AltTab brings the power of Windows’s “alt-tab” window switcher to macOS.
In Windows 10, you can press Alt+Tab or Ctrl+Alt+Tab to switch between open windows. Microsoft had announced a new Windows 10 feature called Sets (Microsoft may end up calling it something else by the time it ships) which would be coming to Windows Insiders as a controlled study. To make the Windows Alt+Tab switcher behave like it used to, head to Settings System Multitasking. Scroll down to the “Sets” section, click the dropdown under the “Pressing Alt+Tab shows the most recently used” option, and then select the “Windows Only” setting. Alt+Tab is a keyboard shortcut most often used to switch between open programs in Microsoft Windows and other operating systems.
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Installation
Alternatively, you can use homebrew:
| Homebrew 2.5 or above | Homebrew 2.4 or below |
|---|---|
brew install alt-tab | brew cask install alt-tab |
Compatibility
From macOS 10.12 to 10.15
Localization
The app is available in:
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
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.
| Alternative | Differences |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Switch | Open 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 MissionControl | No keyboard support |
Built-in ⌘ command + ⇥ tab | Only 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 row | 2 rows | Windows theme |
|---|
License
AltTab is under the GPL-3.0 license.
Symptoms or Error
Non-admin users must contact their company’s Help Desk/IT support team and can refer to CTX297149 for more information.
Executing ALT+TAB keys, toggles opened applications on endpoint machine instead of Citrix Desktop session.
Alt Tab Gaming
Solution
In general, switching between applications/windows within a Citrix Desktop Session will work without a need to alter any settings on an endpoint with the newer releases of Citrix Workspace App.
Please review the below sections for additional information:
- With the latest releases of Workspace App for Windows, no changes on the endpoint are required. Hitting 'Alt+Tab' on the endpoint within a windowed Citrix Desktop session.
- If the expected behavior of switching between applications/windows within a Citrix Desktop Session is not occurring, please follow these steps:
Per-Machine setting:
Type: REG_SZ
Name: TransparentKeyPassthrough
Value: Remote
Type: REG_SZ
Name: TransparentKeyPassthrough
Value: Remote
Type: REG_SZ
Name: TransparentKeyPassthrough
Value: Remote
**Note: You have to exit Citrix Workspace App / Citrix Receiver and launch it again for this change to take effect.
- Hit the following keys: 'Option+ Tab'.
Alt Tab India
On Linux there are no required settings that need to be changed to allow this behavior.
If the expected behavior of switching between applications/windows within a Citrix Desktop Session is not occurring, please follow these steps:
- Open terminal and navigate to the following location:
- /etc/icaclient/config/All_Regions.ini
- Edit the .ini file with your preferred editor
- ex. nano All_Regions.ini
- Find the following line within the file and update it to 'Remote' after the equal sign:
- TransparentKeyPassthrough =Remote
- Exit Citrix Workspace App or Citrix Receiver and launch it again
Alttab Github
Note : Changes made to the above file will be applied to all the connections. On ChromeOS there are two ways of switching between applications/windows within a Citrix Desktop Session, see below:- Go into full screen mode on your Citrix Desktop Session:
- Proceed to switch between applications/windows using 'Alt+Tab'
- Within a windowed session try the following key combination to:
- Proceed to switch between applications/windows using 'Alt+PageUp'
Problem Cause
Additional Resources
Understanding Keyboard Input To Virtual Desktops
By default, when you use a virtual desktop all key presses are directed to it (not the local computer) with the following exceptions:
- Windows logo key+L is directed to the local computer.
- CTRL+ALT+DELETE is directed to the local computer except in some cases if you use the Citrix Desktop Lock.
- Key presses that activate StickyKeys, FilterKeys, and ToggleKeys (Microsoft accessibility features) are normally directed to the local computer.
- As an accessibility feature of the Desktop Viewer, pressing CTRL+ALT+BREAK displays the Desktop Viewer toolbar buttons in a pop-up window.
- Windows key combinations (for example, CTRL+ESC and ALT+TAB) are directed according to the settings that your help desk has selected.
Note: By default, if the Desktop Viewer is maximized, ALT+TAB switches focus between windows inside the session. If the Desktop Viewer is displayed in a window, ALT+TAB switches focus between windows outside the session.
Hotkey sequences are key combinations designed by Citrix. For example, the CTRL+F1 sequence reproduces CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and SHIFT+F2 switches applications between full-screen and windowed mode. You can use hotkey sequences with virtual desktops in many, but not all, setups. For example, they work with your hosted applications.
Disclaimer