Alt+Tab doesn't work between windows from different programs

Bugs / FRs / Support
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Hyprland version 
Hyprland 0.53.0 built from branch v0.53.0 at commit ea444c35bb23b6e34505ab6753e069de7801cc25 clean (version: bump to 0.53.0).
Date: Mon Dec 29 15:21:36 2025
Tag: v0.53.0, commits: 6756

Libraries:
Hyprgraphics: built against 0.5.0, system has 0.5.0
Hyprutils: built against 0.11.0, system has 0.11.0
Hyprcursor: built against 0.1.13, system has 0.1.13
Hyprlang: built against 0.6.7, system has 0.6.7
Aquamarine: built against 0.10.0, system has 0.10.0

Version ABI string: ea444c35bb23b6e34505ab6753e069de7801cc25_aq_0.10_hu_0.11_hg_0.5_hc_0.1_hlg_0.6
no flags were set

Up until hyprland ver 0.52.* and before, Alt+Tab used to work just fine for me to switch back and forth between any 2 windows out of the box, no bind needed in config. This changed in 0.53.0. Alt+Tab only works between windows of the same program. Can’t find a dispatcher for it either (afaik there was never one mentioned on the wiki) and no mention of it in changelog as well

2

Are you using someone’s dotfiles?

I don’t see Alt+Tab keybind in Hyprland/example/hyprland.conf at main · hyprwm/Hyprland · GitHub

3

not using anyone’s dotfiles. as i said, theres no keybind for it. not in the default config, not in the example not in the docs. yet it used to work.

another weird thing, it worked on my previous reboot this morning. doesn’t work now. haven’t even touched my config

4

Hyprland has never had Alt+Tab bind by default

5

Either you are talking about hyprland-plugins/hyprexpo at main · hyprwm/hyprland-plugins · GitHub or you must be using pre-configure distro/dot-file.

6

never installed a plugin and never even cloned a pre-configured dotfiles. i know cus i’ve reviewed every line of config in my dots multiple times

7

i know. yet it used to work.

update it is working consistently now. i literally did nothing

8

I’m sure you’re missing something in your dotfiles: some script or plugin, whatever.

I just opened the repo and checked. There is no Alt+Tab keybind by default.

I don’t think your post makes sense.

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okay firstly i apologize. this was indeed a mistake on my part. turns out it was the focusurgentorlast dispatcher that i had set for Alt+Tab bind and just forgotten about it. this behavior indeed comes from my config and there is a dispatcher for it, i’ve just missed it while going over the docs again

HOWEVER

there still is one more issue [with that dispatcher]. that dispatcher doesn’t work as i suppose it should. it has shown undefined behavior, as mentioned below

  1. works when there is an urgent window, doesn’t work once that window is closed (which i suppose should because dispatcher is “focus urgent or last”)
  2. works randomly on some windows and once it’s closed, doesn’t work on other windows
  3. works randomly on every windows, and doesn’t after waking up from sleep/suspend or a reboot (and back to 1.)

tested with no xwayland windows. nothing on my system has changed since the post has been made

sorry for the confusion, inconvenience and clutter in the forum

also suggesting a title change to “Undefined behavior on focusurgentorlast dispatcher”

10

You can edit your own title.

11

i can’t seem to find the button to edit the post. maybe because i flagged this post requesting deletion last night???

12

Hover pointer over the title.

13

not available for me