How to Show All Windows on Alt+Tab Across Desktops

What Happens When Done

Once configured, pressing Alt+Tab reveals every active window across every virtual desktop simultaneously. Finding and switching to the required app happens much quicker, helping manage open programs with greater efficiency.

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

The Settings ⚙️ app provides a quick toggle to pull windows from every virtual desktop into your Alt+Tab view. Open Settings ⚙️, navigate to System, select Multitasking, and open Desktops to locate the option controlling this behavior.

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

Running a command in Windows Terminal with administrator privileges configures Alt+Tab to show all open windows across every desktop. This method utilizes Terminal commands to adjust the preference, though it fails to function when Administrator protection is active.

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

Modifying the Windows Registry updates Alt+Tab behavior across all desktops. This process requires opening the Registry Editor (a system tool for making advanced changes) and navigating to a specific location to adjust the value controlling Alt+Tab.

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

   📝Good to Know

   HKEY_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.