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Every power user uses Alt+Tab. In the case of Mac OS X, it’s Command+Tab. Inside of Windows, I knew there had to be a better way to switch between tasks. I found some freeware, that works perfectly. It’s called TaskSwitchXP. If you’re running Windows XP… you really have to use this.

TaskSwitchXP is an advanced task management utility that picks up where the standard Windows Alt+Tab switcher leaves off. It provides the same functionality, and adds visual styles to the dialog and also enhances it by displaying thumbnail preview of the application that will be switched to. TaskSwitchXP also has a powerful process and window management capability that allows you quickly to close/minimize applications and their groups. The unique capabilities of TaskSwitchXP make it useful for tracking down multitudinous windows, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

You may now be asking yourself what a good equivalent is for Mac OS X? Well, let me show you. When my open programs are minimized into the Dock and I do Command+Tab… it appears to not pop up. It brings the application to the foreground, but not the window itself. I stumbled into something on accident today. If I do Command+Tab to the application I want… and then roll my thumb to the Option button… it will bring the application window up.

With a Mac, you can also try Witch. Witch enables every user to customize the interface, hot keys, and behaviors of Witch, in the system preferences. Witch is also very easy to use. After you have set-up your hot keys, you can start using Witch immediately. Witch runs in the background until you hit your designated hot key. When you do so, a small window will pop up with all of your open applications. This makes is easy to select the window or file that you would like to switch to and continue your work.

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I often see my parents working on their computer. They will open a task, then close it. Open another… then close it. Many people don’t realize that you can have several tasks open at once, and easily switch between them. If you’re like me, you have your email open, maybe a browser window, a word processing program, and who knows what else. Well, I’m going to tell you about a keyboard shortcut you can use in OS X or Windows to make your life much easier.

For Windows, you see that little Alt key? It’s down there to the left of your space bar. Hold that down, and then hold down your Tab key. This will open the task switcher. Simply tap the Tab key again until the program or application you want to switch to is highlighted, and release the buttons. That app is automatically moved to the front of all the others! How easy is that?

For OS X, it’s very similar. Hold down the Command key (the little key to the left of the space bar, with the open Apple on it), and the Tab key. This will open the Task Switcher for the Mac. Use it exactly the same way as you would the one above for Windows.

This is so much faster and easier than sifting through collapsed tabs down on your taskbar. It’s also nicer than closing an app, opening a new one… and finding out you needed that first one open still.

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• Task Switching