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I think Ubuntu's current approach to desktop window management is more efficient than macOS's.

For example, if we have 4 different workspace areas (a.k.a. Desktop in macOS world), when you do ^ Option+Tab, you switch only between the windows in the same workspace.

On the other hand, Mac's ⌘ Command+Tab changes between the applications, and if the same application (for example Chrome) serves in different windows, you may end up in a different mission's desktop.

So my question is how can I adopt Ubuntu's approach for macOS?

This question is not a key mapping question, I am not asking if there is a method to map the keys similarly to Ubuntu. I am asking, for a method to use ⌘ Command+Tab or any other key combination to change windows only within the active desktop if that's possible.

Let me give an example. Assume the following state.

  • Desktop 1: Chrome-1, Safari
  • Desktop 2: Chrome-2, Firefox

When I am on Desktop 1, I want to switch only between Chrome-1 and Safari and never see Firefox and Chrome-2.

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  • Set up alt-tab.
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 18:29
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    Ah, you want to switch between windows of different applications within one space? Sorry, totally missed this.
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 9:23
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    But AFAIK this is not possible without modifications/add-ons.
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 9:24
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    That's also 'half' covered by the dupe. Ctrl/F4 will march through most windows, without leaving the current Space… but it's too bizarrely random to rely on & stops once it thinks it's reach 'the end'. There is no other native method.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 10:11
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    tbh, I've always avoided this sort of thing by not putting one app on two spaces - but… for the past 25 years I've always had a desktop Mac with 2 big screens, extended keyboard & 'clever' mouse with a myriad programmable buttons. Only a month ago I got my first ever Macbook, so now I have only a tiny screen & a trackpad. Everything I do now takes three times as long. Windows are on top of windows, the trackpad is a device invented by the devil himself; it obeys gestures only when it feels like it, I've no smart mouse & no extended keyboard. Frankly, it makes me want to swear… a lot.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 11:57

1 Answer 1

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+50

As far as I know, the feature you describe, although available natively on both Ubuntu and Windows, isn't available on macOS without using a third-party app. I'm therefore introducing you to:

AltTab on macOS

It allows you to perform actions similar to what ⌘ Command` or ⌘ CommandTab does but AltTab ables you to switch between all opened windows in current space/desktop by using ^ Option (Alt)Tab.

image from https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ showing a preview of how AltTab works (demo)

AltTab brings the power of Windows’s “alt-tab” window switcher to macOS.

By default, AltTab will switch between windows across all spaces when you press ^ Option (Alt)Tab. To have it only switch between windows in current space, you have to open AltTab's preferences, and in the Controls tab, for "Show windows from:", select "Active Space".

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