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I was a bit annoyed that Cmd-Tab, in Mac OS, cycled between applications, not windows, on Macs, and I was looking for a way to do this with windows instead. For example, if I have 2 Finder windows and one Firefox window, a shortcut that would bring me from the first to the second Finder window instead of Firefox.

I think I found something like this in the Finder's application menu. Well, when I clicked it, at the first glance, I think it did more or less that. The shortcut mentioned was +`. I can find the key all right, but what the heck is `? I'm pretty sure I've tried the whole keyboard.

EDIT: The Macs I have tried this with are running Snow Leopard in French (Canada), and their keyboard configuration is very much akin to the Canadian multilingual standard one that I use on my PC, except for the fact that "complicated" characters are performed with Alt+key instead of Ctrl+Alt+Key/AltCar+Key, as it is on Windows.

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  • out of curiosity, how are you writing that if you don't know where it is? :D
    – ataulm
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:38
  • @ataulm: I'm 1. on a Windows computer; 2. using Ctrl+alt+[the key on the right of the P] on my keyboard. My keyboard layout is Canadian multilingual standard.
    – Ariane
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:45

3 Answers 3

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Check your keyboard layout in System Preferences » Language & Text » Input Sources, where you can also activate the Keyboard Viewer shown below.

  • With the Canadian French (CSA) layout, the back tick key is to the left of Return while you hold the Option key (not the "highlighted" one — it's a dead key —, the one to its lower right).

    Screenshot of Keyboard Viewer

  • With the Canadian English layout, it's to the right of the left Shift key, without modifiers.

  • For other layouts, enable Keyboard Viewer in the Input Sources screen of System Preferences, then open it via the the Input Sources menu bar item on the right, and try a combination of Opt, Ctrl, and Shift to find the back tick key.

Note that in System Preferences » Keyboard » Keyboard Shortcuts, you can change the keyboard shortcut for the window switching command.

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  • notavailablein.ca/2011/03/…
    – ataulm
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:54
  • 1
    that keyboard looks like it's for opening portals to stargates.
    – Sirex
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:54
  • @Sirex Any OS X keyboard layout looks like then when you're holding down Option.
    – Daniel Beck
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:56
  • is one of the options opening a portal to a stargate ?
    – Sirex
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:59
  • Uhm, so the final keyboard shortcut is Cmd+Alt+^? 1. Why the heck doesn't it display that instead, if that's the case? 2. I think I remember trying that too. 3. "Option" is Alt, right?
    – Ariane
    Jan 10, 2013 at 22:01
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It's next to the "1" key, on the left.

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

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  • Heh. On my keyboard as well as those at school (Canadian multilingual standard), this key displays | # \ or | / \, depending on whether the keyboard is printer for Canadian multilingual standard or French (Canada). Though the Mac being configured in French as well, I sort of doubt it would point to -that- key. @Kruug read this as well.
    – Ariane
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:48
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Use the Alt Gr key with your é key.

Mac Keyboard Layout http://emsjuwel.com/learn.quebec.french/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Canadian_French_Multilingual_Keyboard-600x461.png

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  • I don't even have the said Mac to test it (the only Macs I use are those at school, and not by choice), but since I pretty much mashed every key, or so I believe, let's assume it's not this, that I've just tried it and it's not the right key. What can it be? (Gonna add a few possibly useful details to the question in a second.)
    – Ariane
    Jan 10, 2013 at 21:39
  • @Ariane See edited post.
    – Kruug
    Jan 10, 2013 at 22:09
  • Alt Gr + É does nothing on my present keyboard. But then again, contrary to that image, AltGr + È does not do anything. Nor does it do a "micro" symbol upon pressing it with M. Looks like you have the wrong layout.
    – Ariane
    Jan 10, 2013 at 22:40

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