How to switch between windows on a Mac, including windows of the same app
⌘ Tab switches apps, not windows. Here are the shortcuts that switch windows, and what to do when you have more than one screen.
Coming from Windows or Linux, the first surprise on a Mac is that ⌘ Tab switches apps. If you have three Chrome windows open, it takes you to Chrome, not to the window you wanted. macOS has several ways to switch windows. Most people know one or two.
The quick answer
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘ Tab | Switch to another app. Keep holding ⌘ and press Tab again to move along the list. |
| ⌘ ` | Cycle through windows of the current app. Add ⇧ to go backwards. |
| ⌘ Tab then ↓ | While the app switcher is open, press the down arrow to see every window of the selected app. |
| ⌃ ↓ | App Exposé: all windows of the current app, spread out. |
| ⌃ ↑ or F3 | Mission Control: every open window on every desktop. |
| ⌘ H / ⌥ ⌘ H | Hide the current app / hide every other app. |
| ⌘ M | Minimize the current window to the Dock. |
On a laptop, the function-row shortcuts may need fn too, depending on your keyboard settings.
Switch between windows of the same app
⌘ ` is the one to learn. The ` key sits above Tab on a US keyboard. Each press moves to the next window of the frontmost app, so with two Safari windows it flips between them.
If the key above Tab on your keyboard is something else, the shortcut still exists, it's just on a different key. You can see or change it in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Keyboard → Move focus to next window.
When you don't know how many windows there are, ⌃ ↓ is easier. It spreads out every window of the current app so you can pick one with the arrow keys and Return, or with a click.
Switch between Chrome windows on a Mac
Chrome works the same way: ⌘ Tab takes you to Chrome, and ⌘ ` flips between its windows. A few Chrome-specific options help when you have many:
- The Window menu in Chrome's menu bar lists every open window by the title of its current tab. Pick one to bring it forward.
- Search tabs (⌘ ⇧ A) finds a tab across all your Chrome windows and jumps to it.
- Between tabs in one window, use ⌃ Tab or ⌘ ⌥ →, or ⌘ 1 to 8 for a specific tab.
Each Chrome profile opens its own windows, so ⌘ ` cycles through those too.
Get a minimized window back
⌘ Tab to an app doesn't restore windows you've minimized. A trick that does: press ⌘ Tab, select the app, then press and hold ⌥ before you let go of ⌘. The app comes forward with its minimized window restored.
A Windows-style Alt-Tab
If you want one switcher that shows every window, not every app, a third-party app is the way. AltTab is free and open source and adds a Windows-style switcher with a thumbnail for each window. Window managers like Raycast and Rectangle Pro include window switching too.
These work well when you know which window you want and it's on the screen in front of you.
What about multiple monitors?
None of these shortcuts know about screens. ⌘ Tab works by app, ⌘ ` works by app, and Mission Control shows everything at once. With two or three displays, the window you want is usually just "the one on the other screen", and there's no shortcut for that.
So on a multi-monitor Mac the common pattern is: look at the other screen, reach for the mouse, click the window, go back to the keyboard. It's covered in more detail in why you keep typing into the wrong window.
Switch windows by looking at them
Glance Switch is a menu bar app that uses your Mac's camera to notice which screen you're facing and moves keyboard focus there. The last window you used on that screen comes forward, ready to type. On the same screen it can also focus the window or split pane you're looking at.
- No shortcut to remember. You already look at the window before you type into it.
- It waits for you to settle. Quick glances don't move focus, and it holds still while you type or use the mouse.
- Private. Frames are processed in memory on your Mac and thrown away. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Keep ⌘ ` for flipping between windows of the same app on one screen. Let where you look handle the rest.
Common questions
How do I switch between windows of the same app on a Mac?
Press ⌘ ` (Command and the key above Tab). It cycles through the open windows of the frontmost app. Add Shift to go the other way.
How do I switch between Chrome windows on a Mac?
Press ⌘` (Command and the key above Tab) to move to the next Chrome window. Chrome's Window menu lists every window, and ⌘⇧A searches tabs across all of them.
Is there an Alt-Tab for Mac that shows every window?
Not built in. ⌘ Tab only lists apps. Free apps such as AltTab add a Windows-style switcher that shows a thumbnail of every window.
Why doesn't ⌘ ` work on my keyboard?
On some keyboard layouts the key above Tab isn't a backtick. Change the shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Keyboard → “Move focus to next window”.