Windows 10’s default Alt-Tab functionality appears to be
partially broken for some users after the release of two
updates – July 2021 preview and
August 2021 Patch Tuesday. While the July 2021 preview
(KB5004296) was
optional, KB5005033 (August 2021 update) is a mandatory
security patch designed to fix the remaining gaming problems.
Unfortunately, KB5005033 breaks Windows 10’s Alt-Tab feature
for some users. As you’re probably familiar, Alt+Tab usage is
pretty basic – just press the Alt-Tab together, and then keep
pressing the Tab key to scroll through your open windows. When
the key is released, the highlighted window opens.
After the August 2021 update and July 2021 preview, some users
have observed problems when they used Alt-Tab to switch between
apps and games. If you use Alt+Tab out of the game or return to
the game using Alt+Tab, Windows would flash the user back to
the desktop.
Users had reported
the same Alt-Tab issues after they installed the July 2021
cumulative preview update last month.
“It breaks Alt-Tab switching games that run in “full screen”
mode. Switching to such games gives you a black screen and no
way to return to the game. Again uninstalling this update
reverts to normal working behaviour,” one user noted in the
Feedback Hub.
“Furthermore, Windows 10 under this update sometimes Alt-Tabs
out of the fullscreen game immediately after starting up the
game from Steam. Basically, the fullscreen game now starts up
minimized on my taskbar. If I try to click the game to go to
its fullscreen mode, Win10 immediately alt-tabs from the
fullscreen and I’m back to square one,” another user noted.
How to fix KB5005033 issues
Fortunately, there’s a workaround. To fix Alt-Tab issues caused
by KB5005033, users can disable News and Interest feed by
following these steps:
- Right-click anywhere on the taskbar.
- Scroll up to the ‘News and interests’ menu item.
- Select ‘Turn off’.
News widget should be gone from your taskbar and Alt-Tab will
start working again. If you do not see the News and Interests
option, make sure that your taskbar is pinned to the bottom
when you right-click.
To turn the news widget back on, repeat the steps.
You can also uninstall the cumulative update and address the
problem. To remove the patch, use these steps:
- Navigate to Update & Security.
- On the next screen, click on View update history.
- If you see Uninstall updates. Click on it.
- This will take you to the Control Panel, where you need to
select the KB update and click on uninstall button.
Once done, pause the updates for a few weeks or until the next
optional patch, which is expected to land later this month.
