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Comment by awelxtr | Hacker News Reader

Windows users can do this by pressing Win+digit with open apps or apps you have pinned on the task bar.

Linux Mint, as with many other windows shortcuts, has this also

It's superb for toggling pinned programs moment-to-moment, without needing to pay attention to UIs.

On smaller-than-regular keyboards, such as 60% size, function keys already require one extra key held to activate (Fn+<number>, an upside is being closer to reach while on the home row), so they're already both equivalent in keypresses for such users.

Yep, I've been doing this for quite some time. Like the author says, it's a genuine boost to productivity.

I use shortcuts heavily, but Win+number is something I never get used to despite knowing them. They way they work when you have multiple X programs opened (say, editors, explorers..) is kinda weird and I ended up just using alt+tab, which is much easier to press anyway.

Microsoft's PowerToys has a shortcut guide that might help get you over that last hurdle towards using win+number effectively. Might want to give it a look.

Taskbar Numberer [1] can do this as well (under Window 10). Startup command is

    start "" "<apps>\7plus-Taskbar-Numberer\64\7+ Taskbar Numberer.exe" -v2 -hidewnd

[1] https://ramensoftware.com/7-taskbar-numberer

Yes, I use them for launching "singleton" applications, and Alt+Tab for the rest.

It's ok, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to register with "multiples of the same application" open, i.e. if I have Firefox at Win-2 then it's always the first window that was opened (which is fine most of the time) but if I need the other Firefox window then it's alt-tabbing again. No, tabs don't help here, I don't have 50 Firefox windows open, but often a second.

Win+Ctrl+number

You're welcome!

Ha, thanks. Was on Linux when I wrote that so couldn't try it. Also Win+Alt+Number opens a new window of that type. Weird hand twisting aside, this could be useful :)

Welp. TIL. That's handy, thank you.

I think most Linux systems have this too. GNOME definitely, for the applications pinned in the overview, and I would be very surprised if KDE didn't do this too.

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