It’s a well known fact that Windows 8 Developer Preview comes with a bunch of good Metro apps. Metro apps included in the latest version of Windows are easy-to-use and very low on system resources. Another interesting thing about Metro apps is that they don’t sport caption buttons (minimize, maximize, & close buttons).
If you have been using Windows 8 and Metro apps, you might have come across situations where you need to quickly switch between running Metro apps. For example, you have launched Metro Control Panel, Metro Alarm, Sudoku, and Socialite apps, and you want to quickly switch between these apps without switching back to the Start screen.
Switching between Metro apps is pretty easy if you have installed Windows 8 on a tablet. You just need to swipe your finger from the left side of the screen to get the next app. Desktop users can move the mouse cursor to the extreme left of the screen to see a small thumbnail preview of the next app. Clicking on the thumbnail will switch to the next app.
What about keyboard addicts who don’t like to use a mouse to switch between Metro apps?
Well, Windows 8 also comes with a handy keyboard shortcut that allows you quickly switch between opened Metro apps. By pressing Windows + Tab keys you can switch between Metro apps. In simple words, Microsoft has removed Windows Flip 3D feature (accessed by Windows + Tab keys) to set the same hotkey to quickly switch between running Metro apps.
If you are on Windows 8 and can’t live without Flip 3D feature, please check out our how to enable Windows Flip 3D in Windows 8 guide.
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