Switch windows by name instead of scanning thumbnails.
Windows already gives you Alt+Tab and Task View. When you know the app or document name, a searchable window palette gives you a different route: type the target and activate that exact open window.
Start with the Windows tools you already have.
Alt+Tab is built in, quick, and excellent for short recent-window hops. Win+Tab opens Task View when you need to see the desktop and recognize a window visually.
Neither method is wrong. The friction appears when many similar windows are open and the identifying information you remember is a name rather than a thumbnail.
A name becomes the navigation target.
Switcher indexes eligible top-level windows that are already open. Press Alt+Space, type an application name such as Calculator or a distinguishing part of a window title, then press Enter.
The product is a switcher, not an application launcher in this release. The destination must already be open and discoverable by Windows.
- Press Alt+Space.
- Type the app or window title you remember.
- Check the strongest match.
- Press Enter to restore and activate it.
Exact titles help when one app owns many windows.
Application names are enough when only one matching window is open. A title fragment becomes more useful when a browser, editor, or document app owns several windows.
The real demo above uses calc to reach Calculator, then relay to return to a specific project conversation. The same question, quantity, rate, and answer remain visible across the complete workflow.
FAQ
Practical questions.
Answers based on the current early-access build and standard Windows 11 behavior.
Can Windows 11 search open windows by name without another app?
Windows Search primarily finds applications, files, settings, and web results. Alt+Tab and Task View navigate open windows visually. Switcher adds a text query over eligible open-window names and titles.
Does Switcher open apps that are not running?
No. The current release focuses on switching among windows that are already open.
Can I change Alt+Space?
Yes. Alt+Space is the default shortcut, and Switcher settings can record another global shortcut.
Jump to the exact open window.
Switcher is free during early access and runs its core window search locally.