Switch between windows (not applications) in both directions

Question

I can't switch between windows smoothly. On Windows, I could use Alt+Tab to scroll through all open Windows and Alt+Shift+Tab to scroll in the other direction.

On the Mac, I use Cmd+Tab to scroll through applications and Cmd+` (the key above tab) to scroll through open Windows, but this is not intuitive as my mental model is more interested in my task divided into windows than applications.

Is there any way - I don't mind learning a new key combo and would like some visual representation of where I am (nice to have)? Crucially, I want it to be something really simple like the Windows keys that just roll through a bunch of windows, regardless of application.

Paying £14 for Witch in order to get this functionality is frankly ridiculous, is there an OSX way of doing it?

Answer 1

Another possible option for you is to use Mission Control.

Mission Control shows all windows as overlays on your screen. You can also set your Mission Control preferences (Apple > System Preferences > Mission Control) to group windows by application.

By default you can access Mission Control by pressing the Mission Control key (usually the F3 key - see image below), or pressing the control + ⬆︎ keyboard shortcut, although this may depend on how you've configured your shortcuts in System Preferences.

If you're using a MacBook and/or trackpad you can also access Mission Control by swiping up with three fingers.

For more information you can refer to Use Mission Control on your Mac.

Note: The feedback I've had from users is that it takes a little while to get used to, but that it's well worth persisting. So I recommend you stick with it for a little while to see if it works for you.

Answer 2

A (currently) free option:

• HyperSwitch - free beta, expiry date has been extended

And more paid options:

• Contexts - free trial, then $10
• SuperTab - free trial, then $10

Contexts seems the most solid solution at the time of writing.

My Humble Opinion: I tried these apps but always came back to Mission Control + Hot Corner activation. When I want to find a window I move my mouse to the top right corner, all the windows appear on one screen, then I visually select one and click it with my mouse, the desktop comes back with my chosen window activated. Of course, YMMV.

Answer 3

Witch is an app for switching between windows of any application.

Witch allows you to switch directly between not only applications (as you can do with Command-Tab), but windows as well. Instead of switching applications first, then windows, use Witch to switch directly to your desired window.

Answer 4

Just tried what Timmy Browne implicitely suggested, and I can confirm that on macOS Mojave, apparently you can switch between windows of the same application with Cmd+~ (while switching between applications with the old good Cmd+Tab combination).

Answer 5

AltTab is an aptly-named open source project that provides functionality like Alt+Tab does in Windows (and several Linux window managers for that matter). As of this writing, it supports macOS from version 10.12 to 12 including Apple silicon.

Answer 6

Windows switches through all open windows regardless of application. Mac switches between all open applications and seperately switches through all open applicatition specific windows.

On Both os's using shift changes the direction.

It's different, but just as intuitive, to switch between tab and tilde as the keys are adjacent. I hated it when i switched, but now greatly prefer this method. It will take a little time to get used to it, but its better than paying 15 bucks to keep the status quo.

Alternatively, mission control has the option to enable and disable grouping windows by application if you go that route. But there is no innate shortcut.

Answer 7

A workaround is move the windows you want to switch between to another desktop, in that desktop every window belongs to a different application.