Keyboard shortcut to cycle through programs (rather than just the alt-tab switch)?

This question applies to both Windows and Mac OS X because I intend to use my mouse (Logitech G700) with both of them.

The idea is I want one of my configurations to use two of my buttons to switch applications. However binding them to Alt/Cmd+Tab and Shift+Alt/Cmd+Tab is not good because the former functions as a toggle, and the latter cycles (in an unpredictable order). What I want is to move through my open applications in a circular buffer order.

Do either of these OS's provide any keyboard shortcut that accomplishes this?

I could live with just Alt/Cmd+Tab set to one button, but it limits me to being able to switch between only two programs.

Solution 1:

For Windows if you have Aero you can do Win+Tab however it is just the same thing as Alt Tab but with fancier switching.

and the latter cycles (in an unpredictable order). What I want is to move through my open applications in a circular buffer order.

It is a predictable order and it is a circular buffer, however it is a sorted Circular buffer. The sort order is the order last accessed.

As for other methods of switching referencing this KB article

• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
• ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)
• CTRL+Win+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)
• Win+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons

For Mac commands you will need to ask somone else.

Solution 2:

You can use Windows+numeric keys to select the task and if there are multiple instances of a single app you can easily swicth with the arrow keys with holding the key combination I told you.

Like if you press the Windows+2 it will switch to the second open app in the list of taskbar.