Microsoft is testing a windowed Alt+Tab switcher experience with the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22526. However, the feature is being rolled out and is not currently available to all Insiders. If you want to try the latest apps switcher experience in Windows 11 right now, here is how you can do it.
Enable Windowed Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11
Use this method to enable the new Alt+Tab switcher. Works on Windows 11 build 22526 and newer. If you try this on a Windows 11 PC running the stable build, you won’t get the new latest apps screen. Other than that, let’s move on to the relevant steps.
Difference Between Old and New Alt+Tab Switchers in Windows 11
The main difference between the old and new Alt+Tab final application modifiers is in terms of preview appearance and background. The preview is now noticeably smaller when you open multiple windows. However, you will get a larger preview when you open less than 3 windows.
Comprehensive, upcoming recent apps screen is closer to what we already have in Windows 10. As for the background, the new app is transparent outside of open windows. Unlike Windows 11’s current modifier, which completely blurs the background, the blur here is limited to open windows in the windowed Alt+Tab modifier UI.
Get New Windowed Alt+Tab Interface Using ViveTool in Windows 11
1. You can use ViveTool to enable the new Alt+Tab experience right now. If you haven’t installed ViveTool yet, first download the latest ViveTool version From the GitHub page.
2. Right-click the ZIP file you just downloaded from the file explorer and click “Extract All” option from the context menu.
3. From the file extraction window, click the “Browse” button to change the destination folder.
4. When the file picker UI appears, set course in this direction Windows -> System32 and click “Select Folder”.
5. After choosing the extraction path, Click “Extract” To move the ViveTool files to the System32 folder.
6. You are ready to use ViveTool via Command prompt with administrator permissions to enable the new Alt+Tab switcher experience on your Windows 11 PC. Press the Windows key, type “cmd” in the top search bar and click “Run as administrator” in the right pane to open a new administrative Command prompt window.
7. Paste the following command in the command prompt window and press Enter. Restart your PC after the confirmation message appears.
vivetool addconfig 36226836 2
8. If you change your mind, you can use the command below to restore Windows 11’s current fullscreen Alt+Tab switcher.
vivetool delconfig 36226836 2
Opening Windowed Alt+Tab Switcher Using Registry Editor in Windows 11
1. If you are not interested in installing ViveTool, you can use Registry editor instead. Go to the path below and Double click on “Active Status” in the right pane.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\FeatureManagement\Overrides\4\702590604
2. Now, Change value data of EnabledState to “2” and press “OK”. When finished, restart your Windows 11 PC. Changing the value back to 1 will restore the old fullscreen Alt+Tab switcher.
Try the New Alt+Tab Interface in Windows 11
The new Alt+Tab switcher could be part of Microsoft’s efforts to make Windows 11 closer to Windows 10. It feels more familiar while still managing to retain a modern twist. However, we will have to wait for the next Windows 11 feature update for this improved experience to reach most Windows 11 users. So, which tab switching interface do you prefer – windowed or fullscreen? Let us know in the comments.
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