From the moment we turn on our Mac, the app switcher is one of the tools we use most—often without even realising it. With the Command (⌘) + Tab shortcut, we can quickly switch between our open apps, but there’s much more going on under the surface. The app switcher offers more than just app-switching; it gives us ways to move through our Mac much more efficiently and fluidly.
Some shortcuts to move around the app switcher
When we activate the app switcher, we see a row with the icons of all currently running apps. If we keep holding Command + Tab, we can move through them from left to right. But if we use Command and the left or right arrow keys, we can navigate in both directions.
If we want to select an app without releasing the Command key, we can simply use the mouse to click on it and open it immediately. If we prefer the trackpad, swiping two fingers across the switcher bar lets us move quickly and comfortably between apps.
Restore minimised apps and view all their windows
Sometimes, when switching to an app, we find its window has been minimised in the Dock. No problem. To restore a minimised window, all we need to do is activate the app switcher, highlight the app, and—without releasing Command—press the Option key before letting go of Command. This will bring the window back to the screen instantly.
Another very useful function shows us all the open windows of an app directly from the switcher. How? Once the app we’re interested in is highlighted, we just press the up or down arrow key. This triggers Exposé for that app, letting us see all its windows and choose which one to open with a simple click or by pressing Enter.
Hide and quit apps without touching the mouse
If we want to quickly hide an app without quitting it, we just select it in the app switcher and press the H key while still holding down Command. To quit an app quickly, we select it in the switcher and press Q.
Drag and drop files using the app switcher
The app switcher also lets us move files between different apps. If we have a file in Finder that we want to open in a specific app, we simply start dragging it, activate the app switcher with Command + Tab, and drop the file onto the app where we want to open it.
Although the app switcher may seem like a basic function, it’s actually one of the most versatile tools in macOS. With just a few keyboard shortcuts, we can manage our apps, restore windows, hide what we don’t need, and move files easily. These small tricks, once we build them into our routine, make working on our Mac much faster and simpler.
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