{"id":4543,"date":"2016-11-17T16:54:05","date_gmt":"2016-11-17T11:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=4543"},"modified":"2019-05-12T02:53:06","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T02:53:06","slug":"launch-alt-tab-switcher-script-command-line-mouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/launch-alt-tab-switcher-script-command-line-mouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Create Shortcut to Launch the Alt-Tab Switcher (for Mouse users)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most useful and frequently used Alt<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> keyboard shortcut<\/a> has been there since the Windows 3.1 era. If you’re are primarily a mouse user and want to open the Alt<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> switcher screen using shortcut or script, this post tells you how to do that in Windows 7 and higher, which includes Windows 10.<\/p>\n

\"launch<\/p>\n

Windows Vista introduced a fancier version of the task switcher named Flip3D, which is invoked using WinKey<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> keystroke or by clicking on the Taskbar shortcut. Flip3D was dropped in Windows 8 and higher.<\/p>\n

In Windows 8, WinKey<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> lists only the metro apps. Whereas in Windows 10, it opens the “Task View” mode wherein you can switch windows, as well as create new virtual desktops<\/a> or switch to an existing virtual desktop.<\/p>\n

Although the fancy task switchers “Flip3D” and “Task View” came into existence, many users still prefer the classic window switcher to change program windows — due to the force of habit, or because it’s much faster.<\/p>\n

Launch Alt + Tab switcher using Script or Command-line<\/h2>\n

Both Flip3D and Task View have a Taskbar shortcut by default, but the Alt-Tab switcher doesn’t have one. Here is how to create it.<\/p>\n

Method 1: Using Windows Script<\/h3>\n

Copy the following lines to Notepad and save the file with a “.vbs” extension, say “switcher.vbs”.<\/p>\n

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(\"WScript.Shell\")\r\nWshShell.SendKeys \"^%{TAB}\"<\/code><\/pre>\n
Create a shortcut to the script by prefixing “wscript.exe” as below:<\/p>\n
wscript.exe d:\\scripts\\switcher.vbs<\/pre>\n
Customize the shortcut icon as desired.<\/p>\n
\"launch<\/p>\n
You can pin the shortcut to the Start menu or Taskbar if you so prefer.<\/p>\n
\"launch<\/p>\n
Double-clicking the script or clicking its Taskbar icon would open the Alt-Tab switcher and make it remain on the screen until you select a window or dismiss the switcher using mouse click.<\/p>\n
\n\"alt+tab\n<\/p>\n
Method 2: Using NirCmd<\/h3>\n
If you’re using the excellent, multipurpose automation tool NirCmd<\/a>, you can create a shortcut with the following target:<\/p>\n
nircmd sendkeypress ctrl+alt+tab<\/pre>\n
Customize the shortcut icon, and place or pin the shortcut wherever you want.<\/p>\n
The above script and the NirCmd command-line methods send the keystroke: Ctrl<\/kbd> + Alt<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd>.<\/p>\n
Alt + Tab Vs. Ctrl + Alt + Tab<\/h3>\n
When you press Alt<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> in the Keyboard, with the Alt<\/kbd> key unreleased, the window switcher remains on the screen. Releasing the Alt<\/kbd> key would dismiss the window switcher, and the last application that you accessed comes to the front with active window focus on it.<\/p>\n
Whereas, pressing Ctrl<\/kbd> + Alt<\/kbd> + Tab<\/kbd> launches the window switcher and keeps it on the screen even if the keys are released. The switcher remains on the screen until the user makes a selection, presses {ESC}<\/kbd> or clicks on an area that’s outside the switcher grid.<\/p>\n
Related article:<\/strong> This post How to Make Alt + Tab Background Fully Transparent?<\/a> may be of interest to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The most useful and frequently used Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut has been there since the Windows 3.1 era. If you’re are primarily a mouse user and want to open the Alt + Tab switcher screen using shortcut or script, this post tells you how to do that in Windows 7 and higher, which includes … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[335,480],"class_list":["post-4543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows","tag-nircmd","tag-scripts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9721,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/clear-all-notifications-action-center-using-keyboard-shortcut\/","url_meta":{"origin":4543,"position":0},"title":"Clear all notifications in Action Center using Keyboard or Shortcut","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Action Center in Windows 10 is a slide-out pane where all system notifications are displayed and it has quick action buttons to various Windows settings. 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