Alt+Tab on a Mac: how to switch apps the Windows way
By Wondering Works, maker of Windsify · Updated
Command+Tab is the answer everyone gives, and it is only half right. The Mac switches applications where Windows switches windows, and that difference is why the shortcut still feels wrong a month in.
Apps or windows? Windsify puts the macOS application switcher on Alt+Tab. It does not add individual-window thumbnails. Use Command+backtick for windows of the same app, or a dedicated window switcher if thumbnails are what you need.
The direct answer
Hold Command and press Tab. A row of app icons appears; keep Command held and tap Tab to move along the row, then let go. Command+Shift+Tab moves backward.
On a Windows keyboard, Command is the Windows key — the one between Ctrl and Alt, not the one your thumb rests on. macOS reports Alt as Option, so the two are in the opposite order from an Apple keyboard.
Why it doesn't feel the same
Windows Alt+Tab cycles through windows. Three Explorer windows and two browser windows are five separate stops.
macOS Command+Tab cycles through applications. Those same five windows are two stops — one for Finder, one for the browser — and you land on whichever window of that app was last in front. If the document you wanted is the second browser window, Command+Tab won't take you there.
This is not a bug, it is the older idea macOS is built around: an application is the unit, and its windows belong to it. Knowing that turns a daily annoyance into a two-key habit.
The key you're missing: Command plus backtick
Once you are in an app, Command+` — the backtick key just above Tab, left of the 1 — cycles through that app's windows. Command+Shift+` goes back the other way.
Command+Tab picks the app, Command+` picks the window. Together they cover what Alt+Tab does alone. It is one extra key, and it is the single most useful thing most switchers don't know.
| Windows | macOS |
|---|---|
| Alt+Tab | Command+Tab (apps), then Command+` (windows) |
| Alt+Shift+Tab | Command+Shift+Tab |
| Win+Tab (task view) | Control+Up, or a Mission Control gesture |
| Win+D (show desktop) | F11 — fn+F11 on a laptop keyboard — or a spread-fingers gesture |
| Alt+F4 | Command+W to close, Command+Q to quit |
| Ctrl+Tab (next tab) | Control+Tab — this one is the same |
Alt+F4 is really two shortcuts on a Mac
On Windows, Alt+F4 closes the window, and when it is the last window the program exits. macOS separates those. Command+W closes the window; the app stays running with its menu bar at the top of the screen. Command+Q quits it.
That is why a Mac feels like it never closes anything. Nothing is stuck — you just pressed the close key when you meant the quit key.
Putting it back on Alt+Tab
All of the above is learnable. The question is whether you want to spend the next three months learning it while your hands keep reaching for Alt.
Windsify maps Alt+Tab to switch apps forward and Alt+Shift+Tab to switch backward, using the macOS switcher — the same icon row, on the key your thumb already knows. Physical Control stays Control and nothing is swapped at the system level, so Command+Tab keeps working too if you ever want it.
The rest of the switching set comes with it:
| You press | What happens |
|---|---|
| Alt+Tab · Alt+Shift+Tab | Switch apps forward and backward |
| Alt+F4 | Close the active window, including a whole browser window |
| Ctrl+F4 | Close the active document or tab |
| Win+Tab | Task view |
| Win+D | Show desktop |
| Win+M · Win+Shift+M | Minimize all, then restore them |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc | Open Activity Monitor |
Alt+Tab and Alt+F4 are in the Windsify Free feature layer, so they keep working after the 14-day Pro trial ends. Win+Tab, Win+D and the rest of the system keys are Pro.
While you're here: the window half
Switching windows is one problem. Placing them is the other, and Windows has had Win+Left and Win+Right since 2009. Windsify includes a full window manager on those same keys — halves, quarters, fill and restore, drag-to-edge previews and multi-display moves. It is the same app; you don't need a second one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alt+Tab on a Mac?
Command+Tab. Hold Command and press Tab to move forward through open apps, Command+Shift+Tab to move backward. It switches between applications rather than individual windows.
How do I switch between two windows of the same app?
Command+` — the backtick key above Tab — cycles through the frontmost app's windows. Command+Shift+` goes the other way.
Can I make Alt+Tab itself work on a Mac?
Yes. Windsify maps Alt+Tab to switch apps forward and Alt+Shift+Tab backward, without swapping any modifier keys at the system level. It is part of the Free feature layer.
What is the Mac equivalent of Alt+F4?
Command+W closes the window and Command+Q quits the app. Windows combines both in one key, which is why Mac apps seem to stay running after the last window closes.
Does Windsify show window previews like the Windows switcher?
No. Alt+Tab drives the macOS application switcher, so you get the standard icon row. Windsify's job is to put the shortcut back on the key you already press, not to replace the switcher itself.
Put your hands back where they were
Windsify translates the shortcuts you already know and manages your windows, in one native menu-bar app. No telemetry, no account, and typed text is never collected or sent.
Every download runs full Pro for 14 days, then keeps every Free feature. macOS 15 or newer, signed and notarized.
Related guides
- How to use Windows keyboard shortcuts on a Mac
- How to make Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V copy and paste on a Mac
- The Windows key on a Mac: what it does and how to use it
- Every shortcut Windsify maps
Having trouble closing a window? See Alt+F4 not working on Mac for function-key checks and Shortcut Help.