Windows 10: Alt-Tab shows minimized/closed windows

When I Alt-Tab I can see some apps that don't have an open window, they are minimized to the tray.

Is there a way to disable this? When I quickly want to switch between a few open windows this gets annoying because instead of having 3-4 options there are 7-8.

submitted by /u/Spoolinx86
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:)

 

Background apps showing when using alt-tab buttons

Same thing has been happening to me with my Motherboard's Utility (Gigabyte App Center) for a few years now. It'll show up in the Alt-Tab list even if it's minimized to the taskbar tray. All other apps (Spotify, Malwarebytes, VPN, AMD etc.) will happily
work and stay minimized to the taskbar tray and not show up on the Alt-Tab list unless I open it up into a window. I got so annoyed I turned off it's minimize to tray ability and only launch it as needed. It seemed sepcific to that app too, since after 2 clean
installs over the years it still does that, so I just dismissed it as poor programming compatability with windows 10 on Gigabyte's part.

If you decide to submit feedback, please post the link here as I'll be more than happy to upvote.

 

Prevent Alt+Tab from switching to minimized windows

I agree with what @LưuVĩnhPhúc suggested, and I went ahead and wrote a short AutoHotkey script that does more or less that.

The Script

Install the program, put this in an .ahk file somewhere and run it.
It will set Alt+Tab to use Alt+Escape and Alt+Shift+Escape alternatingly so you can switch back and forth. The last line makes it so that Alt+Escape functions as the regular Alt+Tab, in case you want to still have access to that functionality. You can remove it if you want.

Caveats

1. This script changes Alt+Tab to be either Alt+Escape or Alt+Shift+Escape, changing its direction whenever you release the Alt key after having switched windows (i.e. also pressed Tab) at least once.
   
   This doesn't change the mechanism behind Alt+Escape, so if you hold Alt and press Tab twice, you may not get to the second-before-last window you were in. Also when the direction is "reversed" you may get "older" windows (windows you haven't used in a while) before you get recent ones, with the exception of the last window you switched to; you'll get that one (that's the whole reason I made that flip in direction in the first place).
   
2. Ctrl+Alt+Tab still retains its original function - i.e. it uses the regular Alt+Tab mechanism. No idea what you want to do about that.
   

More Complicated Alternative

Another option is to write a program that can hide all the currently minimized windows and restore them, then use AutoHotkey to make Alt+Tab activate that program to hide all the minimized windows before letting the Alt+Tab through, and then have it show them again when you release Alt after having switched windows (no need to do it if you press Alt for other reasons).

This requires more work, however, and it'll result in your open applications in the taskbar changing while you switch windows and reverting when you stop, which may look strange.

If you choose to do this, I suggest you take notice not to invoke the program simply on Alt+Tab, but only on the first time you press that combination since you've held down Alt.

 

alt + tab not working

Just found a really cool way to make alt+tab INSTANT!!!

In the launch options write the following: -windowed -noborder





This play exactly the same as fullscreen but now you dont have to wait 30 f*@!ing seconds to alt+tab back in!

Also you don't get the little purple/black checkered effect (only in Source games) from alt+tabbing in fullscreen.