Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, El Capitan Edition

The “Heads-Up” Program Switcher

Only one program can be in front, or active, at a time.

To switch to a different program, you could click or double-click its icon (in the Dock, the Applications folder, Launchpad, or wherever). But the fastest method is often to use the ⌘-Tab keystroke (Figure 4-8).

You can use this feature in three different ways, which are well worth learning:

• If you keep the ⌘ key pressed, then each press of the Tab key highlights the Dock icon of another program, in left-to-right Dock order. Release both keys when you reach the one you want. OS X brings the corresponding program to the front. (To move backward through the open programs, press Shift-⌘-Tab.)

• If you leave the ⌘ key pressed, you can choose a program by clicking its icon with your mouse or by pressing the or keys.

• A single press of ⌘-Tab takes you to the program you used most recently, and another, separate ⌘-Tab bounces back to the program you started in.

  Imagine, for example, that you’re doing a lot of switching between two programs, like your web browser and your email program. If you have five other programs open, you don’t want to waste your time ⌘-tabbing your way through all the open programs just to get back to your web browser.

Tip

Here’s a related keystroke, equally awesome. If you press ⌘-tilde (the ...