Alt-Tab for Mac: switch between windows, not just apps
Short answer: macOS has no Alt-Tab for windows. Command-Tab switches between apps, and brings back whichever window of that app was last in front. To reach one particular window you can use Command-` (the key above Tab) to cycle windows of the current app, or Mission Control. For a single shortcut that lists every window from every app, you need a helper app — Okie Dockie adds one on Option-Tab, free.
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Why Command-Tab is not Alt-Tab
On Windows, Alt-Tab lists windows. Three Chrome windows are three entries, and you land on exactly the one you pick. On a Mac, Command-Tab lists applications. Chrome appears once, no matter how many windows it has open, and choosing it brings forward only the Chrome window you used most recently.
That is fine when every app has one window. It falls apart when you have a spreadsheet, two browser windows and a second document open in the same app — the window you want is often the one Command-Tab will not give you.
The built-in ways to reach a window
- Command-` (the key above Tab) — cycles through windows of the app you are already in. Useful, but it cannot jump to a window of a different app.
- Command-Tab, then the down arrow — while the app switcher is showing and an app is highlighted, the down arrow opens that app's windows side by side. Pick one with the arrow keys and Return.
- Mission Control — Control-Up Arrow, or swipe up with three fingers, shows every window at once. Good for a look around; you still finish with a click.
- App Exposé — Control-Down Arrow shows only the current app's windows.
Each of these works, but none is the single, muscle-memory gesture that Alt-Tab is: hold a key, tap to the window, let go.
A real window switcher on Option-Tab
Okie Dockie adds exactly that gesture, on a key Command-Tab leaves free:
- Hold Option and tap Tab. Every open window from every app appears in a panel, each with its app's icon and the window's title.
- Keep holding Option and tap Tab to move along. Shift-Tab goes back, and the arrow keys move around the grid.
- Let go of Option. That exact window comes to the front.
A quick Option-Tab and release flips between your two most recent windows, just as Alt-Tab does. Minimised windows are listed too, and choosing one restores it. Esc closes the panel without switching. It is part of the free version, and can be turned off from the menu bar.
Why it does not show thumbnails
A live picture of each window would need macOS's Screen Recording permission, which lets an app see everything on your screen. Okie Dockie does not ask for it. The switcher is built from what the Accessibility permission already provides — app icons and window titles — so nothing inside your windows is ever read.
Get every Chrome profile into your Dock
Okie Dockie builds a real Dock icon for each Chrome profile you use, badged with that profile's own picture. Click one and you land back in the window it already had open.
Everything except Chrome profile icons is free forever, and the profile icons come with a 7-day free trial that starts on its own — no sign-up, no card. macOS 13+, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Alt-Tab for windows on Mac?
Not built in. Command-Tab switches between apps, not windows. Okie Dockie adds a window switcher on Option-Tab that lists every open window from every app, and switches to the one you choose when you let go of Option.
How do I switch between windows of the same app on a Mac?
Press Command-` (the key above Tab) to cycle through the current app's windows, or use Control-Down Arrow for App Exposé.
Can Command-Tab show individual windows?
Partly: with the app switcher open, press the down arrow on an app to see its windows. It still starts from an app rather than listing every window.
Does the Option-Tab switcher need Screen Recording permission?
No. It shows app icons and window titles, which come through Accessibility, so it never reads what is inside your windows.
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