What about the F3 key on a Mac, this let's you see all Windows and choose one..
Last time I tried doing that, it didn't even keep windows in the same place, breaking spatial memory. Is that still the case?
AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
81–90 of 144 posts
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#82For Mac users asking "how is this different from the keystrokes I already have", this app is designed to give you Windows-style switching which is subtlety but fundamentally different from OSX-style window switching. MacOS is app-centric, so you have a keystroke to switch between apps and a keystroke to switch through the windows of the app. Windows is window-centric rather than app-centric, with a unified window sta…
The biggest annoyance for me on MacOS is that apps that I need to leave open but don't have windows open still show up in the switcher. When I'm on my work laptop, I still have to tab through Finder, the VPN app, etc. he rare times I need to work on the Java part of our codebase, I use the ssh remote beta for Intellij, which seems to open something called "Gateway", which is totally reasonable except that it adds yet…
I think a big part of this is just the fact that desktop is overall not a priority these days for anyone. The app developers could easily enough prevent their app from showing up in the switcher, and there are apps that do that—like Quicksilver, Display Menu, etc.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#83This is nice. However, once Alt-Tab is activated, it would be nice to be able to hold Alt and use the ` key to cycle through windows from right to left, instead of left to right (same behavior as Command-Tab on MacOS).
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
With window-specific menus, I can directly click on and open the menu button of another app/window without first having to focus it first to see the menu options. I find that to be more intuitive. I have always been a windows user and my intuition was shaped accordingly. So to me that is the obvious and correct thing to do.
It's actually surprising to me that the behaviour you describes works as it does. I would expect the first click to focus the window, then a second click to be required to open the menu. Does that mean that, if you want to focus a window, you have to find 'dead space' to click on if you don't want some other side effect?
yes, on either MacOS or Windows, if you click on an area in a window that doesn't have focus that triggers some action, that action will be triggered.
There are exceptions on both platforms, games being common because of how they grab input.
I've long since gotten in the habit of using the title bar or window-resizing area to safely activate a window .. when I'm using the mouse to change focus.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
On a Mac, you want to be able to switch the foreground application. This is what command-tab does, it switches the foreground application.
I'm on a Mac right now but I'm still having trouble understanding the relation. Say I want to switch the foreground application so I press command-tab, I get that, but how does that relate to menus being inside or outside the application?
There isn't a relation.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The difference is largely a historical artifact of the Macintosh operating system not originally supporting "multitasking." This is a nice story, but reading on it seems like you're saying that the way app switching works on Windows as the Obvious and Correct thing to do, and that the Macintosh way of doing things is nothing more than a choice that was made too long ago to change. Honestly, that's absurd. The Macin…
> This is a perfectly reasonable justification for having a foreground application. Except when you start having multiple monitors. Then it's an utter mess, and I have no idea how the Mac-enthusiasts are putting up with it. And as far as I'm aware, most actually kind of don't - the few mac-enthusiasts that I know all use their customized setup that heavily relies on third-party-tools.
Using a couple of virtual desktops and "show all windows" is more efficient for switching between windows than alt-tabbing through a linear list. I can't speak for mouse people, but the trackpad gestures are very good for getting around quickly.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#87For Mac users asking "how is this different from the keystrokes I already have", this app is designed to give you Windows-style switching which is subtlety but fundamentally different from OSX-style window switching. MacOS is app-centric, so you have a keystroke to switch between apps and a keystroke to switch through the windows of the app. Windows is window-centric rather than app-centric, with a unified window sta…
> The difference is largely a historical artifact of the Macintosh operating system not originally supporting "multitasking." This is a nice story, but reading on it seems like you're saying that the way app switching works on Windows as the Obvious and Correct thing to do, and that the Macintosh way of doing things is nothing more than a choice that was made too long ago to change. Honestly, that's absurd. The Macin…
A stack of the most-recently-in-focus windows is more practical than a stack of the most-recently-in-focus apps.
The absurd thing to me is that macOS didn't adopt this simpler workflow model.
No one is trying to throw out the baby with the bathwater here. macOS is a very good OS. Windows does this one aspect better.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
I appreciate your detailed explanation, I came to the comments for exactly this reason. “How is Windows ‘Alt-tab’ any different”. I hate to say, I’m still not following you :) I have spent plenty of time developing of both Mac & Windows systems. I still can’t think of any difference in behavior. What you said In Windows ”with a unified window stack so a single keystroke (Alt-Tab) always takes you to the previous wind…
Let's say you have Firefox and Chrome open, each with two windows. alt+tab on Windows cycles between all 4. cmd+tab on Mac cycles between each apps most recently focused window. Hold cmd and press tab on a Mac, notice that it doesn't even show windows, it shows app icons.
Note that you also can cycle between any window with command-tab. Press command-tab, and while holding command, press up or down arrow. This will drill into the windows for that application and let you select a specific window, without first bringing that application to the front.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#89For Mac users asking "how is this different from the keystrokes I already have", this app is designed to give you Windows-style switching which is subtlety but fundamentally different from OSX-style window switching. MacOS is app-centric, so you have a keystroke to switch between apps and a keystroke to switch through the windows of the app. Windows is window-centric rather than app-centric, with a unified window sta…
As a former Windows, but now Mac, user I find Mac's system to work just fine. Especially once you learn that cmd+~ switches between the current app's windows. Plus, 4-finger swipe up shows all the current open windows.
You can also use the up/down arrow when you have the app switcher open to drill into the windows for that application.
Re: AltTab – Windows alt-tab on macOS
#90Some feedback from a mac user (if this is your project): The only description of the functionality on the page is "brings the power of Windows’s “alt-tab” window switcher to macOS." As someone that hasn't used Windows in years, this doesn't actually tell me anything. What does this do that command-tab and command-` don't already do in mac?
It enables you to actually switch between windows, not between applications. If you have 3 windows of Chrome open, on Mac if you alt-tab to it it raises all 3 windows to the top of the desktop window stack, hiding any other windows which may overlap with one of these Chrome windows. This is very inconvenient if you want to be able to still see another window, say, TextEdit, you have open but it becomes hidden by Chro…
Command-tab already does this. Just keep holding command, use the up/down arrow to drill into the windows for the selected application. Play around with it you’ll figure it out.
It looks like this tool just simplifies it and gets rid of the hierarchy, so you don’t have to remember which application owns the window you’re looking for.