Microsoft Word opens up a new window for each document. Internet Explorer frequently opens new windows – each time you click on an IE icon, for example, or when a web page is set to open new windows instead of using the existing window. When we’re in full swing, we can have ten or twenty windows open.

Does everyone remember Alt-Tab? It’s an invaluable keyboard shortcut. It’s been around forever but I don’t see it mentioned often.

Hold down Alt and then press Tab. If you keep Alt pressed down, you’ll see a bar with icons for each running application, and each click of Tab will move to the next available application. When you release the Alt key, the highlighted window will instantly appear. To go backward through the list, use Shift-Alt-Tab. It’s far easier than moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen each time you want to change programs.

(If you’re already an Alt-Tabber, you might want to consider the Microsoft Power Toy that enhances Alt-Tab with a preview of each window in addition to the icon.)

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