PowerToys may be heading toward a feature that changes how Windows users move through crowded apps. The idea is simple but powerful: an Alt-Tab-like switcher that works only inside the current application.
That would give users a faster way to move between tabs or windows in the same app, instead of jumping across every open program on the desktop. For people who work with browsers, terminals, editors, and file managers, the benefit is immediate and easy to understand.
A shortcut built for one app at a time
The proposed module is currently called AltWindowCycle, and the suggested shortcut is Alt + `, or the backtick key. According to PowerToys developer Clint Rutkas, the utility is meant to switch quickly between windows from the same process.
In practice, that means the feature would behave like Alt-Tab, but with a narrower focus. It would only cycle through the windows or tabs that belong to the app that is already active.
| Feature | Proposed behavior | Suggested shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| AltWindowCycle | Cycles through windows from the same app | Alt + ` |
This approach fills a gap that Windows does not currently handle well on its own. Users often rely on different shortcuts or the mouse when moving between multiple tabs in one app, and those controls are not always consistent from one program to another.
The clearest example is multitasking inside browsers and editors
The strongest use cases are the ones people run into every day. Browser tabs, multiple terminal windows, and editor instances can all create a lot of context switching inside a single application.
Rutkas described the tool as a way to move quickly between windows from the same process using Alt + `. He also framed it as an Alt-Tab-style experience, but limited to the app currently in use.
That limitation is what makes the concept interesting. It does not try to replace the system task switcher in Windows, but instead adds a second layer of navigation for people who spend most of their time inside one busy app.
File Explorer already shows why the idea matters. In the demonstration shared by Rutkas, the action initially looks like a normal Alt-Tab workflow, but it is actually switching between File Explorer tabs.
Why the demo caught attention
The feature first surfaced in a GitHub proposal for PowerToys and was later highlighted by Beta News. Rutkas also posted a video showing the tool in action, giving users an early look at how the shortcut could work.
The demo matters because it shows the feature in a familiar setting. Instead of opening the Windows task switcher for every app, the user stays inside one application and moves through its internal tabs or windows.
For anyone who regularly handles many open locations in File Explorer, the shortcut could reduce the number of steps needed to get where they want. The same logic also applies to other productivity tools that keep multiple views open at once.
Still under development, and nothing is final yet
AltWindowCycle is still only a proposal, so its final design could change before it ever reaches PowerToys. Even the name is not guaranteed to remain the same if the module moves forward.
What is clear is the direction. PowerToys has long been used to add practical utilities that Windows does not offer by default, and this one fits that pattern closely.
If the feature makes it to release, it could become one of those small system-level tools that people adopt quickly and then rely on every day. For users who live in browser tabs, terminal panes, and multiple app windows, a built-in way to cycle within a single app may be exactly the missing shortcut they have been waiting for.