Process History
Process History gives you back/forward navigation between windows — like browser history, but for your desktop. Navigate through your last 10 focused windows using configurable hotkeys.
Setup
Go to Settings → Search apps → Windows and look for the Window history section.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Go to previous process | (none) | Hotkey to switch to the previous window in history |
| Go to next process | (none) | Hotkey to switch to the next window in history |
| Show process history UI | On | Display a visual overlay showing the window history |
How it works
Fluent Search tracks the last 10 windowed processes you've focused. When you press the previous/next hotkey:
- The history index moves backward or forward.
- The target window is brought to the foreground.
- If Show process history UI is on, a horizontal strip of process icons appears briefly at the top-center of your screen, with the current window highlighted.
The overlay auto-hides after 1 second of inactivity.
Navigation behavior
- Navigation wraps around — pressing "previous" past the oldest entry loops to the newest.
- Exited processes are automatically removed from the history and skipped.
- Shell processes (like
ShellExperienceHost) and non-graphical processes are excluded. - The history respects the order in which you focused windows, not when they were launched.
Tips
- Assign intuitive hotkeys like
Alt+[/Alt+]orCtrl+Alt+Left/Ctrl+Alt+Rightfor natural back/forward navigation. - This is a lightweight alternative to Alt+Tab for users who want directional, ordered window switching.
- Combine with the Prioritize windows on current virtual desktop setting (also in Windows search app settings) to keep virtual desktop windows separate.