A while back, we showed a fun Easter egg in Windows 7 that shows the old XP-Style Alt-Tab switcher if you use a certain combination of keys, and today weâre going to show you how to switch to the old style permanentlyânot that weâd actually recommend it.
For example, hereâs the Windows XP style Alt-Tab being used in Windows 7, which doesnât use thumbnails like the Windows 7 version does. What weâll do is use a registry hack courtesy of reader Benjamin. Thanks!
Note: weâre not actually recommending this or saying that itâs better than Windows 7, but itâs an extra option in case you like the old way better. What we do recommend, however, is taking a look at the awesome VistaSwitcher Alt-Tab replacement application. Itâs great.
Manual Registry Hack to Enable XP Alt-Tab
Open up regedit.exe through the Start Menu search or run box, and then browse down to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Once youâre there, create a new 32-bit DWORD on the right-hand side, give it the name AltTabSettings, and assign the value as 1.
Once youâve done so, the Alt-Tab prompt should immediately change to the XP style. To remove and get back to the Windows 7 style, youâll need to delete the registry key and then log out and back in.
Update: We tested this on Windows 10 and it still works, but you’ll need to sign out and sign back in after performing the registry tweak. Your change won’t take effect until you do.
Downloadable Registry Hack
You can simply download, extract, and then double-click on the XPAltTab.reg file to enter the information into the registry. To remove, use the Windows7AltTab.reg file, and then log out and back in.
Download XPStyle Alt-Tab Registry Hack from howtogeek.com
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