Use PowerToys Window Walker tool to find open apps on Windows 10

The Window Walker tool in PowerToys for Windows 10, presents a search field that pops up when you press the Win+Ctrl keyboard shortcut. Just type a specific word or phrase in the search field, and Window Walker shows you all open windows related to your search term. In this post, we will show you how to use PowerToys Window Walker tool to find open apps on Windows 10.

Use PowerToys Window Walker tool to find open apps

To begin, make sure you’re running the latest version of Windows 10 PowerToys. If you’ve already installed PowerToys, open the app from the System Tray or Start menu. Scroll down the General Settings screen and click the Check For Updates button. If you don’t have PowerToys, then head over to the GitHub releases page and download and install the MSI file for the latest version.

After the installation, continue as follows:

Open the PowerToys program and make sure the button is toggled to On for Window Walker.
Now open several applications on your Windows 10 device.
To look for a specific app and you don’t want to have to cycle through all the open windows, press Ctrl + Windows key.
The Window Walker search field pops up with the message: Search for running processes or windows.

Tip: Without PowerToys, Windows natively offers you a few ways to view all open apps. You can press Alt+Tab to view and cycle through your open windows. You can press Win+Tab to see your open windows and also navigate the Timeline.

Next, type the name of an open application or window and a list of associated applications will appear.

Note: You can type all or part of the program, such as word for Microsoft Word, power for PowerPoint etc. You can also type a more generic term, such as microsoft, to see all programs with Microsoft in the name. You can also search by any word in the name of an open document, file, or web page. For example, if the LinkedIn website is open in Chrome or another browser, just type linkedin in the Window Walker search field and then double-click the search result to view the page. If you’re not sure of the exact name of the application or file you want, type the first letter. Windows Walker will display all open apps with that letter in the name or title – continue typing until you see the application you want and then double-click it to open it.

Now, from the list of associated applications that appears, double-click the application window you wish to open.

That’s it!