--- title: "How to Switch Between Windows on Mac: Every Way (2026)" description: "How to switch between windows on a Mac: \u2318Tab, \u2318`, Mission Control, the Window menu and the Dock. Why \u2318Tab only switches apps, and how to get real Alt-Tab." canonical: https://findowmac.com/switch-windows-mac.html --- # How to switch between windows on a Mac By Sheik Ahamed, who makes Findow. Checked on 31 October 2026. [All guides](https://findowmac.com/guides.html) **Short answer:** ⌘Tab switches between apps. ⌘` switches between windows of the app you're in. To see every window, press ⌃↑ for Mission Control. ## All the built-in shortcuts | Shortcut | What it does | | --- | --- | | ⌘Tab | Switches to your most recently used app | | ⌘` | Switches between windows of the front app | | ⇧⌘` | Goes to the previous window of the front app | | ⌃↑ | Opens Mission Control | | ⌃↓ | Shows all windows of the front app | | ⌘H | Hides the front app's windows | | ⌥⌘H | Hides all other apps | | ⌘M | Minimizes the front window | Apple lists these on its Mac keyboard shortcuts page. On some keyboard layouts, the ` key sits in a different place or needs a different key. ![Diagram comparing ⌘Tab, which shows three apps, with a window switcher, which shows six windows](https://findowmac.com/img/guide-apps-vs-windows.svg) ⌘Tab counts apps. A window switcher counts windows. ## Switch between apps with ⌘Tab - Hold ⌘ and press Tab. The app switcher appears. - Keep holding ⌘ and press Tab to move along. Add ⇧ to move back. - Let go to open the app. It shows apps, not windows. If Chrome has five windows, you get one Chrome icon. ## Switch between windows of one app Press ⌘` to step through the current app's windows. To see them all, press ⌃↓, then click the one you want. This works well until the window you want is minimized or on another desktop. ## See every window with Mission Control Press ⌃↑, or swipe up with three fingers if that gesture is turned on. Your open windows spread out on the screen, with your desktops along the top. Click one to go there. It doesn't show minimized windows, and with many windows open, they get small. ## Use the Window menu or the Dock Every app's Window menu lists its open windows by name. You can also right-click an app in the Dock to see the same list. Both are slow, but they help when a window seems to have disappeared. ## Move between desktops and full-screen apps If you use more than one desktop, which macOS calls Spaces, ⌃← and ⌃→ slide between them. Swiping left or right with three or four fingers does the same on a trackpad. Full-screen apps get their own space, so they sit in this row as well. Clicking an app in the Dock or using ⌘Tab can move you to another desktop if that app has a window there. If that surprises you, check "When switching to an application, switch to a Space with open windows for the application" in System Settings under Desktop & Dock. ## Switch with Hot Corners or Spotlight Hot Corners run an action when your pointer reaches a screen corner. You can set one to Mission Control or Application Windows in Desktop & Dock, under the Hot Corners button. They suit people who mainly use a mouse. Spotlight (⌘Space) opens an app by name, and it brings a running app forward. It's handy, but it finds apps, not a particular window. ## Which method should you use? - **Two or three apps:** ⌘Tab is all you need. - **Several documents in one app:** ⌘` or ⌃↓. - **A messy desktop:** Mission Control. - **A window you can't find:** the app's Window menu. - **Many windows, all day:** a window switcher. ## Change the shortcuts if they don't suit you Some of these keys are awkward, especially ⌘` on non-US keyboards. Open System Settings, go to Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts. Under Keyboard you'll find "Move focus to next window", which is the ⌘` action. Under Mission Control you can change the keys for Mission Control and Application Windows. If you came from Windows, you can also swap modifier keys under Modifier Keys, for a single keyboard. If you use a mouse with extra buttons, its maker's app may let you assign Mission Control to a button. macOS 27 stopped accepting simulated gestures, so tools that pretended to be a trackpad may no longer work. A keyboard shortcut is the safer thing to assign. Findow can use the middle or a side button directly. ## Why this still feels clumsy If you came from Windows, you expect one shortcut that shows every window. macOS splits that across several shortcuts, so you have to know which app a window belongs to before you can reach it. It's also the reason [minimized windows are so awkward](https://findowmac.com/minimized-windows-mac.html). You don't need to learn all of this at once. Start with ⌘Tab and ⌘`, since they cover most switching, then add ⌃↑ when your desktop gets crowded. ## Get real Alt-Tab on a Mac A window switcher adds the missing shortcut. [AltTab is the best free one](https://findowmac.com/best-window-switcher-mac.html). Findow is a paid option that does the same job and adds search, workflows and tiling. - Tap ⌥Tab to jump back to your last window. - Hold ⌥Tab to see a live map of each screen, with minimized windows underneath. - Keep holding and type part of a title or app name. - Let go and you're in that window. For everything at once, including other desktops, press ⌃⌥Space. ![Findow's overview filtered by a typed search](https://findowmac.com/img/overview-search.jpg) ![Findow's Shortcuts settings, with keys for finding windows, tidying and a mouse button option](https://findowmac.com/img/settings-shortcuts.jpg) Every Findow shortcut can be changed, and a mouse button can open the overview. ## Questions ### How do I switch between windows of the same app on a Mac? Press ⌘` to move between them, or ⌃↓ to see them all and click one. ### Why isn't ⌘` working? Check that the app has more than one window on the current desktop, and that your keyboard layout uses that key. You can change the shortcut in System Settings under Keyboard. ### What is the Mac version of Alt-Tab? ⌘Tab is the closest, but it switches apps rather than windows. AltTab or Findow add a switcher that shows every window. ### Does Findow replace ⌘Tab? No. Findow uses ⌥Tab and leaves ⌘Tab as it is, so you can use both. ## Try Findow free for 14 days Every feature, with no account and no card. Then $19.99 once, with a 14-day refund. For macOS 14 or later. [Download Findow](https://findowmac.com/index.html#pricing) ## Keep reading - [How to restore minimized windows on a Mac](https://findowmac.com/minimized-windows-mac.html) - [The best window switchers for Mac in 2026](https://findowmac.com/best-window-switcher-mac.html) - [AltTab alternative for Mac: when to stay, when to switch](https://findowmac.com/alttab-alternative.html)