Switch between windows of the same app on Mac

Quick answer: use Command + Tab to switch apps, then Command + ` to move between windows of the active app. If you would rather see the choices, use App Exposé. For windows you revisit throughout the day, Dockline can keep their names available as buttons on a taskbar.

Start with the built-in method that fits your work. Two documents, a collection of browser windows and a project spread across desktops need different ways of finding the next window.

Use the window shortcut

Bring the app you need to the front. Hold Command and press the grave-accent key `, also called backtick, to cycle through its windows. Add Shift to go in the other direction. This is useful when you already know which app contains the document you want.

The printed symbol depends on the keyboard. Apple describes the key as usually above Tab and left of 1; it will not necessarily show a backtick on your layout. If the combination does something else, check the shortcut assigned in macOS Keyboard settings. Apple lists these commands in its Mac keyboard shortcuts guide.

Try this with two separate document windows first. Two tabs inside one window are a different case: use that app’s tab controls. This small distinction explains why switching applications can keep taking you back to the same browser window.

See the windows before choosing

App Exposé shows the current app’s open windows with Control + Down Arrow. A downward trackpad swipe with three or four fingers also works if App Exposé is enabled in Trackpad settings. Mission Control, opened with Control + Up Arrow, gives an overview of the desktop; its top bar includes other desktops and full-screen spaces. See Apple’s Mission Control instructions.

There is also a pointer route: Control-click the app’s icon in the macOS Dock and choose Show All Windows. Apple documents this in its guide to familiar Mac controls. Use the overview when you recognize a window’s contents more easily than its title.

Choose a method for the situation

• Two documents in one app: try the window shortcut. There are few choices to cycle through, and your hands can stay on the keyboard.

• Several similar browser windows: use App Exposé to identify the right contents, or named task buttons when the titles are distinct.

• A reference window you return to repeatedly: a visible button gives you a direct target without reopening an overview each time.

• Work across desktops or displays: check the overview and any window filters. A window outside the selected scope is not necessarily closed.

Keep individual windows within reach

Dockline adds named window buttons to a macOS taskbar. Clicking a window’s button activates that window. This suits a workflow such as moving between a draft, a reference document and a separate browser window while keeping their names visible.

In Windows and groups, Combine app windows places an app’s separate buttons together on one shared background. Collapse windows into one button is a separate setting: choose Never, When space is limited or Always. Combining the background does not by itself remove the individual window buttons.

When a group is collapsed, choose a window from its list. Optional window previews add thumbnails there. Titles remain usable without previews, so you can start with a simpler setup and decide later whether images help you distinguish your windows.

Set up a small, useful test

1. Open a few separate windows. Use documents you already recognize, so you can tell whether a click reached the intended window.

2. Check Accessibility. Dockline needs this permission to read window titles and manage windows. Follow the permission setup steps; opening System Settings alone does not grant access.

3. Start with visible buttons. Set collapsing to Never, then compare it with When space is limited once you have more windows open.

4. Match the scope to your workspace. Under Displays and desktops, choose whether panels include windows from all displays and desktops or only the current ones.

If a window or preview is missing

Check window scope and Accessibility before changing several settings at once. Thumbnails additionally need Screen Recording permission; macOS may ask you to reopen Dockline after granting it. Preview images update in the background and are not saved. Their absence does not prevent using window titles.

Window behavior and available shortcuts can differ between apps. Moving windows between displays is an optional beta in Dockline, with compatibility still being tested; it is not needed for ordinary window switching. Also check Active window click if clicking an already active task behaves differently from selecting another window.

Would a persistent row of named buttons suit your work better than the Dock and an overview? Read our guide to a Windows-style taskbar for Mac to compare the built-in options before deciding.

A pinned app shortcut and a document window are different targets. Read pinned apps and open windows on Mac to pin an app, choose a window by title and understand an icon whose windows are hidden by filters.

Try it with your own windows

The public download is Dockline 1.269 for macOS, for Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 26.5 or later. There is a one-calendar-month Trial. See the current price and Trial offer, or explore the settings guide before installing. Keep the shortcuts that already work for you and test whether persistent window buttons make your particular routine easier.