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If I'm using the mouse with my left hand, it's inconvenient to use alt+tab to switch between apps.

I can use my left hand to do alt+tab, but I need to leave the mouse :(

I can use my right hand to do alt+tab, but it makes me go all the way to the other side of the keyboard (slow), twisting my wrist in an unhealthy manner.

How to use the keyboard (except alt+tab) to quickly switch between apps using the right hand?

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    Which OS, which keyboard? E.g. under Linux, you can remap keys as you like, so nothing prevents you from using the right Alt key, and remapping some other key that is conveniently placed as Tab.
    – dirkt
    Mar 9, 2017 at 7:45
  • Well, it's not Mac, as that's Cmd/Tab.
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 9, 2017 at 7:57
  • I'm a lefty. I use my left thumb on <alt> and my left middle finger on <tab>.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Mar 9, 2017 at 11:34
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    The "primarily opinion-based" flag doesn't mean the question is opinionated, it means the answers that sort of question are likely to attract are. Opinion isn't necessarily bad, but SU is a site designed for specific questions and specific answers, and most likely ONE very obviously correct answer. When you get opinion answers, the choice between them is not a matter of whether they are right or wrong, but whether OP prefers one or the other, and THAT is what SU doesn't do.
    – music2myear
    Mar 10, 2017 at 16:52
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    In this case, the issue is that the phrase "How do "lefties" switch between apps using the keyboard?" while it may not be intended as such, is asking for suggestions, for others experience, and for opinion. By changing the phrasing a little you could probably ask essentially the same question without it being flagged as opinion-based. Focusing on the technical problem alone is a good start.
    – music2myear
    Mar 10, 2017 at 16:54

2 Answers 2

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If the twist is your primary concern, use different fingers.

Using your middle finger to hit TAB allows you to use either your little finger or thumb to hit ALT, depending on how your desk is set up and whichever move results in less of the undesirable twist.

An alternative is to use a program such as AutoHotKey to create a new key mapping that will perform this action.

Using AutoHotKey will pretty much allow you to map whichever not-already-used combination of keys to switch applications, and so it's up to you to decide the combination that works best for you if that's the route you choose to use.

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  • Twisting the wrist is one issue. Another issue is the slowness going all the way across the keyboard. I hope there's a better convention for app switching with the right hand.
    – AlikElzin-kilaka
    Mar 10, 2017 at 3:48
  • Then you'll need to use an application that allows custom key-mapping to do this, such as AutoHotKey.
    – music2myear
    Mar 10, 2017 at 16:50
  • OK. Is there a convention for what keys are used for app switching with the right hand?
    – AlikElzin-kilaka
    Mar 12, 2017 at 12:16
  • A quick Google search shows NO standard convention. If a convention existed, it would be visible and obvious, I think. There is no one answer, and the greatest consistency is suggestions like mine to use a keyboard macro-creation utility.
    – music2myear
    Mar 13, 2017 at 15:54
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PowerToys [1][2] now allows Windows users to map keyboard shortcuts. It is from Microsoft and is an alternative. I used AutoHotKeys but I think I had to rerun the script every time I restarted.

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