Switching between windows in XFCE with Alt+Tab

General Help
1

I have problems to switch between opened windows in Zorin 17 Lite and Linux Mint XFCE 21 with the default keyboard shortcut Alt+Tabulator.

When I use these keyboard shortcuts it only switches between two windows although three or more windows are opened.

Switching backwards with the keyboard shortcuts Shift+Alt+Tabulator works fine and shows all windows one after another.

Does someone know a solution?

2

I know it is not what you are after but does this help?

Brave A.I. came back with:

" To make Alt+Tab cycle through more than two windows in XFCE, you need to adjust the cycling settings in Window Manager Tweaks:

  • Open Settings Manager → Window Manager Tweaks → Cycling.
  • Ensure "Cycle through windows in a list" is selected (this enables the full list mode).
  • Check "Include hidden (i.e. iconified) windows" if you want minimized windows to appear in the switcher.
  • Make sure "Cycle through windows on all workspaces" is enabled if you want to switch across workspaces.

Hold the Alt key while pressing Tab to cycle through all windows in the list, not just the last two. This behavior mimics Windows-style Alt+Tab.

:warning: If you're still limited to only two windows, ensure you're using Xfce 4.12 or later , as earlier versions had limited cycling functionality. You can upgrade via your distribution’s package manager if needed.

AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts."

3

Thank you for your reply. I tried it with enabling all mentioned fields at window manager tweaks, but didn't help.

4

Sorry to hear.

5

It's not that bad, I can also use the shortcut with Shift+Alt+Tab key and then it works, but it would be interesting to know why it doesn't work.
So many default keyboard shortcuts for windows in XFCE don't work at all, which is annoying.

1 Like
6

Are those other opened windows in a separate workspace?

7

No, all windows are in the same workspace. I also tested it with enabling the field for apps in other workspaces.

8

Try to switch the keyboard combo to something different and check.

Then revert back again to original Alt+Tab

9

I tried that, but didn't help. I also tested it with an external USB keyboard, but it's the same there.

10

I had hoped that the issue would be solved in Zorin 18 Lite, but still the same problem there. Switching through all opened windows (more than 2) only works with Shift+Alt+Tabulator, not with Alt+Tabulator.

11

Hmm. I don't recall having this issue, but when I get time tonight to test the new Lite, I'll report back and see what I find.

1 Like
12

So I ran a live session of Lite last night (didn't have time for an installation), but from what I could tell my Alt-Tab was working perfectly for multiple windows (I had 2 thunar windows, brave, libreoffice, and power settings) and it showed all the windows with Alt-Tab, as well as with Shift+Alt+Tab.

13

Hm, mysterious. I tried it again in Zorin 18 Lite live session but only backwards worked with all windows. Now I set Alt+Tab as shortcut for backwards, which also works, and removed the normal one. So that's a good solution for me.