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Alt+Tab is one of the best shortcuts in Windows 10. Not only does it let you switch between apps, it also previews all your open windows so you can choose exactly which one to switch to. It’s great that there’s even a third-party plugin for macOS to copy it. Unfortunately, it’s broken now too. But here’s how to fix it.
Why is the Alt+Tab hotkey broken?
For some reason, the August 2021 update KB5005033 for Windows 10 (and the July 2021 preview KB5004296) has deprecated Alt+Tab. No explanation as to why, but something in the update is preventing Alt+Tab from working.
This does not mean that Windows will completely ignore you when you press Alt+Tab. The system still tries to run the shortcut but fails in several ways. Normally, when you press Alt+Tab, it will move between your various application windows, and then when you release the keys, it will open the selected one. With this error, Alt+Tab usually sends you back to your desktop. If the app in question is in full-screen mode, when you try to switch back to that app, you’ll actually get a black screen before you can go back to that app.
It even has a feature of its own: When a user launches a full-screen game from Steam, Windows reports Alt-Tabs exiting the game and returning to the desktop.
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How to fix Alt+Tab problem of Windows 10
Fortunately, we have a workaround for this glitch, albeit weird. To get Alt+Tab working again, just . To turn off the news and interest feed To do this, right-click on your taskbar, go to “News and interests” and then select “Close”.
Alternatively, you can uninstall the update that caused the error. However, we do not recommend this method as you will miss the critical security patches provided by the August 2021 update. If you revert to a previous version of Windows, you remain open to these vulnerabilities.
If you still want to uninstall the update, do the following: Go to “Update & security” click “View update history” then click “Uninstall updates”. Now select the KB5004296 (July 2021 preview) or KB5005033 (August 2021) update from the Control panel and click the Uninstall button.
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