Key takeaways

  • ⌘Tab switches between apps, not windows. Two Chrome windows share one icon.
  • macOS includes a same-app window shortcut, commonly ⌘` on a US layout. The key varies by keyboard, and availability depends on the app and shortcut settings.
  • Mission Control and App Exposé show thumbnails. Fine for finding a window once; slow when you bounce between the same two all day.
  • Open Contexts takes over ⌘Tab, lists every individual window in most-recently-used order, and adds saved window groups. Free, open source, macOS 13 Ventura+, no account or cloud.

The built-in ways to switch windows on Mac with keyboard and mouse.

Start with what is already on your Mac. All four methods below ship with macOS 13 Ventura and later, and none of them needs a download.

⌘Tab switches apps, not windows.

Press ⌘Tab and macOS shows one icon per running app, ordered by last use. Hold ⌘, tap Tab to walk forward or Shift–Tab to walk backward, then release to land. Simple, and app-level. Pick Google Chrome and you get the app, whichever of its windows moved last. The switcher cannot show you window number two, and it never will - the list has one slot per app.

The same-app window shortcut depends on your keyboard and app.

Apple lists Command–grave accent as a built-in shortcut for switching between windows of the app you are using (Mac keyboard shortcuts). On a US keyboard, it is commonly ⌘`, with the grave-accent key above Tab. The character on that key varies by keyboard, so the literal combination ⌘` is not a universal instruction for every Mac.

It reaches only the current app and cycles windows rather than opening a selectable window list. If it does nothing, check the app's window-switching support and your keyboard shortcut settings. In System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts, look for "Move focus to next window" and check the assigned key.

Mission Control shows everything at once.

Mission Control spreads every open window and desktop across the screen. The default shortcut is Control–Up Arrow, and on many Apple keyboards the F3 key does the same (View open windows and spaces in Mission Control). Control–Left and Control–Right slide between Spaces when you keep separate desktops. It is the only built-in view that shows windows from every app together. It is also a mode switch: you leave what you were doing to read the map.

App Exposé shows the current app's windows.

Press Control–Down Arrow and macOS fans out every window of the front app as thumbnails (See all your open windows on Mac). App Exposé answers "what is open in this app" well. It does not answer "where did the other Chrome window go" when you are not in Chrome to begin with.

Why ⌘Tab fails when you have many windows of one app.

The app switcher was designed for a Mac with a handful of programs open. Twenty windows across five apps quietly breaks that assumption. Chrome alone can hold a dozen windows across profiles and Spaces. To ⌘Tab, all of them are still one row.

So you learn the workarounds. You right-click the Dock icon and pick from its window menu. You ⌘Tab to the app, then use its window-switching shortcut if available. You drag windows onto separate desktops so the thumbnails at least look different. Each workaround adds a step. The gap is a single keyboard-driven list where you can choose a specific window across apps.

The same-app window problem, and how far the native shortcut goes.

If you are wondering how to switch between Chrome windows on Mac, bring Chrome to the front and try the same-app window shortcut configured on your Mac. On a US layout, this is commonly ⌘`. You can also choose a window from Chrome's Window menu. Using multiple Chrome profiles can increase the number of windows you need to manage (Manage Chrome with multiple profiles).

When the native shortcut works, it cycles windows without a list of titles or previews. With a few windows that can be enough; with many, it becomes harder to know which one comes next. It also stays within the current app. Open Contexts uses ⌘` by default to show a titled list of that app's windows, and ⌘Tab for a list across apps. These shortcuts can be customized in Open Contexts settings.

Five ways to switch windows on Mac, compared.

On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to compare all methods.

Mac window switching methods at a glance
Method Shortcut What you see Same-app windows Cost
App switcher ⌘Tab One icon per app No Built in
Move focus to next window Commonly ⌘`; check your keyboard settings Cycles windows in supported apps Partly Built in
Mission Control Control–↑ Every window and space as thumbnails Yes, as thumbnails Built in
App Exposé Control–↓ The current app's windows as thumbnails Current app only Built in
Open Contexts ⌘Tab / ⌘` by default; customizable Every window as a titled list, MRU order Yes - every window Free, Apache 2.0

Open Contexts: every window, one ⌘Tab.

Open Contexts is a free, open-source window switcher and window manager for macOS. By default, it takes over ⌘Tab and changes what the list contains. Instead of one icon per app, you get every individual window, each with its app icon and title, so two Chrome windows are two choices. Its default ⌘` shortcut opens a titled list of the current app's windows. Both shortcuts can be customized in settings.

It is a native Swift app. macOS 13 Ventura or later, one DMG, and only the Accessibility permission. No account, no cloud, no subscription - window groups live in a single groups.json file in Application Support on your Mac.

Most-recently-used order, first.

The list is sorted by most-recently-used order, Windows-style. The window you were just in sits at the top; the second row is where a quick ⌘Tab tap takes you. That one habit - tap and release to bounce back to the previous window - is why most people install it. The project on GitHub is Apache 2.0 licensed, so you can read it, build it, or fork it.

Saved window groups.

A persistent app bar sits on the left, right, or bottom edge of every display and lists each window by title next to its Dock badge. Click a row to bring that window forward, even when it is minimized or hidden. From there you can sort windows into groups - code, chat, research - and they return to the same place after a restart. Saved groups are the feature the paid app Contexts never had.

Set it up in two minutes.

  1. Download the DMG from the GitHub releases page.
  2. Drag Open Contexts to Applications and open it.
  3. Grant Accessibility access when macOS asks.
  4. Press ⌘Tab. Every window is there, in the order you last used it.

What Open Contexts does not do.

Be clear about the trade. Open Contexts does not currently offer window search, a thumbnail grid, or trackpad gestures, and it shows a compact titled list rather than previews of your windows. It needs Accessibility access; without it, or while the app is closed, ⌘Tab is left exactly as macOS shipped it. If you rely on visual thumbnails, AltTab remains the better-known alternative. If you want a fast, titled, MRU list with saved groups, this is the shorter path.

FAQ

How do I switch between windows on Mac with the keyboard alone? Use ⌘Tab to change apps. For windows within the current app, check your assigned "Move focus to next window" shortcut; on a US layout it is commonly ⌘`. Open Contexts uses ⌘Tab by default for a titled list of individual windows across apps.

Why does ⌘` sometimes do nothing? The key can differ by keyboard layout, the shortcut may have been reassigned, or the app may not support the expected window-switching behavior. Check "Move focus to next window" under System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts. Open Contexts also lets you choose its own same-app window shortcut.

How do I switch between Chrome windows on Mac? Bring Chrome to the front and use its Window menu or your configured same-app window shortcut. On a US layout, that shortcut is commonly ⌘`. With many windows open, Open Contexts offers a list of titles to choose from.

Is Open Contexts really free? Yes. It is open source under the Apache License 2.0, with every feature included and no trial, account, or subscription. It requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Give your Mac every window.

The built-in shortcuts are not broken. They are app-shaped, in a world where you work window by window. Open Contexts lists all of them.

Download for macOSCompare window switchers

Useful sources