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Alt + Tab Fast Switching of Windows Documents
Use Alt + Tab Keyboard Shortcut for Fast Document Switching

By , About.com Guide

Alt Tab fast switching for Windows

Alt Tab fast switching for Windows

Screen shot © Wendy Russell

Using keyboard shortcuts instead of a mouse, is usually a quicker way to navigate around a program, or to perform any task on a computer. One fast way to maneuver between open documents or programs, is to use Alt + Tab Fast Switching (also known as Windows Flip in the Vista operating system). The Alt + Tab fast switching method is probably one of the most frequently used keyboard shortcuts.

Using ALT - TAB Fast Switching

  1. Open at least two files. These can be any combination of PowerPoint presentations or any other document files on your computer. You just need a minimum of two open documents.

  2. Press and hold down the Alt key on the keyboard.

  3. Press the Tab key on the keyboard and release, but do not let go of the Alt key.

  4. A small ALT - TAB Fast Switching window should appear in the middle of your computer screen. This window will contain an icon for each document currently open on your computer.
    • The first icon on the left will be for the document you were using prior to using the Alt + Tab key combination.
    • The second icon from the left should be highlighted by a box.
    • The document name is shown below the highlighted icon.
    • Each press of the Tab key moves the highlight box to the right. Continue to press the Tab key until the desired document icon is highlighted.
  5. When you release the Alt key, the window is switched to the the selected document.

Tip - To reverse the direction of the highlight box, (to move the selection from right to left), hold the Shift key in addtion to the Alt key while you cycle through the document icons by pressing the Tab key.

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