How to Switch Between Apps on Mac (Every Method)

The built-in ways to switch apps

macOS gives you several built-in ways to move between open apps. They're all worth knowing — along with the fastest way when you have a lot open.

Cmd-Tab — the keyboard app switcher {#cmd-tab}

Hold Cmd and tap Tab to bring up the app switcher, then keep tapping Tab (or use the arrow keys) to move through your open apps. Release Cmd on the one you want; add Shift to cycle backwards. It's the fastest built-in method — but it switches *apps*, not windows, so if an app has several windows you land on whichever was last active.

A few Cmd-Tab tricks most people miss:

• Cmd-Tab, then Q quits the highlighted app without leaving the switcher.
• Cmd-Tab, then H hides it.
• Release on an app while holding Option to bring back a minimized window.

Switch apps with the trackpad {#trackpad}

If your hands are already on the trackpad, macOS has two gestures:

• Swipe up with three or four fingers to open Mission Control and see every open window, then click the one you want.
• Swipe down with three or four fingers to open App Exposé, which spreads out just the current app's windows.

Both are visual and require a click — great for an overview, slower than the keyboard for a target you already know. Adjust them under System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures.

Click the Dock {#dock}

Every running app shows a dot under its Dock icon. Click the icon to switch to that app; click and hold (or right-click) to jump to a specific window or use the menu. Reliable, but it means reaching for the mouse.

Switch between windows of the same app: Cmd-` {#cmd-backtick}

Cmd-Tab lands you on an *app*; to move between *that app's* windows, press Cmd-` (the backtick key above Tab). It only covers the current app's windows on your current Space, but it's the built-in answer to "how do I switch between the same app's windows?"

The catch with the built-in methods

Notice the pattern: the fast method (Cmd-Tab) only switches *apps*, and the methods that show *windows* (Mission Control, App Exposé) make you leave the keyboard and click. None let you simply type the name of the app or window you want and land on it. That's fine for a few apps — but it slows down the moment you keep many apps and windows open across several Spaces.

The fastest way: type the app you want

When you have a lot open, the quickest switch is to *type* instead of cycle or click. That's the idea behind Switchi, a command palette for your Mac:

• Press ⌘E (the default global shortcut, fully rebindable) from any app or Space.
• Type a few letters of the app — Switchi fuzzy-matches the app name and window title at once.
• Press Enter to jump straight to it.

Because Switchi reads the real window list from macOS, it finds apps and windows on every Space and display, and it keeps the Cmd-Tab reflex intact: the app you were just in is pre-selected, so a single Enter flips you back. You can even launch an app that isn't running yet — type / followed by its name right in the search box.

Which method should you use?

• Two or three apps open? Cmd-Tab is instant.
• Want a visual overview? Swipe up for Mission Control.
• Switching windows inside one app? Cmd-`.
• Many apps and windows across Spaces, keyboard-first? Type the app with a command palette like Switchi.

Switchi is native to macOS, menu-bar only, private by default, and a one-time purchase ($9.99 lifetime license, not a subscription) with a free 7-day trial.

Type. Enter. You're there.