Alt+Tab not working in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 Home and Pro on desktops and laptops. Most steps also apply to Windows 10, though its Settings pages are arranged a little differently.

Match your symptom

According to Microsoft’s How to Multitask in Windows page, holding Alt and pressing Tab shows thumbnails of your open apps on the current desktop, and the app you have selected comes to the front when you let go of Alt. When that breaks, how it breaks points to the cause:

What happens	Likely cause	Start with
Nothing at all when you press Alt + Tab	The Alt or Tab key, a keyboard mode, or a stuck shell	Fix 1, Fix 2
The switcher flashes and closes, or freezes	Windows Explorer has hung or crashed	Fix 2
Some open windows are missing	Virtual desktop setting, or windows on another desktop	Fix 3
Browser tabs crowd the switcher	The app tabs option in Multitasking	Fix 3
It fails only inside a game or remote session	Exclusive full-screen mode, an overlay, or the remote session taking the keys	Fix 4
The switcher looks different or stopped after a tweak	A registry change or a shell add-on	Fix 5

Fix 1: Check the keys and the keyboard

A shortcut that needs two keys fails if either one is faulty, so rule out the hardware before changing settings.

• Use the right Alt key with Tab. On some layouts the right key is AltGr, which doesn’t act as Alt, so this test works only on keyboards with a plain right Alt.
• Try the related shortcuts in Microsoft’s keyboard shortcuts list: Alt + Esc cycles through windows in the order they were opened, and Ctrl + Alt + Tab keeps the switcher open so you can pick an app with the arrow keys. If these respond but Alt + Tab doesn’t, look at the Tab key itself.
• Open Notepad and press Tab a few times. No indent means the key isn’t registering.
• Plug in another keyboard if you have one. If Alt + Tab works on it, the original keyboard needs cleaning, new batteries, re-pairing or replacing.
• Gaming keyboards often have a game or lock mode that blocks system shortcuts. Turn it off with its key or in the keyboard’s own software.
• Turn off Sticky keys and Filter keys in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard to rule them out.

If several keys misbehave, not just this combination, follow our Windows 11 keyboard troubleshooting guide instead; it covers drivers, ports and wireless pairing.

Fix 2: Restart Windows Explorer

The Alt + Tab switcher is part of the Windows shell, the same explorer.exe process that runs the taskbar and desktop. When the shell hangs, the switcher can fail while apps keep running normally. Restarting Explorer is quick and doesn’t close your programs:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. On the Processes page, find Windows Explorer. If it isn’t listed, open any File Explorer window first.
3. Right-click it and select Restart. The taskbar disappears for a moment and comes back.
4. Try Alt + Tab again.

If the taskbar doesn’t return, select Run new task in Task Manager, type explorer.exe and select OK. If Explorer keeps freezing, the cause is usually wider than Alt + Tab; see File Explorer not responding in Windows 11. A full restart of the PC also resets the shell, but restarting Explorer is faster to try first.

Fix 3: Check the Multitasking settings

Many “missing window” reports are settings working as designed. Microsoft’s multitasking page notes that Alt + Tab covers the current desktop, so windows on another virtual desktop don’t appear unless you change that. Open Settings > System > Multitasking and check two areas:

• Desktops: set Show all open windows when I press Alt+Tab to On all desktops if you want every window in the list. With Only on the desktop I’m using, press Win + Tab to see your other desktops, or Win + Ctrl + the left or right arrow key to move between them.
• Show tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab: Microsoft says the tab options add recent Microsoft Edge tabs to the switcher, while Don’t show tabs limits it to open windows. Pick Don’t show tabs if browser tabs push your apps out of view.

Minimized windows still appear in Alt + Tab. If a program has no window at all, for example one that runs only in the notification area, it won’t show up; open it from its icon instead.

Fix 4: Full-screen games, overlays and Remote Desktop

Some situations hand the keyboard to something other than Windows’ own switcher:

• Exclusive full-screen games. A game running in exclusive full-screen mode can be slow to give up the display, so Alt + Tab may show a black screen, take several seconds, or appear to do nothing. In the game’s display or video settings, choose Borderless, Windowed fullscreen or Windowed. Names vary by game.
• Games that block the shortcut. A few games and anti-cheat tools capture Alt + Tab while they have focus. Check the game’s settings or support pages; Win + Tab or Ctrl + Shift + Esc may still get you out.
• Overlays. Game launchers, voice chat and GPU tools draw overlays and add their own hotkeys. If the problem began after installing one, turn its overlay off and test again.
• Remote Desktop and virtual machines. In a full-screen Remote Desktop session, Alt + Tab can switch apps on the remote PC instead of yours. In Remote Desktop Connection, select Show Options, open the Local Resources tab and check the Keyboard setting for Windows key combinations. Virtual machine apps have a similar keyboard capture option. The Ctrl+Alt+Del guide lists the special key combinations for remote and virtual sessions.

Fix 5: Undo Alt+Tab tweaks and shell add-ons

Older how-to articles suggest adding a registry value called AltTabSettings to bring back the Windows XP style switcher. Microsoft doesn’t document this value, and it can make Alt + Tab look or act differently from what you expect. If you or a tweak tool ever added it, remove it:

Warning: a wrong registry edit can cause problems. Delete only the value named here, and back up the key first with File > Export.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit and press Enter.
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.
3. If AltTabSettings is listed in the right pane, right-click it and select Delete. If it isn’t there, close Registry Editor; this isn’t your cause.
4. Restart Windows Explorer as in Fix 2.

Programs that restyle the taskbar or Start menu, or replace the switcher, can also take over Alt + Tab. Disable or uninstall them in Settings > Apps > Installed apps and test again. Key remapping tools such as PowerToys Keyboard Manager can reassign Alt or Tab too, so check any remaps you’ve set up.

Fix 6: Repair system files and check updates

If the switcher fails along with other parts of the shell, damaged system files may be involved. Open Terminal or Command Prompt as administrator and run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

DISM repairs the component store that SFC copies from, so run it first. Our sfc /scannow guide explains what each SFC result means and what to do next.

Then install pending updates in Settings > Windows Update. As of November 2026, Microsoft’s Windows 11, version 25H2 release health page lists no known issue about Alt + Tab or task switching. It did list a now-resolved issue where some PCs showed a black screen or desktop loading problems after sign-in, with Windows Explorer crashes in the event logs; Microsoft says updates released on October 13, 2026 (KB5127648) and later fix it. If your problem started around then, updating is the first thing to try.

If Alt+Tab still doesn’t work

• Test in Safe Mode. Safe Mode loads Windows without most third-party startup programs. If Alt + Tab works there, something you installed is interfering. See how to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11.
• Try another user account. If Alt + Tab works in a new local account, the problem sits in your profile’s settings rather than in Windows itself.
• Use Task View meanwhile. Win + Tab and the taskbar both switch windows while you look for the cause.

Related guides

• Keyboard not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• Ctrl+Alt+Del not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• File Explorer not responding in Windows 11: how to fix it
• How to run sfc /scannow in Windows 11 and 10 (and read the results)
• How to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11

Official sources

• Microsoft Support: How to Multitask in Windows
• Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Windows
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications