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Window Switcher

Window-Switcher offers hotkeys for quickly switching windows on Windows OS:

  1. Alt+`(Backtick): switch between windows of the same app.

switch-windows

  1. Alt+Tab: switch between apps. (disabled by default)

switch-apps

💡 Hold down the Alt key and tap the `(Backtick)/Tab key to cycle through windows/apps, Press Alt + `(Backtick)/Tab and release both keys to switch to the last active window/app.

Installation

  1. Download: Visit the Github Release and download the windows-switcher.zip file.
  2. Extract: Unzip the downloaded file and extract the window-switcher.exe to your preferred location.
  3. Launch: window-switcher.exe is a standalone executable, no installation is required, just double-click the file to run it.

For the tech-savvy, here's a one-liner to automate the installation:

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sigoden/window-switcher/main/install.ps1 | iex

Configuration

Window-Switcher offers various customization options to tailor its behavior to your preferences. You can define custom keyboard shortcuts, enable or disable specific features, and fine-tune settings through a configuration file.

To personalize Window-Switcher, you'll need a configuration file named window-switcher.ini. This file should be placed in the same directory as the window-switcher.exe file. Once you've made changes to the configuration, make sure to restart Window-Switcher so your new settings can take effect.

Here is the default configuration:

# Whether to show trayicon, yes/no
trayicon = yes 

[switch-windows]

# Hotkey to switch windows
hotkey = alt+`

# List of hotkey conflict apps
# e.g. game1.exe,game2.exe
blacklist =

# Ignore minimal windows
ignore_minimal = no

# Only switch within the current virtual desktops: yes/no/auto
only_current_desktop = auto

[switch-apps]

# Whether to enable switching apps
enable = no 

# Hotkey to switch apps
hotkey = alt+tab

# Ignore minimal windows
ignore_minimal = no

# Only switch apps within the current virtual desktops: yes/no/auto
only_current_desktop = auto

Running as Administrator (Optional)

The window-switcher works in standard user mode. But only the window-switcher running in administrator mode can manage applications running in administrator mode.

Important: If you enable the startup option while running in standard user mode, it will launch in standard mode upon system reboot. To ensure startup with admin privileges, launch the window-switcher as administrator first before enabling startup.

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Hotkeys for non-English keyboard layouts

When using non-English keyboard layouts, standard keycodes might not match the expected keys, leading to functionality issues with hotkeys. To ensure your hotkeys work correctly, follow these guidelines:

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  1. Visit kbdlayout.info: Go to http://kbdlayout.info/shortcut and select your keyboard layout and desired keys. This will provide an image and detailed mapping.

kbdlayout

  1. Keycode Mapping: Use the keycodes provided to correctly map your hotkeys. Here are some standard keycodes:

https://github.com/sigoden/window-switcher/blob/55f00463318971fca79204fe7a4eb9592f659881/src/config.rs#L227-L324

  1. Customizing for Language-Specific Keyboards:

    • If your keyboard is in a language other than English, such as German, you may need to adjust the hotkeys. For example:
      • Original hotkey: alt+`
      • Adjusted hotkey: alt+| or alt+vk_oem_5

  2. Test Your Hotkey Setup: After configuring, test the hotkeys to ensure they perform the intended actions across different keyboard layouts.

By following these steps, you can adapt hotkeys for various non-English keyboard layouts, ensuring smooth functionality regardless of the language or region of your keyboard.

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License

Copyright (c) 2023-2024 window-switcher developers.

window-switcher is made available under the terms of the MIT License, at your option.

See the LICENSE files for license details.