Switching between open applications

To work efficiently while studying online you need to be able to access more than one application at a time – your browser and your word processor, for instance. This article gives a brief overview of how to do this using keyboard shortcuts.

On a Windows PC

Hold down the Alt key and tap the Tab key. This will open a gallery of all your open applications. Whilst continuing to hold down the Alt key, you can tab to the application you want to go to or use the mouse to select the application. Using this keyboard shortcut is an efficient way of switching applications. You can of course also use the Task bar, usually located at the bottom of your screen, to go to a different application.

If you like using keyboard shortcuts you can find more in the official guide to Keyboard shortcuts in Windows.

On a Mac

Press the Command and Tab keys to bring up the floating app switcher. Here, you'll see all of the applications that you have open. Command + Tab will move forward through the list one at a time. Command + Shift + Tab will move backward through the list. When you find the open application you want to switch to, simply release the Command and Tab keys and the window will be in the foreground.

You can also jump to a particular window of an open app from the app switcher. When you have an app highlighted in the floating switcher, press the Up or Down arrow key. This will show you all open windows for the given app.

For all the Apple shortcuts, see this list of keyboard shortcuts on Apple's support site.

On Tablets

The method for switching between apps varies between devices and operating systems. Refer to your tablet manufacturer's guidance for instructions specific to your device.