The Command Tab Function

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Level 1

8 points

The Command Tab Function

Hmmm, a recent event on my Macbook pro (last 2 months) is that now when I command tab to switch between applications the target application becomes the one in focus but the application Window is minimised and not at the size I left it on? I then need to go to Window and select the appropriate application Window I want, luckily this is easy as its already ticked?

This hardly seems like a short cut, one keyboard input 2 mouse clicks and a list selection? What is going on?

Mac mini

Posted on Sep 13, 2016 6:03 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 13, 2016 6:39 PM in response to leee24

This article may contain the key to that behavior:

Command+Tab launches the Application Switcher, that’s the first step. Then, continue holding down the Command key and then try the following buttons to modify the behavior of the app switcher of OS X:

Release the Command+Tab keys when the highlight is on a selected app to switch to that highlighted app

tab – move selection to the right in the app list

` – move selection to the left

h – hide the selected application

q – quit the selected application

mouse scrollwheel – move the selection back and forth

left arrow – move selection to the left

right arrow – move selection to the right

up arrow – enter expose (Mission Control) within the selected application

down arrow – enter expose (Mission Control) within the selected application

Handoff – for Macs with OS X Yosemite, you can also find available Handoff sessions in the Command+Tab app switcher, these appear on the far left and can be navigated to with the above tricks

from:

http://osxdaily.com/2009/11/17/secrets-of-the-command-tab-mac-application-switch er/

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Answer 2

leee24 Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 13, 2016 9:21 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hmmm, the above post tells me what to do, I already know that, the things is that it doesn't work in a manner that helps, so say I going from Mail to a Safari, Im in Mail, I Command Tab to make Safari the highlighted application, then i release the keys. At the top of my screen I see the Safari menus, but the Mail application still occupies all/ most (not running ads in full screen) of the screen, to get the Safari window on the screen I need to go to the Safari menu, "Window" --> "my widow" and then select the window I want, at this point in time I see the Safari window on my screen and the mail one in background.

It seems to me that Application Switcher doesn't work when app are in full screen mode, which is a bummer and now its doesn't actually Switch Applications to the foreground at all, switching applications is a 4 step process, followed by a bunch of post replies, blah blah blah all with the same inefficient non intuitive results, i.e. the 4 clicks needed to achieve the outcome! Not really a shortcut

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Answer 3

Sep 14, 2016 6:42 AM in response to leee24

It seems to me that Application Switcher doesn't work when app are in full screen mode,

In my opinion, NOTHING works in Full screen mode. Full screen mode is an abomination reverse-ported from iOS, the land of tiny screens and one-at-a-time processing. It has no place on Macs, especially those with Multiple screens, where invoking full screen mode makes the second and subsequent screens go dark.

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