You likely use the Alt + Tab switcher on a daily basis, but did you know that you can customize it on Windows 10?
The Alt + Tab switcher (otherwise known as "Task Switcher") is a handy multitasking feature in Windows 10. Pressing the Alt + Tab hotkey brings up Task Switcher that displays thumbnail previews of open windows you can switch between by pressing Tab.
However, did you know that you can customize that feature in a few ways with some built-in Windows settings and third-party software? Here's how.
The Alt + Tab switcher is a Windows feature Microsoft has integrated with its Edge browser. Therefore, you can customize whether Task Switcher shows Edge tabs or not with four different options in Settings. This is how you can change those options.
Windows 10 doesn’t incorporate any built-in settings to change the visual appearance of its Alt + Tab switcher. However, you can change Task Switcher’s appearance with Winaero Tweaker. This is how you can change transparency and desktop dimming to the Alt + Tab Switcher with that customization software.
By default, the Alt + Tab switcher’s opaque level is set to 70 (percent). You can make the Task Switcher more transparent by dragging the Alt + Tab background transparency bar’s slider further to the left. Drag it to the right to reduce its transparency level. A fully transparent Task switcher will look like the one shown directly below.
The Tab Switcher doesn’t dim the background at all. You can add some background dimming to it by dragging the Dim Background bar’s slider to the right. If you drag that bar’s slider to the far right, Windows 10’s Alt + Tab switcher will have a fully dimmed background as in the snapshot below.
When you’ve finished configuring those options to your liking, close Winaero Tweaker. Open a few software windows. Then press the Alt + Tab hotkey to see what Task Switcher looks like after you’ve customized it.
Incidentally, you can also restore XP’s Alt + Tab switcher in Windows 10. That’s a different Task Switcher with icons instead of thumbnails. Check out our guide on how to restore the old XP Alt + Tab switcher for full details.
There aren’t many customization settings available for Task Switcher in Windows 10. Nevertheless, you can configure its transparency level, add background dimming, and select whether it shows Edge tabs according to your preferences. There are also some third-party software packages available that add different Alt + Tab switchers to Windows 10.
Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for MakeUseOf and numerous other websites.

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