Using the App Switcher in Windows 8

The App Switcher (Figure 2-4) displays a thumbnail of each open Windows 8 app. Do any of
the following to open the App Switcher and open a running Windows 8 app:

•   Swipe in from the left edge of the screen and, without lifting your finger, drag the app

back to the left edge of the screen. (The motion feels like drawing a right bracket [>]).
Notice the App Switcher on the left edge of the screen. You see a thumbnail for each
open Windows 8 app. At the bottom of the App Switcher, you see the Start screen.

•    Press and hold the Windows logo key, repeatedly press Tab to highlight each running

Windows 8 app; then, release both keys to open the selected apps full screen.

•    Press Alt + Tab, just like you did in Windows 7, to quickly switch between apps.

•    Move the mouse pointer to the upper-left corner of the screen. Notice in the

 upper-left corner of the screen a thumbnail for the next Windows 8 app. Also notice
the hint along the left edge of the screen that the App Switcher is available. Click the
mouse in the upper-left corner of the screen to bring in the next open app, or move
the mouse pointer straight down the left edge of the screen to open the App Switcher.

Switching between open apps in windows 8

You can switch to open Windows 8 apps by swiping in from the left edge of the screen. It’s a
quick way to cycle through your open apps. To try it yourself:
1.   On the Start screen, click Weather.
2.   Return to the Start screen, and click  News.
3.   Return to the Start screen, and click  Internet Explorer .
4.   Swipe in from the left edge of the screen to switch to the next Windows 8 app.
5.   Repeat step 3 to cycle through each open Windows 8 app.

Searching for files and settings in Windows 8

When you search in Windows 8, the results will include apps, settings, and files. You can
even search across your apps. As a result, you can find the apps, files, and information you
care about most—quickly and simply. Complete the following steps to search for results that
 contain the word  Windows , not just in your files but also across your apps:
1.   On the Start screen, type windows. Notice how Windows 8 displays a list of apps that
      contains the word “Windows.” By default, the Start screen displays results for Apps.

2.   On the right side of the search results, click Files . Notice that the search results show all
      files on the computer that contain the word Windows in their file names or metadata.

3.   On the left side, click Documents to limit the results to just documents.

4.   Click Videos  to limit the results to just pictures, as shown in Figure 2-3
.
5.   Press the Windows logo key + F, and click  Internet Explorer . Notice that the  
      Windows 8 Internet Explorer app displays search results that contain the word 
       “Windows.”

6.   Click News. Notice that the News app displays articles that contain the word  
      “Windows

Finding and launching apps quickly in windows 8

In Windows 7, you can quickly run apps by pressing the Windows logo key, typing the name
of the app, and pressing Enter. You can do the same thing in Windows 8. Complete the
 following steps to launch an app by searching for it:
1.   On the Start screen, type maps, and press  Enter. Notice that the Windows 8 Maps app
       opens immediately.

2.   Return to the Start screen, and type powershell.

3.   With Windows PowerShell already selected, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.

4.   On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes. Notice that Windows PowerShell
      opened with elevated permissions.

5.   Close Windows PowerShell.