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Anyone know of a roughly equivalent utility or config setting that lets one do Windows-style app-independent window switching on Macs?

by yodon 5y ago

panzerboiler 5y ago
You can find it under System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts, in the Keyboard section. The shortcut name is "Move focus to next window". It will automatically cycle the windows in reverse order adding shift to the shortcut.
- dylan604 5y ago
  Is this not something that is enabled by default on all macOS installs? Cmd + ` has been something I've used for ever. No 3rd party app required.
  - jacobmischka 5y ago
    They are looking for the exact opposite, a shortcut that will only switch between different apps. Cmd+` only switches between windows of the same app, and I believe cmd+tab switches between windows of any app.
    - dylan604 5y ago
      No, Cmd+Tab switches between apps not windows within all apps.
beingflo 5y ago
I use https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ Without it alt-tabbing is near useless for me on macOS.
- dylan604 5y ago
  How is alt-tabbing near useless? I find it quite easy/simple. The fact that I often have my left hand on the keyboard and my right hand on the mouse makes it even easier with a quick cmd-tab while leaving the cmd key pressed so that I can mouse click the app icon I want directly without mulitple cmd-tab clicks to cycle to what I want very convenient.
  - southerntofu 5y ago
    > How is alt-tabbing near useless? I think the parent refers to MacOS/Gnome treating alt-tab as a "switch program" shortcut, not a "switch window" shortcut. I find it very convenient to press "alt-tab" to go to the previously-focused window, or "alt-tab-tab" to the even-previously focused window. It's much easier for me to think in terms of context switches (go back to my N-previous activity) than have to consciously evaluate whether i want to switch window of the same app or switch app.
    - dylan604 5y ago
      >i want to switch window of the same app or switch app. That sounds like a total nightmare to have the same keyboard shortcut do 2 different things. Cmd-Tab switches app, Cmd-` switches windows in an app. I just don't understand how that is difficult. Then again, some people find math hard, others find it easy. To each their own.
      - southerntofu 5y ago
        > I just don't understand how that is difficult. It's not difficult, but why do they make it difficult to "just go to the previous window", whose default shortcut was alt-tab on almost all systems (windows + gnome + kde)? Maybe you have a specific workflow with a specific set of apps you use in a specific order in which case your brain is hard-wired to know whether you'd like to switch app or window within an app. I personally find it much easier when i don't have to think about it and can just "go back" to what i was doing previously.
        5y ago
spiffytech 5y ago
I use Contexts ( https://contexts.co/ https://contexts.co/ ) which works great. You get per-window switching, with the normal picker modal (so you bring only your desired window to the front, and not every window you cycle through like Cmd-`). As a bonus, Contexts has an option to only choose from windows on your current "space", which is really important for me.

Anyone know of a roughly equivalent utility or config setting that lets one do Windows-style app-independent window switching on Macs?

by yodon 5y ago

Anyone know of a roughly equivalent utility or config setting that lets one do Windows-style app-independent window switching on Macs?

panzerboiler 5y ago

You can find it under System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts, in the Keyboard section. The shortcut name is "Move focus to next window". It will automatically cycle the windows in reverse order adding shift to the shortcut.

dylan604 5y ago
Is this not something that is enabled by default on all macOS installs? Cmd + ` has been something I've used for ever. No 3rd party app required.
- jacobmischka 5y ago
  They are looking for the exact opposite, a shortcut that will only switch between different apps. Cmd+` only switches between windows of the same app, and I believe cmd+tab switches between windows of any app.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    No, Cmd+Tab switches between apps not windows within all apps.

beingflo 5y ago

I use https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/ Without it alt-tabbing is near useless for me on macOS.

dylan604 5y ago
How is alt-tabbing near useless? I find it quite easy/simple. The fact that I often have my left hand on the keyboard and my right hand on the mouse makes it even easier with a quick cmd-tab while leaving the cmd key pressed so that I can mouse click the app icon I want directly without mulitple cmd-tab clicks to cycle to what I want very convenient.
- southerntofu 5y ago
  > How is alt-tabbing near useless? I think the parent refers to MacOS/Gnome treating alt-tab as a "switch program" shortcut, not a "switch window" shortcut. I find it very convenient to press "alt-tab" to go to the previously-focused window, or "alt-tab-tab" to the even-previously focused window. It's much easier for me to think in terms of context switches (go back to my N-previous activity) than have to consciously evaluate whether i want to switch window of the same app or switch app.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    >i want to switch window of the same app or switch app. That sounds like a total nightmare to have the same keyboard shortcut do 2 different things. Cmd-Tab switches app, Cmd-` switches windows in an app. I just don't understand how that is difficult. Then again, some people find math hard, others find it easy. To each their own.
    - southerntofu 5y ago
      > I just don't understand how that is difficult. It's not difficult, but why do they make it difficult to "just go to the previous window", whose default shortcut was alt-tab on almost all systems (windows + gnome + kde)? Maybe you have a specific workflow with a specific set of apps you use in a specific order in which case your brain is hard-wired to know whether you'd like to switch app or window within an app. I personally find it much easier when i don't have to think about it and can just "go back" to what i was doing previously.
      - 5y ago

spiffytech 5y ago

I use Contexts ( https://contexts.co/ https://contexts.co/ ) which works great. You get per-window switching, with the normal picker modal (so you bring only your desired window to the front, and not every window you cycle through like Cmd-`). As a bonus, Contexts has an option to only choose from windows on your current "space", which is really important for me.