How to Use Window Hopper in PowerToys 0.101

If you regularly keep several browser, terminal, File Explorer, or code-editor windows open at once, Windows' Alt+Tab shortcut can become surprisingly noisy. Microsoft PowerToys 0.101, released on August 25, 2026, adds Window Hopper, a utility designed to cycle through windows belonging to the application you are already using.

The useful part is that Window Hopper does not replace Alt+Tab. It solves a narrower problem: staying inside one application while moving between its separate windows. Here is how to install the right PowerToys version, enable Window Hopper, change its shortcut, and use it without confusing it with Windows' normal window switcher.

Why Window Hopper is different from Alt+Tab

Windows Alt+Tab is designed to move between open windows across your desktop. That is convenient when you want to jump from an editor to a browser, but less convenient when you have several windows from the same application open and only want to move among those windows.

Window Hopper narrows the list to the application currently in focus. Microsoft describes it as working like Alt+Tab while remaining within the active app. That makes it particularly useful when several browser windows, terminal sessions, File Explorer windows, or editor instances are competing for attention.

Check that your PowerToys version is new enough

Window Hopper arrived with PowerToys 0.101. The stable release is identified as v0.101.2362.0, published on August 25, 2026. Earlier 0.101 preview builds existed, so seeing a version from the 0.101 series does not necessarily mean you have the final stable build. 

PowerToys supports Windows 11 and Windows 10 version 2004, build 19041, or newer, with a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor. If your existing installation is older, updating PowerToys is the simplest way to get Window Hopper.

Install or update PowerToys

If PowerToys is not installed, the quickest command-line method is WinGet, Microsoft's Windows Package Manager. Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:

winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys --source winget

Microsoft also supports installing PowerToys through its executable installer and the Microsoft Store. The official installation documentation recommends the GitHub release or Microsoft Store, while WinGet is useful when you prefer a command-line setup. 

After installation, open PowerToys Settings. If you already have PowerToys installed, use its update controls to make sure you are running the 0.101 release before looking for Window Hopper. PowerToys can check for updates automatically when the application is running, and updates can also be checked manually from Settings. 

Enable Window Hopper in PowerToys

Once the updated PowerToys installation is running, open PowerToys Settings and locate Window Hopper. Turn the utility on. PowerToys' settings interface is designed to let individual utilities be enabled or disabled separately, so installing the application does not mean every utility has to be active. 

Window Hopper is part of the new 0.101 feature set. The release notes identify its default activation shortcut as Alt+`, where the backtick key is normally located near the upper-left area of a standard keyboard. The shortcut is configurable if that combination is inconvenient or conflicts with another application. 

Use Window Hopper to switch between same-app windows

After enabling the utility, open two or more windows from the same application. For example, you could open several browser windows or multiple File Explorer windows. Click one of those windows so it becomes the active application, then press Alt+`.

Window Hopper cycles through the windows belonging to that active application instead of presenting the complete collection of open applications. This is the key difference from normal Alt+Tab: the shortcut is intended for moving around inside the application you are already working in. 

A practical example is a developer working with several terminal windows and an editor. With normal Alt+Tab, other applications can appear in the switching sequence. With Window Hopper, the active application's windows are the focus, reducing the number of unrelated windows you need to pass through.

Change the Window Hopper keyboard shortcut

The default backtick shortcut is useful, but it will not suit every keyboard or workflow. PowerToys lets you configure the Window Hopper activation shortcut, so you can choose a combination that is easier to reach or less likely to collide with software you already use.

Open the Window Hopper settings and select its shortcut control. Enter your preferred key combination and save the change. PowerToys also includes shortcut conflict detection, which can warn you when multiple PowerToys modules are configured to use the same keyboard combination.

If a shortcut behaves unexpectedly after customization, checking for conflicts is a better first step than reinstalling the utility. Another application may already be claiming the same key combination.

Know when Window Hopper is the better choice

Window Hopper makes the most sense when your workflow naturally creates several windows from one application. A developer with multiple terminal sessions, a researcher with several browser windows, or someone managing multiple File Explorer locations can benefit from a smaller switching scope.

It is not a replacement for the normal Windows task switcher. If you want to move from a browser to an editor, then to a terminal and back to the browser, Alt+Tab remains the appropriate tool. Window Hopper becomes useful when the problem is not choosing between applications, but finding the right window inside one application.

What else changed in PowerToys 0.101

Window Hopper is only one part of the 0.101 release. Microsoft also introduced a redesigned update experience with separate Stable and Insider channels, compact mode for Command Palette, continued WinUI 3 modernization, on-device Phi Silica transformations in Advanced Paste, and improvements to PowerDisplay and Shortcut Guide. 

That means updating to 0.101 can change more than your window-switching workflow. If you use PowerToys extensively, review the updated settings after upgrading rather than assuming every module will behave exactly as it did before.

If Window Hopper does not appear

Start by checking the installed PowerToys version. Window Hopper is part of the 0.101 release, so an older stable version will not contain it. The final 0.101 build is listed as v0.101.2362.0. 

If you are on the correct version but still cannot find the utility, restart PowerToys and check its Settings search. Microsoft documents a settings search feature that filters available settings as you type, which can be useful when a large PowerToys installation makes individual utilities harder to locate. 

For systems where PowerToys interacts with elevated applications, administrator mode can also matter. Microsoft notes that PowerToys utilities may not work correctly with applications running with elevated permissions unless PowerToys is also given the required administrator access. 

Make Window Hopper part of your normal workflow

The easiest way to judge Window Hopper is to use it with the application that causes the most window clutter in your daily work. Keep the standard Alt+Tab shortcut for switching between applications, and use Window Hopper when you need to move between multiple windows belonging to the application already in front of you.

That division is what makes the new utility useful rather than redundant. Once the shortcut becomes familiar, switching between several same-app windows takes a much more direct path, while the existing Windows task switcher remains available for broader navigation.