Try the New Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11 (Build 22526 and Newer)
Windows 11 currently has a full-screen Alt+Tab switcher. However, Microsoft has been testing a new windowed Alt+Tab switcher in Windows 11 insider builds. Microsoft started testing the new Alt+Tab switcher with Insider Preview Build 22526. However, due to the phased rollout, it’s not available to everyone in the insider program.
However, if you want to try out this feature, you need to be running Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22526 or newer. It means you can’t try out this feature on stable builds of Windows 11. And if you don’t get this feature after installing Insider Build 22526 or newer, you need to tweak your Windows 11, which we have explained in this tutorial.
SEE ALSO: How to Upgrade to Windows 11 (4-Methods Explained)?
Get the New Alt + Tab Switcher Experience in Windows 11
So, as mentioned earlier, make sure that you are running Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22526 or newer. If you are running a stable build of Windows 11, you won’t get this feature unless you join Windows 11 Insider Program.
Before we move to the steps, let’s check the basic difference between the current full-screen Alt+Tab Switcher and the new Alt+Tab Switcher. While the current switcher displays big previews of open windows, the new switcher displays smaller previews.
Here is a quick look at the current Alt+Tab switcher:
The new Alt+Tab switcher uses windowed tiles that look like macOS.
So, the new Alt + Tab switcher looks pretty great and gives us a macOS feel. Well, we will show you two methods to enable the new Alt+Tab switcher. In the first method, we will use Registry Editor and in the second method, we will use ViveTool from Github. So, let’s start with the first and native method.
SEE ALSO: How to Turn off Taskbar Preview Thumbnails in Windows 11 or 10?
A) Enable New Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11 using Registry Editor
So, after you are done with switching to the Insider program and installing the latest Insider build, follow these steps.
Step 1: Open Registry Editor in Windows 11
First of all, launch Registry Editor on your Windows 11 PC. You can do so from the Start or using the RUN dialog box.
You may also see the UAC Prompt. Click Yes when prompted.
Step 2: Enable the New Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11 (Build 22526 and newer)
Now, go to the following path in Registry Editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\FeatureManagement\Overrides\4\702590604
Here, modify the value of EnabledState DWORD to 2. It will enable the new Alt+Tab switcher in your Windows 11 PC.
EnabledState DWORD value to 2Step 3: Restart your PC and Try the New Alt+Tab Switcher
After making the changes to the Registry, restart your PC. After restarting, open a few programs on your PC and press the “Alt + Tab” keyboard shortcut to view the new switcher.
Step 4: Revert the Changes
In case you change your mind, you can always go back to the default full-screen Alt+Tab switcher. Go to the same registry path and change the value of the EnabledState DWORD to 1.
EnabledState DWORD value to 1Restart your PC again to make the changes effective.
SEE ALSO: How to Restore the Old File Explorer Menu Ribbon in Windows 11?
B) Activate the New Alt+Tab Switcher using the ViveTool
Another method to enable the new Alt+Tab switcher on Windows 11 PC is using the ViveTool from Github. ViveTool is a great utility for activating hidden features of Windows. Well, let’s check the steps.
Step 1: Download the ViveTool from Github
First, download the latest release of the ViveTool from Github. The download size is quite small (around 11KB only). You will get a zip file after downloading.
Step 2: Extract the ViveTool Zip to System32 Folder
Now, go to the Downloads folder. Here, right-click on the downloaded ViveTool zip file and select Extract All.
After that, type or select the path of the “C:\Windows\System32” folder and click the Extract button.
You may also see the “access denied” prompt. Click Continue to provide admin access and extract the zip file to the System32 folder.
Step 3: Launch Windows Terminal as Administrator
Now, we are ready with the ViveTool. It’s time to use the ViveTool commands. You can use the Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Windows Terminal to run ViveTool commands.
In this tutorial, we are using Windows Terminal to run the ViveTool commands to enable the new Alt+Tab Switcher. So, search for terminal on Start and click the Run as administrator option.
Step 4: Enable the New Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11 using the ViveTool Commands
It’s time to work the ViveTool magic. So, type the following command in the Windows Terminal and press Enter.
vivetool addconfig 36226836 2
You will see a confirmation message in the Terminal.
Step 5: Restart your PC and Check the New Alt+Tab Switcher
Now, restart your Windows 11 PC. After restarting, open a few programs to test the new Alt+Tab switcher in Windows 11.
Step 6: Revert the Changes
If you want to revert the changes, you can run the following command in Windows Terminal.
vivetool delconfig 36226836 2
Make sure to restart your PC to restore the old full-screen Alt+Tab switcher.
SEE ALSO: Enable the New File Explorer UI in Windows 11.
C) Use the Classic Tab Switcher in Windows 11
Besides the new Alt+Tab switcher, you can also use the classic tab switcher without any customizations or third-party tools. Yes, using a quick keyboard shortcut, you can use the Classic Alt+Tab switcher in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- Press and hold both the Alt keys (left + right) on your keyboard.
- Next, release the right Alt key but keep holding the left Alt key.
- Now, press the Tab key while holding the left Alt key, you will immediately see the old classic tab switcher.
SEE ALSO: How to Enable Drag and Drop Feature in Windows 11 Taskbar?
Try the New Tab Switcher in Windows 11 (Build 22526 or Newer)
The above tutorial explained two ways to enable the new Alt+Tab switcher in Windows 11. However, you will need to switch to Windows Insider builds if you are running a stable build of Windows 11. But we do not recommend doing so on your work PC. Instead, try this on your testing or secondary PC.
Meanwhile, you can also use the Classic Tab switcher in Windows 11 and 10 using the keyboard shortcut. Well, we hope you liked this tutorial. In case you are facing any troubles, feel free to share it in the comments down below.
