Most of us need to have numerous windows open at once whether using our Mac for work, education, or other purposes. Multiple windows are essential and helpful, and that’s exactly why graphical user interfaces like macOS were created.
Moving between screens can be difficult at times, and this is made worse by the small screens seen on the majority of modern laptops. You can use the keyboard, Mission Control, or the dock to switch between windows on your Mac instead of navigating around to find a specific window.
Continue reading below to learn how I will demonstrate how to switch between windows on your Mac desktop.
Method 1: Command + Tab
One of the simplest ways to transition between windows is by using the keyboard. You may display the currently running applications by hitting the Command + Tab keys, and you can navigate to them with the tab or arrow keys. Take a look at the few steps below.
Step 1: Press the TAB and COMMAND keys simultaneously.
This will cause a pop-up window displaying the open apps to appear in the centre of your screen.
Step 2: Keep the COMMAND key depressed.
Step 3: To navigate between the application’s icons, use the tab or arrow keys.
Step 4: You can go to a different window by releasing the Command key once you’ve selected the application icon you want to go to.
Method 2: Mission Control
You can choose an application or window to move to by using Mission Control, which provides you with an overview of all the open apps on your desktop. There are multiple routes to reach Mission Control. Let’s examine the area below.
1. Use the Keyboard
After pressing the FN key, locate and press the key that has three rectangles inside of it. Usually, it functions similarly to the F3 key. View the picture below.
2. Three Finger Swipe
To access Mission Control when using a MacBook or Apple’s external trackpad, simply swipe upward with three fingers on the trackpad.
3. Make use of Launchpad
The majority of programmes, including Mission Control, may be opened using Launchpad. Simply use your preferred way to open LaunchPad. To launch Mission Control, type its name into the search bar. Once it appears on the screen, click it.
You will see a bird’s eye view of your desktop and the open applications as soon as Mission Control launches. To switch between them, just click on the one you wish to see on your screen.
Method 3: Use the Dock
Using the dock located at the bottom of your screen is one of the simpler ways to navigate between windows that we frequently overlook. There is a list of your applications with a small dot beneath the ones that are now executing.
To switch between the open applications, simply click on their respective icons. The most recently used window will be displayed if that application has multiple windows open.
You can see each instance of an application running by performing a right-click on any of its open windows. Next, you can click on the instance that you want to go back to.
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Switching Between Windows of the Same Application
We’ve looked at a few different methods for navigating between desktop application windows, but what if all you want to do is switch between different windows within the same programme? This is frequently useful if you use many word processing or browser windows.
The first approach that you can take is the dock-based one that is mentioned above. You may see every instance of the programme running by doing a right-click on the application on the document. You can then click on an instance to switch to it.
You can also accomplish this by using a keyboard shortcut. To move to a different instance of the application while it’s already open on your screen, simply hold down the COMMAND key and press the ~ key located in the upper left corner of your keyboard.
It will move to the next instance of the application each time you press the ~ key. It will stay in the window if you only have one open window for that application.
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FAQS
- What’s Causing My Windows to Not Be Visible in Mission Control?
To conserve processor power, a window that hasn’t been utilised in a while will go inactive. Only the windows that are now open or that you have recently used are displayed when using Mission Control. If a window is not visible, open it to make it visible. Once active, it will start to appear.
- What’s Causing My Windows to Not Be Visible when I Use Command+tab?
This query is comparable to the last one. Only the most recent or active windows are displayed.
- Why Does the Same Application’s Window Not Switch Between Them?
Most likely, the programme is only running in one instance, or the other instances are no longer running. If they are not active, you can activate them by switching to them using the dock technique. You’ll have the option to switch to them.
