How to See All Open Windows on PC

When you have many applications open on your computer, it can be difficult to remember which windows are open. Fortunately, Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS all have simple shortcuts and utilities that help you multi-task with ease. This is an article on how to quickly view open windows and applications on a Windows or Mac computer.

Table of Contents

On Windows 10

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Use Task View to see all windows on one screen

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. By default, the Task View with the three rectangular window icon and the sliding button on the right is usually displayed on the taskbar. When you click here, you will see all open windows on one screen, and this is the simplest way to see all open windows.

If you don’t see the Task View button on the taskbar, right-click the taskbar and select Show Task View Button . You can also open Task View by pressing Windows + Tab key combination.
If you have created a virtual desktop to use multiple applications, click each virtual desktop in the bar above Task View to see the open window on that desktop.

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Choose whether to view the windows as overlapping, columnar, or side-by-side. Another way to view all open windows on a single screen is to arrange them by selection on the taskbar. Right-click the taskbar, and select one of the following options to view all open windows:

Select Cascade windows so you can view the open windows in an overlapping fashion and see the title bar of each window.
Select Show windows stacked so that all open windows are displayed in one or more columns. The number of columns will depend on the number of open windows.
Selecting Show windows side by side will display the windows in rows instead of columns.

On Windows 11

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Use Task View to see all windows on the same screen. Task View has an icon of two overlapping squares – one white and one gray – and is usually found on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You will see the entire window on one screen, and this is the simplest way to see the entire window. You can also open Task View by pressing Windows + Tab key combination.

If you don’t see the Task View icon on the taskbar, right-click the taskbar, select Taskbar settings , and click the slider next to “Task View” to enable it.
If you use virtual desktops to open different applications, you will see each screen below Task View. Click on a monitor to see the open window on that desktop. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Microsoft Support Go to Source}

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Move the pointer to the taskbar icon for a quick view. When you open an app on Windows 11, its icon will show up on the taskbar. Applications with open windows will have a white underline on the taskbar. Move the pointer to the white underlined icon to see a thumbnail of the open window. You can click one of the thumbnails to open that window.

Move the pointer to the Task View icon to see the entire open screen. You can click on one of those screens to see it.

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Press Alt + Tab ↹ to view and switch between applications. Take your hand off the Tab key while continuing to press the Alt key to see all open windows. This is a quick way to help you quickly switch open applications with the keyboard instead of using the mouse, and also a quick way to see the open window.

To switch to another window, you use the Tab key (and keep pressing the Alt key) to scroll through the open applications. When you find the app you want to see, release your hand from the two keys.

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View all open applications and processes with Task Manager. Task Manager displays all active applications and background processes on Windows computers. You can quickly open Task Manager by pressing the key combination Contrp + Shift + Esc at the same time, or by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager .

When the Task Manager opens, you will see a list of open applications. Click More details to see more information, including a list of background processes.
Applications in the “Apps” section of the Processes tab have windows open or minimized.

On Mac

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Use Mission Contrp to view all open windows on one monitor. This is the simplest way to see what apps are open on Mac. ^{[2] X Research Source} If you create a Space to use multiple applications, you will see each Space above the Mission Contrp. Click a space to view the open window. To open Mission Contrp, do the following:

For Apple keyboards, press the Mission Contrp (F3) key in the first row of keys. It’s the key with the icon of three small rectangles within a large rectangle.
If you use a MacBook, use three fingers to swipe up on the trackpad.
If your MacBook has a Touch Bar, you’ll tap the three rectangular icon.
If you use a Magic Mouse, double-tap the mouse with two fingers.
Press the Ctrl + Up Arrow keys on the keyboard at the same time.
Double-click the Mission Contrp application in the Applications folder.

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Press ⌘ Command + Tab ↹ to view and switch between applications. Here’s a quick way to see all of your open apps. When you press this key combination, release the Tab key but keep pressing the Command key to see the open applications. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

To switch to one of the open windows, you still press the Command key, press the left and right arrow keys to select the application you want to use, and remove your hand from the Command key to see the screen clearly.

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Open the Force Quit menu to view and close open applications. Force Quit lets you close apps quickly, but you can also use it to quickly view open apps on your Mac — even minimized apps. ^{[4] X Research Source} To open this menu, you will press Command + Option + Esc at the same time.

You can close the application on this window by selecting and clicking Force Quit .

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See all active applications and processes using Activity Monitor. Activity Monitor not only shows you open apps, but also shows you how much memory, power, and CPU power each app is using. ^{[5] X Research Sources} To open Activity Monitor, you would go to the Applications folder in the Finder, double-click the Utilities folder, and then double-click Activity Monitor .

Activity Monitor also displays information about processes running in the background, in addition to applications with open windows.
Click the tabs above Activity Monitor to see what resources each application or process is using.

Advice

How to reduce the number of open windows of certain applications on Mac? With every application window open, you’ll click the Window menu and choose Merge All Windows . To turn a merged tab into its own window, you would select the tab, click the Window menu, and choose Move Tab to New Window .
If you want to close the entire open window of a Mac application, press Command + Option + W .
You can manage the function of the Alt + Tab key combination on Windows 11 in Settings > Systems > Multitasking > Alt Tab .

Steps

On Windows 10

On Windows 11

On Mac

Advice

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