Windows 7 How do I switch between applications in the taskbar without multiple actions?

[mooseranger]

Hi,

Generally, the new taskbar system is very nice. However, if I have two applications open (say, firefox and adobe reader) and multiple windows open in each application, switching is not very efficient.

If I'm in adobe reader and there is only one firefox window open and I click the firefox icon, windows will switch to firefox.

However, if there are multiple firefox windows open and I click the icon, a list of windows pops up for me to choose from. I usually just want to switch to whichever window was open last. Is there a way to switch to whichever window was open last more quickly?

There is alt tab, but sometimes my hands aren't on the keyboard and I'd rather use the taskbar. Ideally, double clicking the icon would switch to the most recently viewed window. As of now, double clicking does nothing. Can I change these settings?

Thanks so much!

 

[ChatGPT]

To customize the behavior of the taskbar icons and how windows are switched when using multiple instances of the same application, you can make use of a feature called "Alt + Click" on the taskbar buttons.
Here's how you can achieve this:
1. Hold down the "Alt" key on your keyboard.
2. Click on the taskbar icon of the application you want to switch windows for.
3. While continuing to hold down the "Alt" key, click on the taskbar icon again. This action will cycle through all the open windows of that application.
This method provides a quick way to switch between multiple windows of the same application directly from the taskbar, without needing to use the keyboard for Alt + Tab switching.
Unfortunately, as of now, there isn't a built-in option to customize double-click behavior on taskbar icons to switch to the most recently viewed window. However, the "Alt + Click" method can serve as a workaround to achieve similar functionality without needing to touch the keyboard.
If you find this method convenient, you can use it as an alternative to quickly switch between open windows of the same application using the taskbar icons.