Window Switcher

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

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

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

💡 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.

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:

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.

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

window-switcher/src/config.rs

Lines 227 to 324 in 55f0046

	"backspace" => 0x08,
	"tab" => 0x09,
	"clear" => 0x0c,
	"enter" => 0x0d,
	"pause" => 0x13,
	"capslock" => 0x14,
	"escape" => 0x1b,
	"space" => 0x20,
	"pageup" => 0x21,
	"pagedown" => 0x22,
	"end" => 0x23,
	"home" => 0x24,
	"left" => 0x25,
	"up" => 0x26,
	"right" => 0x27,
	"down" => 0x28,
	"select" => 0x29,
	"print" => 0x2a,
	"printscreen" => 0x2c,
	"insert" => 0x2d,
	"delete" => 0x2e,
	"0" => 0x30,
	"1" => 0x31,
	"2" => 0x32,
	"3" => 0x33,
	"4" => 0x34,
	"5" => 0x35,
	"6" => 0x36,
	"7" => 0x37,
	"8" => 0x38,
	"9" => 0x39,
	"a" => 0x41,
	"b" => 0x42,
	"c" => 0x43,
	"d" => 0x44,
	"e" => 0x45,
	"f" => 0x46,
	"g" => 0x47,
	"h" => 0x48,
	"i" => 0x49,
	"j" => 0x4a,
	"k" => 0x4b,
	"l" => 0x4c,
	"m" => 0x4d,
	"n" => 0x4e,
	"o" => 0x4f,
	"p" => 0x50,
	"q" => 0x51,
	"r" => 0x52,
	"s" => 0x53,
	"t" => 0x54,
	"u" => 0x55,
	"v" => 0x56,
	"w" => 0x57,
	"x" => 0x58,
	"y" => 0x59,
	"z" => 0x5a,
	"f1" => 0x70,
	"f2" => 0x71,
	"f3" => 0x72,
	"f4" => 0x73,
	"f5" => 0x74,
	"f6" => 0x75,
	"f7" => 0x76,
	"f8" => 0x77,
	"f9" => 0x78,
	"f10" => 0x79,
	"f11" => 0x7a,
	"f12" => 0x7b,
	"numlock" => 0x90,
	"scrolllock" => 0x91,
	":" | ";" | "vk_oem_1" => 0xba,
	"+" | "=" | "vk_oem_plus" => 0xbb,
	"<" | "," | "vk_oem_comma" => 0xbc,
	"-" | "_" | "vk_oem_minus" => 0xbd,
	">" | "." | "vk_oem_period" => 0xbe,
	"?" | "/" | "vk_oem_2" => 0xbf,
	"~" | "`" | "vk_oem_3" => 0xc0,
	"{" | "[" | "vk_oem_4" => 0xdb,
	"|" | "\\" | "vk_oem_5" => 0xdc,
	"}" | "]" | "vk_oem_6" => 0xdd,
	"\"" | "'" | "vk_oem_7" => 0xde,
	"§" | "!" | "vk_oem_8" => 0xdf,
	"vk_oem_102" => 0xe2,
	"vk_processkey" => 0xe5,
	"vk_packet" => 0xe7,
	"vk_attn" => 0xf6,
	"vk_crsel" => 0xf7,
	"vk_exsel" => 0xf8,
	"vk_ereof" => 0xf9,
	"vk_play" => 0xfa,
	"vk_zoom" => 0xfb,
	"vk_noname" => 0xfc,
	"vk_pa1" => 0xfd,
	"vk_oem_clear" => 0xfe,

3. 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

4. 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.

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.