How to Change Alt+Tab View to Windowed or Full Screen in Windows 11

What is Alt+Tab?

Pressing Alt+Tab cycles through all open apps and windows rapidly. This saves time when you manage several programs at once.

Hold down Alt and tap Tab. Each tap moves the highlight to the next window. Release Alt to switch to the highlighted window. To move backward through the list, hold Alt and Shift and tap Tab.

Tapping Ctrl+Alt+Tab locks the switcher on screen so your fingers can rest. You can let go of all the keys and the switcher stays open.

Use the arrow keys to move between windows, then press Enter to open the one you want. Press Esc to close the switcher without changing windows.

What Changed in 🪟 Windows 11?

Microsoft replaced the traditional full-screen Alt+Tab layout with a compact window by default in recent updates. If your switcher is a small box centered on the screen, this is the default layout and nothing is wrong with your PC.

Don't confuse this with the Alt + Tab option under Settings › System › Multitasking That option controls whether Edge browser tabs also appear in the switcher. It does not change the layout.

Microsoft shifted the default behavior starting with Windows 11 build 22554, eventually phasing out the older full-screen layout entirely. Because of this, the full-screen layout may not work on every build. If you follow the steps below and nothing changes after a restart, your build has probably dropped the old layout. In that case, go back to the windowed steps to undo the change.

Administrator privileges are required to change these settings. To check your account type, open Settings › Accounts › Your info If you see Administrator under your name, you are set. If not, sign in with an administrator account first. Windows will ask for an administrator password when you open the Registry Editor.

These steps work the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro, because the Registry Editor is included in both editions.

How to Change Alt+Tab View

1Show Alt+Tab as Full Screen

Showing Alt+Tab as full screen in Windows 11 lets you fill the entire display with your open app thumbnails instead of seeing a small window. You can switch to the classic full-screen layout by removing a specific key in the Registry Editor. If that key isn't there, there is nothing to remove.

Step-by-step:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box. A small window with an Open field appears in the lower-left corner of the screen.
2. Type regedit in the Open field and press Enter. If User Account Control asks for permission, click Yes. This opens the Registry Editor, with a tree of folders (called keys) in the left pane.
3. Navigate to this folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\FeatureManagement\Overrides\4\702590604. Click the small arrow beside each key in the left pane to expand it. You can also paste the path into the address bar at the top of the window and press Enter. The right pane then shows the contents of that key.
4. If the folder 702590604 exists, right-click it and choose Delete to remove it. Click Yes when Windows asks you to confirm the deletion. After the restart in the last step, Windows will switch to the full screen Alt+Tab view. Before you delete, you can right-click the key and choose Export to save a copy you can double-click later to restore it.
5. If the folder doesn't exist, you don't need to do anything. Full screen may already be disabled. Close the Registry Editor and press Alt + Tab to see how your PC behaves now.
6. Restart your computer to apply changes. Save your work first. When you sign back in, press Alt + Tab to check the new layout.

2Show Alt+Tab as Windowed (Default)

Showing Alt+Tab as windowed brings back the standard boxed app switcher centered on your screen if your view changed to full screen. You can switch back to this default windowed layout by creating the key and values below in the Registry Editor. This is also how you undo the full-screen change from the previous section.

The windowed setting needs a new key and five values. Use the exact names and data shown, because a typo means Windows ignores the entry:

1. Open Registry Editor as explained above. Press Windows + R, type regedit, press Enter, and click Yes if User Account Control appears.
2. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\FeatureManagement\Overrides\4\702590604. The key 4 should be selected in the left pane when you arrive.
3. If the folder 702590604 does not exist, create it: right-click 4 > New › Key A new key appears in the left pane with its name highlighted. Type 702590604 and press Enter. If the folder already exists, skip this step.
4. Inside 702590604, create these new DWORD (32-bit) values with these exact names and data. Select the 702590604 key first. For each value, right-click an empty space in the right pane and choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type the name and press Enter. Then double-click the new value, type the number in the Value data box, and click OK. The values are:

   • "EnabledState"=dword:00000002
   • "EnabledStateOptions"=dword:00000001
   • "Variant"=dword:00000000
   • "VariantPayload"=dword:00000000
   • "VariantPayloadKind"=dword:00000000
5. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect. Windows will then apply your new Alt+Tab settings. After you sign in, press Alt + Tab. You should see the compact windowed switcher in the middle of the screen. If you want to undo this later, delete the 702590604 key as described in the full-screen steps.

Extra Tips

Exercise caution inside the Registry Editor because incorrect modifications cause system instability. Creating a backup beforehand prevents potential issues, and instructions remain available via the Microsoft Registry Backup Guide. A quick option is to use File › Export in the Registry Editor to save the key you are about to change. For a bigger safety net, create a restore point first.

Alternative utilities like Switcher or native virtual desktops accessed via Windows + Tab provide alternative workflows. If the registry change doesn't work on your build, these options are worth trying instead.

Summary

Switching between windowed and full-screen Alt+Tab views in Windows 11 remains possible through targeted registry modifications. Deleting the 702590604 key aims for full screen, and recreating it with the listed values returns you to windowed. Back up first, restart after each change, and keep in mind that newer builds may no longer honor the full-screen option.