Pressing ALT+TAB to Switch Between Applications

 Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
Article ID: Q79869
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

With Microsoft Windows 3.1, if you press ALT+TAB to switch between Windows-based applications, Windows displays a box that and identifies the last application that you accessed.

If you hold the ALT key down, pressing TAB cycles through all of the applications that are currently running. When you let go of the ALT key, the identified application becomes the active application.

In a virtual machine, the ALT+TAB key sequence still steps through the running applications, but rather than displaying a box with an application name and icon, it displays a blank MS-DOS screen with the application title listed at the top-center of the screen.

NOTE: If you press ALT+TAB and then press ESC before releasing the ALT key, you remove the dialog box that displays the selected application.

KBCategory: kbother
KBSubcategory: win31
Additional reference words: 3.1 3.10 vm cool switch fast switching
option 3.11

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Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
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