How to use the switcher app on macos

I am sure that the vast majority of you who are reading us and also have been users of a Mac for a long time will already know the Switcher application. In reality, more than an application, it is a feature or function thanks to which, and using the Command + Tab keyboard shortcut, it shows us the applications that are currently open on the screen and allows us to switch between them very quickly. Throughout this article, we will take a look at the basic functions that you can carry out in macOS thanks to the Switcher app, although we will also see some much less known tricks that can be very useful in daily work.

Basic functions of the Switcher application

Let's start with the basic functions of the Switcher app, those that you may already know, or maybe not, but that you will like to use in your day to day. When you hold down the Command + Tab keyboard shortcut, the Switcher app appears superimposed on the rest of the applications and windows that you currently have open on your Mac's desktop, and it will remain visible until the moment you stop pressing. the Command key. When you release, you will go to the last active application, the one before the one you just used. And if you repeat the action, you will return to the previous active application.

If you press the Tab key repeatedly (while still holding down the Command key) you will jump from app to app, from left to right, in the list of applications that you have open. And the moment you release the Command key, it will take you to the app you currently have selected. Ah! And if you hold down the Shift key when you press the Tab key, the selection will move in the opposite direction, from right to left.

If you prefer, you can also press the left and right arrow keys to move the selection box back and forth. A two-finger drag on the trackpad does the same thing, or you can use your mouse cursor to highlight an application in the list and then click to select it.

Call Exposé and open files from the Switcher app

When you are using the Switcher app with the Command + Tab keyboard shortcut, if you press the up or down arrow keys while you have an app icon selected, Exposé will be activated for the selected app, so all windows you have active in that application will be displayed on the screen. By the way, if you press key 1 you will get the same result.

As you can see in the image above these lines, open windows are shown in front of the screen, while minimized windows appear along the bottom of the screen. You can use the arrow keys to toggle between them and press Enter to open the one you want, or simply select one with the mouse cursor in the usual way.

One feature of the app Switcher that often goes unnoticed is its ability to open files. Simply start dragging a file from the Finder window, then invoke the Switcher app (Command + Tab) and drag the file to the appropriate application icon. Drop the file and it will open in the selected application.

Close and hide apps using the Switcher app

Pressing the H key in the application selector (Switcher) hides all the windows of the selected application; when you press the H key again, they are displayed. Scroll through the app icons on the Switcher app using the Tab key and hit H on the go. In this way you will clear the desk "with one stroke".

And if you want to close an open application, select an icon with the Switcher app and press the Q key. Without a doubt, it is one of the fastest ways to close applications on Mac.

And up to here. Surely now, if you did not do it before, you will be able to take better advantage of your Mac computer and take advantage of all its advantages by using the Switcher app. These types of functions and keyboard shortcuts make you really productive and make your day-to-day work a lot easier, it's just a matter of getting started and getting used to it.