Windows 7 Alt+Tab transparent windows effect delay

Question

In windows 7 when browsing through the alt+tab thumbnails, lingering on one thumbnail for a second will engage the Aero-Peek effect causing every window to be transparent except for the chosen window.
This effect is slightly delayed before starting for the first time of each alt+tab “session”, and afterwards will be applied quicker as you browse through the thumbnails.

Is there a way to change the value of that initial delay?
And maybe even that of the subsequent faster delays?

score 34 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 29 '11 at 16:13

Okay I've found the answer. Someone was kind to share some knowledge on my post at the Microsoft forum:

Open Registry Editor and create the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AltTab.

In that key, create the following DWORD value: LivePreview_ms and set it to the delay (in milliseconds) of the first live preview.

Restart Explorer to see the changes.

Other Aero-peek related registry entries that I've found on the net are:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

DesktopLivePreviewHoverTime
ThumbnailLivePreviewHoverTime
ExtendedUIHoverTime

These control the delay of other components of Aero-peek.

score 5 · Answer 2 · edited Oct 20 '11 at 04:41

5

This free product might solve your problem : Desktop Peek Tweak. I quote:

This is a quick utility to adjust Desktop Peek delay time when you hover the mouse over the appropriate button on the desktop

edited Oct 20 '11 at 04:41

Gareth

19,080

answered Sep 22 '09 at 19:25

harrymc

498,455

score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

3

You can turn off via windows config menus:

Windows 7 ALT-TAB - How to turn off previewing the window

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:16

Community

1

answered Apr 29 '11 at 14:01

David

31

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 29 '11 at 14:30

0

if you press ALT + CTRL + tab you can freeze the dialog up till you click out or select a window.

answered Apr 29 '11 at 14:30

mjrider

549

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 22 '09 at 22:42

This shows multiple methods on how to do it:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/20337-aero-peek-change-delay-time-preview-desktop.html

It provides a zip with a .reg file to modify the registry and also a manual method of setting it in the registry, but I suspect it does exactly the same thing as Desktop Peek Tweak.

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 15 '14 at 12:27

Simple solution:

;; Disable Aero-ALT-TAB, use Old-XP-Style.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"AltTabSettings"=dword:00000001

;; Set how many rows are shown in task switcher (ALT-TAB).  Default seems to be 3x7.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"CoolSwitchColumns"=6
"CoolSwitchRows"=5

These settings bring back the old XP-Syle for the task switcher. Used them for few years now on many Windows 7 installations.

Windows 7 Alt+Tab transparent windows effect delay

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