# TAB key
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tab-key/43617
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 1, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tab-key/43617 "2000-12-01T18:46:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Erika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erika)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tab-key/43617/1 "2000-12-01T18:46:21Z")
Anyone have any idea how I managed to change what my tab key does (I’m running Windows 98)? Rather than inserting a tab in text windows or moving between fields, it switches between the current window and the last one I opened/used (kinda like Alt+Tab). While this is an interesting function for the tab key, it’s a rather useless one. Fixes?
---
### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2000, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tab-key/43617/2 "2000-12-01T18:54:14Z")
The Alt+Tab keystroke is very handy for me, because I prefer to do things by keystroke as much as possible, and only move my hand to the mouse when absolutely necessary.
But I know the problem you describe, it’s as though the Alt key somehow got a wad of chewing gum under it, sticking it in the down position. How it happens seemingly out of nowhere is inexplicable. I try toggling the Alt key but it doesn’t disengage the Alt+Tab function.
So whenever that happens I just save all my stuff and apply the answer to everything:
\*_Reboot._
---
### Author:  [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tab-key/43617/3 "2000-12-01T20:03:41Z")
I get this problem all the time, especially flicking between IE windows. The guaranteed solution (well, it works for me) is to use ALT+TAB to flick between windows once or twice, and then TAB on its own won’t perform that function and can be used as normal.