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Up until upgrading to Windows 8, I would use Alt+Esc to make a window go to the end of the Alt-Tab list, and "get out of the way." For example, if my Alt+Tab list looks like:

A B C D E

With A as the active window, hitting Alt+Esc will make it into:

B C D E A

With B active, and Alt+Tabing once will end with window C:

C B D E A

Ever since I got Windows 8, this isn't working any more –– hitting Alt+Esc hides the active window, but Alt+Tab will get it right back.

Why is that? Is there a way to get it back?

aviv
  • 431

2 Answers2

3

From Wikipedia's Alt-Tab :

When the Alt+Tab task switcher window is not active, Alt+Esc places the active window at the bottom of the Z-order. In Windows 8 the behavior has changed, the window will be moved level down the Z-order instead of going to the end.

If you want Windows 8's Alt-Esc to work as it used to work in Windows 7, the answer is negative - there is no information whether this is possible. Maybe in the future something will come up, but not now.

If you don't need a touch screen and you want your computer to behave like it did in Windows 7, the only solution is to go back to Windows 7.

harrymc
  • 498,455
1

This app does the job and is a little configurable:

vistaswitcher

I would like to speak with the Microsoft genius who decided to eliminate the ALT+ESC functionality.