Chances are you use the Windows Task Switcher utility by pressing Alt+Tab in order to scroll through a series of thumbnails representing all the open windows, then switch to a different task.
If so, you are probably aware of how difficult it can be to find the task you want to switch to if there are more than just two or three windows open.
A while back I began using VistaSwitcher, a free replacement for the Windows Task Switcher, and it has turned out to be a major timesaver!
I usually have over a dozen windows open at once, and VistaSwitcher makes it easy to quickly find the one I want to switch to and get me there in a jiffy.
Once running, VistaSwitcher can be called up in one of two ways:
1 – Press Alt+Tab the same way you called up the old Task Switcher.
2 – Click on the VistaSwitcher icon in the task bar (see the screenshot below).
If you open VistaSwitcher with the Alt+Tab keyboard combination you can scroll through the list of open windows by continuing to hold the Alt key while tapping the Tab key. When you find the window you want to switch to, simply remove your fingers from the keys.
If you open VistaSwitcher by clicking on the taskbar icon you can scroll through the list of open tasks simply my moving your mouse pointer. You then select the window to switch to by clicking on it.
Regardless of which method you use to open VistaSwitcher, you’ll see an easy to read list of descriptions along with a large screenshot of the currently highlighted window:
VistaSwitcher is lightweight and it won’t slow down your system. I use it daily and can’t imagine getting along without it at this point. You can download it for free right here if you’d like to give it a try.
Note: Even though Windows 8 isn’t listed yet as a supported operating system, it works like a charm!