How to Show All Windows on Alt+Tab Across Desktops

What Happens When Done

Turning on Alt+Tab all desktops changes how task switching works on your computer. When you press the keys, Windows shows every open program from every virtual desktop on one screen. This lets you jump straight to any window you need without switching desktops first, saving you time when you have many apps running.

After completing these steps, the following options become available:

• All desktops = All windows open on every desktop will show. You can quickly switch to any window. If the window is on a different desktop, you will automatically switch to that desktop.
• Only on the desktop I’m using = Only windows on your current desktop will show. Windows on other desktops won’t appear. You’ll need to use Task View to switch between them.

Option One

Show All Open Windows Using Settings

You can set up Alt+Tab all desktops through the main Settings app ⚙️ on Windows without touching any advanced tools. This built-in menu has a simple toggle that pulls every open program from all of your virtual desktops into one view when you press the shortcut keys.

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing Win+I.
2. Click System on the left side. Then click Multitasking on the right side.
3.  Open Mulitasking Settings​
4. Click Desktops on the right side to expand it.
5. In the “Show all the open windows when I press Alt+Tab” dropdown, select On all desktops or Only on the desktop I’m using (default).
6. Close Settings.

Option Two

Show All Open Windows Using Windows Terminal

Using Windows Terminal lets you enable Alt+Tab all desktops by running a quick command with administrator rights. This method works well if you prefer command-line tools over clicking through menus, though it requires full administrator access to run properly.

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run one of the commands below.

To show all windows on all desktops:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v VirtualDesktopAltTabFilter /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To show only windows on your current desktop (default):

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v VirtualDesktopAltTabFilter /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Option Three

Show All Open Windows Using Registry Editor

Editing the Registry Editor (a system tool for making advanced changes) allows you to force Alt+Tab all desktops by changing a specific backend key. This approach works when other settings are unavailable, but you need to follow the path carefully to avoid system errors.

1. Open Registry Editor by typing regedit.exe in your search bar.
2. Navigate to this location in the left pane:
   

   📝Good to KnowHKEY_USERS\<SID>\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

   
   

   Replace <SID> with the actual SID for your account. For example: HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2398723747-3920169192-1191725819-1001\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

3. In the right pane, find VirtualDesktopAltTabFilter. Double-click it to edit it.
4. Enter 0 (for "On all desktops") or 1 (for "Only on the desktop I'm using" - default). Click OK.
5. Restart the explorer process, sign out and sign back in, or restart your computer to apply the changes.
6. Close Registry Editor.

To find your SID, use the steps below:

Copy and paste the command below into PowerShell. Press Enter.

Get-WmiObject win32_useraccount | Select name,sid

Find the SID (example: “S-1-5-21-2398723747-3920169192-1191725819-1001”) for the account requiring configuration. Determining the SID (Security Identifier) for that account remains necessary. This unique string of numbers identifies the user profile.

Summary

Three methods now exist for controlling whether Alt+Tab displays windows from the current desktop or all desktops combined.