Alt+Tab on Mac: How to Switch Apps and Windows Like Windows

The Mac equivalent of Alt+Tab is Cmd + Tab, but it switches between apps, not windows. To switch between windows of the same app, press Cmd + ` . Neither brings back a minimized window, unlike on Windows.

Alt+Tab vs Cmd+Tab

On a Mac, each app is one entry in the switcher no matter how many windows it has open. Picking it brings the app and its open windows to the front.

Switch between windows of the same app

There are three ways to do it:

• Cmd + ` cycles through the open windows of the front app; Shift + Cmd + ` goes the other way. The key is the one above Tab, left of 1 on a US keyboard. On other layouts it may sit elsewhere.
• In the Cmd + Tab switcher, keep holding Cmd and press ↓ to see every window of the selected app, then pick one with the arrow keys and press Return.
• Ctrl + ↓ shows all windows of the front app, and Ctrl + ↑ opens Mission Control with the windows of all apps.

Cmd + ` skips minimized windows, so it won’t help you find one you sent to the Dock.

Using a Windows keyboard on a Mac

On a Windows keyboard connected to a Mac, the Alt key acts as Option and the Windows key acts as Command. So the Mac’s Cmd + Tab is the Windows key plus Tab, not Alt+Tab. If you’d rather keep your Alt+Tab muscle memory, swap the two keys in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Modifier Keys.

Getting minimized windows back

On Windows, Alt+Tab to a minimized window restores it. On a Mac, Cmd + Tab to an app whose windows are all minimized only switches the menu bar, and the window stays in the Dock. macOS treats minimizing as putting a window aside on purpose.

There are built-in ways around it, such as holding Option before you release Cmd. The steps for each are in How to Restore Minimized Windows on Mac. If you mostly use the keyboard, the simplest habit change is to hide apps with Cmd + H instead of minimizing with Cmd + M: hidden apps come back with Cmd + Tab.

Getting Windows-style switching

If you’d rather change the Mac than your habits, there are two kinds of tools:

• Replace the switcher. AltTab gives you a Windows-style switcher with a preview of every window, minimized ones included. It’s free and needs Accessibility permission; window thumbnails also need Screen Recording.
• Fix the built-in switcher. Keep the Mac’s Cmd + Tab and have it restore minimized windows. I built Command Reopen to do this without any permission, from the Mac App Store.

The comparison of Command Reopen and AltTab goes into more detail.

Windows shortcuts and their Mac equivalents

Apple keeps the full list in Mac keyboard shortcuts.