Skip to main content
Inspiring
January 28, 2022
Answered

Alternative shortcuts for shifting between open photoshop windows?

  • January 28, 2022
  • 4 replies
  • 1892 views

Hi!!! Is there a way to change the shortcut for shifting between open windows in Mac PS (that is cntrl-tab)?? To me, this shortcut is unintuitive plus requires a cumbersome setting of fingers 🙂 For other programs than PS, I use a program called Witch that allows to change/modify many shortcuts. PS doesn’t take into account this program. How could I change the shortcut cntrl-tab to something else, for example, option-tab? Am I destined to use the awful shortcut???

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer tuomasvirtanen.fi

@tuomasvirtanen.fi wrote:

Sorry to be so incompetent 🙂 but the script I created is not visible among other PS scripts (?). To me, the file I created with TextEdit should be in the text format... Perhaps you could give me one more advice before this case will be closed??


 

OK, first verify that the scripts have been saved correctly as plain text files with a .jsx filename extension. Open two or more images in Photoshop. Then use File > Scripts > Browse... and select one of the two script files. Repeat with the other script file. Do both scripts select the next/previous open docs as expected?

 

If the scripts are working when browsed, then there must be an issue with how you installed them. Double check the filename in the Mac Finder or Windows Explorer, this is what you will be looking for in the File > Scripts menu for the correctly installed scripts. This is also what you would see under Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts as previously described. 

 

Also double check that they are installed in the correct folder and version of Photoshop, if you have multiple versions of Photoshop installed you may have put them in a different version folder.

 

All else failing, you may need to provide screenshots. Hope this helps.


Thanks for the scripts, Stephen! They work! However, the shortcut Opt+Tab is not accepted but I had own shortcuts for Tile all vertically and Consolidate all to tabs, and I chose to make two additional shortcuts for the scripts which are close to those I mention above (and logical to me). Perhaps there was something wrong when I saved the scripts. Thanks! 

4 replies

Community Expert
February 11, 2022

You do realize that Option key "Option+Tab" is literally right next to the Control key? Command+Tab is the normal way to cycle through applicaitons on a Mac, and if you just move your Left thumb over two keys, Control+Tab is very similar.

You can pretty much change every menu item in Photoshop, but I am pretty sure that "Control+Tab" is the Macs way to cycle through windows. It works the exact same way in Google Chrome.

 

If you have a Big monitor what might help is Window>Arrange and you can select 2-up, 4-up, etc... so all of your tabs are in front view... then you can just click on that window to edit the file. 

 

Good luck!
mark

headTrix, Inc. | Adobe Certified Training & Consulting
Inspiring
January 29, 2022

Thanks for the responses! As to Command + ~ it does not work on my keyboard (Finnish). The scripts, well, I need to study the issue a bit. Anyhow, they appear to me a little daunting ... 😳

tuomasvirtanenNET
Stephen Marsh
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 29, 2022

Don't feel daunted, just follow the instructions in the link and let the forum know if you get stuck.

 

EDIT: @tuomasvirtanen.fi – so how did you go?

tuomasvirtanen.fiAuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
February 17, 2022

@tuomasvirtanen.fi wrote:

Sorry to be so incompetent 🙂 but the script I created is not visible among other PS scripts (?). To me, the file I created with TextEdit should be in the text format... Perhaps you could give me one more advice before this case will be closed??


 

OK, first verify that the scripts have been saved correctly as plain text files with a .jsx filename extension. Open two or more images in Photoshop. Then use File > Scripts > Browse... and select one of the two script files. Repeat with the other script file. Do both scripts select the next/previous open docs as expected?

 

If the scripts are working when browsed, then there must be an issue with how you installed them. Double check the filename in the Mac Finder or Windows Explorer, this is what you will be looking for in the File > Scripts menu for the correctly installed scripts. This is also what you would see under Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts as previously described. 

 

Also double check that they are installed in the correct folder and version of Photoshop, if you have multiple versions of Photoshop installed you may have put them in a different version folder.

 

All else failing, you may need to provide screenshots. Hope this helps.


Thanks for the scripts, Stephen! They work! However, the shortcut Opt+Tab is not accepted but I had own shortcuts for Tile all vertically and Consolidate all to tabs, and I chose to make two additional shortcuts for the scripts which are close to those I mention above (and logical to me). Perhaps there was something wrong when I saved the scripts. Thanks! 

tuomasvirtanenNET
Jeff Arola
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 29, 2022

You can also use Command + ~ (tilda) to cycle open document windows

Stephen Marsh
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 28, 2022

What you can do is install these two scripts, then bind your preferred keyboard shortcuts to the scripts.

 

// Cycle forwards through open docs
selectDoc( 1 );

function selectDoc(relativeDoc) {
    // Equivalent of ctrl + tab | ctrl + shift + tab
    // 1 = forwards | -1 = backwards
	var s2t = function (s) {
		return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
	};
	var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
	var reference = new ActionReference();
	reference.putOffset( s2t( "document" ), relativeDoc );
	descriptor.putReference( s2t( "null" ), reference );
	descriptor.putInteger( s2t( "documentID" ), 0 );
	executeAction( s2t( "select" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
}

 

 

// Cycle backwards through open docs
selectDoc( -1 );

function selectDoc(relativeDoc) {
    // Equivalent of ctrl + tab | ctrl + shift + tab
    // 1 = forwards | -1 = backwards
	var s2t = function (s) {
		return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
	};
	var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
	var reference = new ActionReference();
	reference.putOffset( s2t( "document" ), relativeDoc );
	descriptor.putReference( s2t( "null" ), reference );
	descriptor.putInteger( s2t( "documentID" ), 0 );
	executeAction( s2t( "select" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
}

 

Info on saving and installing scripts here:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html

 

P.S. You can do this via actions, however, you would need to use F-key shortcuts, which in my opinion are less finger friendly (even more so on a laptop).