alt-tab: Windows-Style App Switcher For macOS

Switching between opened apps on macOS (like in, mostly, every other OS) is easy. cmd+tab allows you to do just that.

However, you’ll only be able to switch between opened apps, and the application switcher only shows you the app icons.

Alt-tab aims to change that by bringing a Windows-style application switcher to macOS.

INSTALLATION

1. Install Hombrew if missing
2. In terminal, run brew install alt-tab to install

USAGE

When you first open alt-tab, it will ask you to allow some permissions to function correctly. Once permitted to use your Mac, you’ll find the app in your menubar.

Clicking on its icon, you’ll be able to access the preferences. From there, among other options, you can:

1. Set the preferred keyboard shortcut to activate alt-tab. You’ll notice that you can set two separate shortcuts.

One is for switching between apps, and the second is for switching between multiple windows of the same app.

2. Set alt-tab’s appearance. You’ll notice that there is a theme switcher included.

You can choose between a macOS and Windows 10 theme. The difference is that the macOS theme has rounded corners while the Windows theme has straight corners.

I prefer the macOS theme to keep it consistent with the rest of the UI.

You can also blacklist apps from the app switcher. If you go to “Blacklists,” you can blacklist apps from either showing in the app switcher or showing only when in full screen.

Alt-tab is available as a free and open-source app on GitHub.