Cmd-tab to switch to other VM's and Mac apps?

[jared_oberhaus]

In Parallels (before version 3.0), you could hit Cmd-tab to switch from your VM to another VM or any other Mac app... OS X caught it and brought up the standard app switching mechanism.

Can we get that in VMware Fusion, as some sort of option? I find it extremely useful. Parallels had it down perfectly: when you are focused in a VM, even without a "Parallels tools" installed, you can Cmd-tab out. And when you Cmd-tab back into that VM, your keyboard is focused so you can start typing on whatever window was in focus in the VM.

[vinayv]

You can do this if you are in Unity. However, in Single Window mode, we respect the guest OS. We are investigating further on how to make the experience more seamless.

[jared_oberhaus]

Thank you. Right now the best I can do is mouse off the guest VM window, and hit Cmd-` to cycle through VM's, or Cmd-tab to get the standard OS X app switcher.

[rtgoodwin]

It would be awesome to have a keyboard include/exclude list. (For all I know this exists already in OSX...).

What I'm thinking is just like was stated here:

"Alt-Tab is captured by [] VM OS X"

This would work for several things, including the apple-L for the Vmware launcher.

[aanhorn]

That or just make it a pref toggle such as "allow OS X hotkeys in Guest OS".

I've stated before that it can be quite maddening to be without hotkeys for iTunes, Quicksilver, and application switching when the guest OS is focused.

In addition, Fusion will definitely have to respect the hotkey commands for Spaces when it arrives in Leopard, I suspect many users will have a VM in full screen in one Space and will need to switch to and from it on the fly.

[vinayv]

The Apple-L for vmware launcher is another issue entirely (at least in Unity mode). What you are asking for is an exclude list. Thank you for the suggestion, it is something to consider for future releases.

[jared_oberhaus]

As an additional clarification to what would be ideal:

\* Parallels has each VM as a separate "App". So when you App switch, you can switch to each VM. (although Cmd-Tab is now broken in Parallels 3)

\* VMware Fusion has each VM all in the same "App". So Cmd-tab would not switch between VM's, even if it was captured by OS X and not the guest.

My opinion is that the ideal solution would include separating each VM as a separate "App" similar to the way Parallels works. That way Cmd-Tab can get me to:

\* Windows VM

\* Linux VM

\* Mail

\* Safari

\* Terminal

\* etc...

all in the same hotkey.

If separating the VM's into separate Apps isn't done, then adding a hot key of some kind (something based on the Cmd key) to iterate over VM's or switch to a specific VM would be nice.

As a previous poster mentioned, the really ideal situation is that in Leopard, each VM is in its own "Space", and the hotkey for space switching works. For me, and I'm guessing for most users, that would be the preferred mode of usage, and would override the desire to have Cmd-tab switch to other VM's or Mac apps.