How-To

How-To Configure Windows 7 to Use Windows XP Style Alt-Tab Menu

By Stefan Kudev

Updated June 16, 2022

Perhaps you prefer the “good ole days”. Or, perhaps you have a close attachment to Windows XP?  Whatever the reason, if you’ve ever wanted to use the old Windows-XP-Style Alt+Tab window, today we’ll give you two quick methods of doing it using our standard Step-by-Step method as well as a groovy Screencast!

How-To Configure Windows 7 to use XP Alt-Tab Menu {Screencast}

How-To Configure Windows 7 to use XP Alt-Tab Menu

Method 1 – Through A Quick Keyboard Combination

Step 1

Press and Hold Right Alt on your keyboard

Step 2

While holding the Right Tab key, quickly press Left Alt.

Step 3

Then press Tab.

You will get the old-school classic Alt-Tab windows that you see in Windows XP.

Method 2 – Permanently Set The Classic Alt+Tab Through A Registry Modification

Step 1

Open the Start Menu and type in regedit. Then hit Enter to confirm.

Step 2

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer and create a new 32-Bit DWORD Value and call it AltTabSettings.

Step 3

Then open the file and give it a value of 1.

Now close regedit and try Alt+Tab again. The classic method should be set as your default one.

If you would ever want to restore the Windows 7 style of Alt+Tabbing, simply delete the DWORD file from the registry and reboot your computer so that the changes can take effect.