Filed under: Mac 101, Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard 101: Application Switcher Exposé
One of the refinements in Snow Leopard is a slightly under-the-radar trick for using Exposé from the Application Switcher. The Application Switcher is a quick way to jump between open applications, similar to the Windows Alt-Tab (at least that's what it was last time I used Windows). On a Mac, it's triggered by holding down the Command key (next to the spacebar) and then tapping the Tab key.
Subsequent taps of the Tab key will start selecting the next app in the row of applications, ordered by their most recent usage (so the last application you switched from is one Tab away). Shift-Tab moves backwards through the list. You can also navigate using the left and right arrow keys ... and, with Snow Leopard you can press the up or down key to show all of the windows of the selected application using Exposé.
Thanks, Alexandre and Jonathan!
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Maxintech said 2:09PM on 9-04-2009
Excellent tip!
Reply
terrypun said 4:57PM on 9-04-2009
Since I installed Mac OS X 10.6 the Command-Tab does not work as described as above in the article -- I only get the Finder icon - no matter how many applications are running. I don't know how to fix this. Any ideas?
Expose works on a MacBook Pro only by pressing F9 while pressing the fn key - quite a lame trick with one hand ... any easier way to do this?
Reply
hasaan said 7:52AM on 9-10-2009
I want to buy a new Apple MAC book and for this i visited a fantastic site.There is a complete collection of MAC books and their accessories.I am placing a link here if some of you find interest in this and is useful for you.Link is at the end and please remember me in your prayers. http://justcompareit.com/s~q-mac.aspx?ag=15
dagamer43 said 2:22PM on 9-04-2009
I've been using Snow Leopard for 2 weeks and I didn't even know about the window zoom feature! Nice!
Reply
oldmanhorton said 2:24PM on 9-04-2009
thats *sweet*
Reply
Talley said 2:28PM on 9-04-2009
cool tip.
I just noticed that, unlike the regular app switcher, pressing command-q while using the exposé app switcher will not quit programs.. .
Reply
Murphy Mac said 9:56AM on 9-05-2009
Just Q will still quit it, like it did before. And just H, not command H, will hide it.
Murphy Mac said 10:00AM on 9-05-2009
To clarify, I meant in the Command-Tab switcher.
topher said 3:56PM on 9-12-2009
I also noticed that Talley. Would've been a great feature to include. Hopefully they'll add it someday
Joanna D said 3:22PM on 9-04-2009
A lame duck attempt at copying Windows 7's "Aero Peek" feature. In my opinion, Apple is doing too little, too late here and all of the flaws of the dock remain.
Reply
Quine said 3:36PM on 9-04-2009
You have to be kidding or trolling. This tip isn't a new feature, it's just an added shortcut to get into a feature that's already there.
Expose has been around far longer than that stupid peek feature and works way better. Just ask the design communities and user communities.
Joseph said 2:01AM on 9-05-2009
Obvious troll is obvious.
gib said 12:35PM on 9-05-2009
Hey, I just spotted another new feature...
TÚAW has updated their user comments, giving us the new 1/2 star symbol. Since the update ~6 months ago, it always had the old 1/2 icon when random trolling fanboys would post something as terrible as "copying Aero Peak feature". Now if we could have these bad comments fade into unreadable gray like on Engadget or Joystiq, we'd be set.
cmsb55 said 1:16PM on 9-05-2009
@ Quine:
I don't know what communities you are talking about but I know for a fact that Gizmodo says the new task bar is better than the dock.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgizmodo.com%2F5131933%2Fgiz-explains-why-the-windows-7-taskbar-beats-mac-os-xs-dock&ei=05yiStS3MYzusQOnnp2NDw&usg=AFQjCNGmNo4YtnMcqyiwBKPcQOHa5bRG2A&sig2=XjaD3XxmrAaNrrSNggnb1A
David said 4:16PM on 9-04-2009
I prefer using the new Click and hold on the icon dock to invoke Expose which shows all the open windows.
I would like to have seen (or see) the OS X equivalent of WIndows 7 'Jump Lists' - I do like those in W7!
- D
Reply
Quine said 3:33PM on 9-04-2009
Awesome tip! Thanks TUAW!
Reply
Grant said 4:03PM on 9-04-2009
Very cool, I'd been wondering how to use Dock Expose without touching the mouse.
Reply
jeremy said 4:20PM on 9-04-2009
I actually said wow when I watched that video. I was upset that cmd-tabbing does not cycle through minimized windows but this would solve that problem because expose shows minimized windows.
Reply
Andrew said 4:24PM on 9-04-2009
For macbook (pro) users with multitouch track pad, something that took me some time to figure out is the application switcher and using it all from the track pad. I knew about the swipe left/right with 4 fingers to access it. After you swipe with 4 fingers, the switcher will come up. You can now use the two-fingered scrolling to move the application outline to the desired one and then tap with all 4 fingers to select that app. (This seems to work even if you don't have the 1 finger tap option enable in sys pref.) This same method works for expose only strangely you have to click with 4 fingers to select the window.
Reply
Josh Kirklin said 4:31PM on 9-04-2009
I've been able to do this since leopard, maybe even longer.
Sorry to poop the party, but it's not new.
Reply