30
  • @JoepvanSteen this is much closer to what I am looking for. This would be perfect if it counted Explorer as 1 icon. I would submit this as an answer. I would still like to see if there is a better solution but so far this is closest to what I am looking for. It's a little odd that some icons do not show :/ They use a default icon for Spotify and settings on my end.
    – AndrewH
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 15:35
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    Well, first, you can set groups of apps and switch between them with AHK superuser.com/questions/1502213/…
    – Netan
    Commented May 17, 2023 at 5:31
  • Secondly, how about WIN+TAB? you'll need to arrange each app on its own desktop, but this might help?
    – Netan
    Commented May 17, 2023 at 5:32

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
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As I said in the comments:

First, you can set groups of apps and switch between them with AHK like here

Also, how about WIN+TAB? you'll need to arrange each app on its own desktop, but it might be another resolution?

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+150

Not exactly what you want but:

Classic icons on Alt+Tab

Open the registry editor with admin rights and navigate to the following key.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Right-click the Explorer key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value AltTabSettings

Double-click it and set its value to 1 to get classic icons on Alt+Tab.

enter image description here

Restart Windows Explorer to execute the change. To restart Windows Explorer, open the Task Manager and go to the Processes tab. Look for, and select Windows Explorer. Click the Restart button at the bottom right and when you next tap the Alt+Tab keyboard shortcut, you will see the following app switcher.

enter image description here

Source: https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/classic-icons-on-alt-tab-windows-10/

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  • For some reason, several applications do not use their icon, see the first icon in your image. Applications (for me at least) like Spotify, InDesign, and settings use the same icon. You also cannot use your mouse to select an icon. Still I like this more. I can always use Windows+Tab if I want to select by thumbnail preview.
    – AndrewH
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 17:15
  • Yes, I see the same here. Quite annoying.
    – Joep van Steen
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 17:24
  • Seem to be MS Store apps, for one.
    – Joep van Steen
    Commented May 16, 2023 at 18:47
1

As an alternative to Auto Hot Key, I made a small program implementing Mac switcher behavior on Windows. It's standalone .exe to launch.

I just released the first version, so there are limitations, but if you'd like to give a try, please check:

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0

In Windows, you can switch between open windows and programs by pressing the shortcut Alt+Tab. Knowing the program number in Taskbar, you can use shortcut Win+Ctrl+N (where n is the program number in Taskbar) to switch between the windows of a specific program.

For example, if File Explorer is the third icon in Taskbar, Pressing Win+Ctrl+3 repeatedly will switch between all open File Explorer windows.

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5
  • This doesn't really answer the question.
    – Toto
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 15:42
  • I already know about Alt+Tab, I wrote the shortcut wrong in my question, I have now fixed it. My question is about group same programs so I can easily switch between several programs and not individual windows.
    – AndrewH
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 16:01
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    @AndrewH, I completed my answer with new details.
    – Amirhosain Shahsavari
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 16:14
  • Pretty close to what I am looking for but I have some issues. It's not as convenient as macOS where you can cycle between programs and only have to use 1 shortcut. This method does not show all windows of that program when you select it. So if I have 4 Window Explorer open, then I have to do the shortcut 4 times to show them all.
    – AndrewH
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 17:46
  • That's right, but as far as I know, there is no other built-in feature in Windows for this. It's one of many differences between Windows and macOS. You need a dedicated software for that in Windows.
    – Amirhosain Shahsavari
    Commented May 13, 2023 at 10:50
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I have never needed nor tried to implement this in Winblows. However, you can try autohotkey and the following autohotkey script:

Autohotkey: https://github.com/AutoHotkey/AutoHotkey

Autohotkey script:

https://github.com/jendakol/autohotkey/blob/main/window-switch-multiple.ahk

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