Following is very subjective and probably varies from distro to distro, de to de, app to app, user to user.
For the longest time, I believed Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab was the only way of navigation through apps and windows. Many years ago, some editor introduced me to the behavior that Ctrl+Tab switches to the last used tab. I hated that behavior. I didn’t understand it and it was annoying. Luckily you could switch to the old way (in my experience) which I did.
How do you guys cycle through windows?
What is the best way for switching? Is there a standard or at least an attempt for a standard? Or at least a name for different styles?
App / Window switching
I switch and highlight apps by pressing Meta+Tab, or Meta+Shift+Tab. This works very good. I use PaperWM, a window tiling feature in GNOME such that I have no overlapping windows and don’t need to care about the position of the windows anymore for the most part. When I press Ctrl+i, the window to the right of the highlighted window moves below the current window and both adjust in size to half the screen.
Cycle right isn’t the proper way of going forward doesn’t apply here anymore unless I define it as a zig zag movement.
Luckily, we have arrow keys. With, Meta+[Up,Down,Left,Right] I can move to any window. The shortcoming is that I need two hands because Meta is on the left and the arrow are on the right side of the keyboard. Having to use two hands is a big no-go for a fundamental command in my opinion. What’s the solution to this? Ctrl+[W,S,A,D]? Does it clash with other main fundamental keybindings?
Kate uses Alt+Arrow to cycle through tabs. It uses Ctrl+Tab to cycle through time.
If you use Ctrl+Arrow to cycle through the windows, you can use Ctrl+(Shift+)Tab for cycling through time, i.e. last used tab/window.
In the browser, I navigate via Ctrl+Tab. There are no tabs below the current tab. btw, why not, mozilla? Kate and Pulsar (Atom successor) have Ctrl+N as the default for a new document (and hence tab).
For consistency, I want to use either Ctrl+T or Ctrl+N for a new document/window. Which standard do you guys use and prefer? Other apps with other keybindings?
Ctrl+Tab is good for a linear movement but Ctrl+Arrow is more logical.
I used to use Alt+F4 to quit apps. Recently, I discovered that you can use Ctrl+w to quit a tab and Ctrl+q to close a window. Wouldn’t it be better to use Ctrl+q to close a tab and Meta+q to close the window?
Currently, I default to
- Ctrl+Arrow is for tab bidimensional motion.
- Meta+Arrow is for window bidimensional motion.
- Ctrl+Tab is for tab time-dimensional motion.
- Meta+Tab is for window time-dimensional motion.
- Which is better Ctrl+T or Ctrl+N for a new tab/document? Is it good that there is a distinction?
- Shift always reverses the action
I can’t find a way to customize the keybindings in firefox, does that mean that I have to default to [Ctrl,Meta]+Tab to cycle through tabs/windows?
How do you guys cycle through windows?
Alt+Tabis used to tab through windows.Alt+Shift+Tabis used for doing the same but backwards because this is what I noticed to be somewhat standardized on all relevant systems and environments I know.Other than that I established a concept on how to work with the keyboard:
Alt+...is used for everything WM related,Alt+Ctrl+...controls windows andAlt+Shift+...lefts out windows (it shifts the focus to the desktop).For example:
Alt+Shift+Left/Rightswitches to the left or right virtual desktop in labwc on my computer.Alt+Ctrl+Left/Rightmoves the currently active window to the left/right desktop.
- On Hyprland on my laptop I use
Alt+Shift+Arrowsto move the focus in that direction. - With
Alt+Ctrl+ArrowsI move the window in that direction. *Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Arrowsresizes the window in that direction
- On both I use
Alt+Drag&Dropto move windows Alt+Mousewheelswitches to to the next/previous virtual desktopAlt+Ctrl+Mousewheelmoves the window to the next/previous desktop
Alt+Tab to cycle through windows. Add Shift to cycle backwards. Meta+Tab to use an alternate switcher with a different layout (that I basically never use).
Ctrl+Alt left/right arrow switches virtual desktop. Add Shift to drag the active window with it to the next desktop.
Ctrl+Alt up arrow switches to the last Activity (KDE).
Ctrl+(Shift+)Tab to switch tabs in all apps that can support it, and I have those key combos mapped to macro keys on my keyboard. Also mapped to macros are other tab-switching-related combos for Firefox such as go to first tab, go to last tab, go to left tab and go to right tab. Also Ctrl+W to close tabs, and whatever combo it is to undo closing of tab. Did anyone say tab? Tab!
Edit: I prefer Ctrl+T for new tab (also macro mapped btw, plus one that also pastes the clipboard content into the adress bar and presses Enter) and Ctrl+N for new document. I don’t want to mix up tabs and documents in my head to cause confusion down the line.
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I use Alt+Tab and Alt+Shift+Tab.
Not really your question, but I just ignore that dilemma by using sway, so a workspace based tiling WM.
I use xmonad. In that you can cycle through windows with ctrl-j or ctrl-k. I can switch monitors with ctrl-w and ctrl-e for left and right. Ctrl-1 2 3 etc for workspaces. ctrl-space to flip through 3 different tiling schemes: focus window fullscreen, focus window left, focus window top.
