Mac OS X’s application switcher does not go both ways
15. Jan, 2010 
44 Comments
In OS X, pressing Command+Tab brings up the application switcher. Continuing to hold Command while pressing Tab over and over will cycle through the apps one at a time. Holding Tab will continuously cycle through apps, as the selection will continue all the way to the last app, then wrap back around to the left.
While in the application switcher, pressing Tilde (the ` key) instead of Tab cycles through the apps similar to pressing Tab, only in the opposite direction. Further, holding the Tilde key only backtracks to the first application at the left of the switcher and stops there.
Post Author
Holding shift-tab cycled around properly.
Switching in the forward direction has no meaning from one to the next, but going backwards, the first item in the list is always the application you’re currently in.
However, I never use Tilde in this context because I’m far more used to the idea of Shift reversing the direction in conjunction with Tab or Space (where Space is used to advance a slideshow, etc).
What’s interesting to note is that Command-Shift-Tab loops the same way that Command-Tab does, but in the reverse direction.
By the way, Command-Tilde has the behavior of switching between windows of the currently active application. Very useful, so I never bother using Tilde during App switching because that would just be confusing.
Weird. My Cmd-` wraps around just like Cmd-Tab does. Is this a new thing in Snow Leopard maybe?
cmd-shift-tab is the systemwide shortcut for tabbing backwards in forms, ui fields and the app switcher, too.
conveniently, while holding cmd down, you can hit q or h instead of tab to quit or hide apps, respectively.
wow, did not know that, thnx!
That seems to be new in 10.6.2. Machines in my office running 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6.1 all wrap from right to left when you hold down tilde.
Shift-command-tab will back you up through the list as many times as you like. (It’s easiest, I find, to add the shift using the right hand while doing the command-tab with the left.)
Command+Shift+Tab also cycles through the apps similar to pressing Tab, only in the opposite direction. Holding Command+Shift+Tab continuously cycles through apps in reverse.
Tilde will indeed not cycle past the beginning when held down, but Shift-Tab will.
Yes, but holding Cmd-Shift-Tab does move leftward and scroll back to the far right, to infinity, if that is what you wish to do. And if you let go of the ` key while holding Cmd and then press it again, it will move to the far right of the list and start scrolling left again.
If you add Shift to the mix (Cmd-Shift-Tab), it works exactly like Cmd-Tab, only in reverse. (Instead of using the Tilde key).
Wow — NONE of these comments were displayed until I hit the submit button to post mine — now I see I’m the 8000th person to post the same thing, so I wonder if comments aren’t displaying for other people, as well?
I’m just having a bit of trouble with getting the Akismet spam filter to calm down. It’s gotten really aggressive over the last week and is marking almost all comments as spam. Still can’t figure out why, but I mass approved everyone’s at once.
David Chartier
Finer Things site owner
For what it’s worth, I tested the Command+` shortcut on 10.6.2 before publishing, and it didn’t wrap around the application switcher. It stopped at the left-most application.
Other commenters are correct in noting that Command+Shift+Tab cycles both left and right with no trouble. I’ll update.
David Chartier
Finer Things site owner
Put me down as a Snow-Leopard user for whom Cmd+` DOES wrap around.
What is rather nice about the application switcher is that the two most recent apps are listed first, so if you’re swapping from one app to the other and back, a quick stab at command-shift will do it, no need to scroll.
To clarify, if you hold down Cmd-`, it won’t wrap. If you invoke it multiple times (hold down Cmd, hit ` repeatedly), it will wrap.
I use LiteSwitch X instead of the built-in application switcher, in large part because you can go backwards with command-shift (instead of command-shift-tab). And you can quit/force quit/relaunch apps right from it, and exclude stuff from it. It’s one of my must-have apps.
That said, though, I never knew command-` had the same function as command-shift-tab. It DOES wrap around on my 10.6.2 system, whether you hit it repeatedly or hold it down. But in trying to test it I invariably hit command-escape instead and launched Front Row!
cmd+tab+1 shows all application windows of the selected app like click and hold on application dockicon
Ooh, slick tip. do you want to submit it and get credit at http://mac.finerthingsin.com/submit? The post will be published with your name as the author and a link to your blog, Twitter, or whatever you want.
Otherwise I’ll write it up and give you a hat tip. Nice find.
David Chartier
Finer Things site owner
Bah! Just use the arrow keys!
I’ll second the arrow keys comment. As long as you keep holding Command, you can use the left and right arrow keys to move through the apps listed. Also, with Command held down, up or down will expose all the windows of the selected app.
This in 10.6.2
I’ve never noticed this feature. I’ve always just used the arrow keys to navigate