The Most Useful Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

 The Most Useful Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

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Windows may be designed for touchscreens, but thanks to a slew of Windows keyboard shortcuts it's easy to bypass touch and use a just keyboard and mouse. These shortcuts let you do things on your computer by using keys instead of clicking on drop down menus and can save you a bit of time and effort.

Here are some good ones to remember, along with several important carry-overs you may remember from earlier versions of Windows. These are the ones we believe are useful, of the dozens and dozens available. 

Must-Know general Windows shortcuts

You can find the full set of Windows shortcuts on Microsoft.com broken out by operating system, but these are the important ones.

Win Key Shortcuts	Description
Win + 1	Open first application in the taskbar.
Win + 2	Launch second application in the taskbar.
Win + 3	Open third application in the taskbar.
Win + 4	Open fourth application in the taskbar.
Win + 5	Launch fifth application in the taskbar.
Win + 6	Open sixth application in the taskbar.
Win + 7	Launch seventh application in the taskbar.
Win + 8	Open eighth application in the taskbar.
Win + 9	Open ninth application in the taskbar.
Win + +	Increase magnification or size.
Win + –	Decrease the magnification or size.
Win + .	Open emoji keyboard.
Win + ;	Open emoji keyboard.
Win + ,	Show desktop temporarily (toggle desktop).
Win + ?	Open Windows feedback app.
Win + A	Open action center.
Win + Alt + R	Start or stop screen recording on Xbox app.
Win + Ctrl + D	Create a new virtual desktop.
Win + Ctrl + F4	Close the current virtual desktop.
Win + D	Show desktop by minimizing all open windows on all connected monitors. You can press “Win key + D” again to restore the open windows like before.
Win + Down Arrow	Minimize the active window.
Win + E	Open explorer window.
Win + F	Open Windows 10 feedback hub.
Win + F1	Open Windows help menu.
Win + G	Open Game bar.
Win + H	Open share sidebar.
Win + Home	Minimize all open windows except the active window only on the current monitor. Toggle with pressing the keys again.
Win + I	Open settings menu.
Win + K	Open connect sidebar for connecting new Bluetooth devices.
Win + L	Used quickly to lock your computer by default, the usage can be changed to switch users.
Win + Left Arrow	Move the window to left side or right side of the screen.
Win + O	Screen lock.
Win + P	Opens screen sharing options with the projector (toggle between screen, projector, extend or duplicate display options).
Win + Pause/Break	Display system properties.
Win + Print Screen	Take screenshot of the virtual desktop and automatically save under “/Pictures/Screenshots” folder.
Win + PrintScreen	Take instant screenshot of your window using this key combination. The picture will be automatically stored in your “Pictures > Screenshots” folder as a PNG image.
Win + Q	Open Cortana search with the voice input.
Win + R	Open run windows for reaching command prompt.
Win + Right Arrow	Move the window to right side or right side of the screen.
Win + S	Open Cortana search with the type input.
Win + Space	Choose input language.
Win + Tab	Show open windows and virtual desktops.
Win + U	Open “Ease of Access Center” from control panel with the options like Narrator, Magnifiers, On screen keyboard, etc.
Win + Up Arrow	Maximize the active window.
Win + W	Open search window with the default option as “Settings”.
Win + X	Open Windows 10 power menu at the start menu position. This will offer many useful links like Task Manager, Device Manager, Control Panel, Run, etc.
Win + X and F	Open search file option used to locate files in the computer.

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Windows key (or Ctrl + Esc)	Open Start menu.
Windows key + E Open File Explorer.

Windows key + I	Open Settings app.
Windows key + E	Open File Explorer.
Windows key + A	Open Action center.
Windows key + D	Display and hide the desktop.
Windows key + L	Lock device.
Windows key + V	Open Clipboard bin.
Windows key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;)	Open emoji panel.
Windows key + PrtScn	Capture a full screenshot in the "Screenshots" folder.
Windows key + Shift + S	Capture part of the screen with Snip & Sketch.
Windows key + Left arrow key	Snap app or window left.
Windows key + Right arrow key	Snap app or window right.

Windows key + X	Open Quick Link menu.
Windows key + Number (0-9)	Open the app in number position from the Taskbar.
Windows key + T	Cycle through apps in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Alt + Number (0-9)	Open Jump List of the app in number position from the Taskbar.
Windows key + D	Display and hide the desktop.
Windows key + M	Minimize all windows.
Windows key + Shift + M	Restore minimized windows on the desktop.
Windows key + Home	Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window.
Windows key + Shift + Up arrow key	Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Windows key + Shift + Down arrow key	Maximize or minimize active desktop windows vertically while maintaining width.
Windows key + Shift + Left arrow key	Move active window to monitor on the left.
Windows key + Shift + Right arrow key	Move active window to monitor on the right.
Windows key + Left arrow key	Snap app or window left.
Windows key + Right arrow key	Snap app or window right.
Windows key + S (or Q)	Open Search.
Windows key + Alt + D	Open date and time in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Tab	Open Task View.
Windows key + Ctrl + D	Create new virtual desktop.
Windows key + Ctrl + F4	Close active virtual desktop.
Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow	Switch to the virtual desktop on the right.
Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow	Switch to the virtual desktop on the left.
Windows key + P	Open Project settings.
Windows key + A	Open Action center.
Windows key + I	Open Settings app.

Keyboard shortcut	Action
Windows key	Open Start menu.
Windows key + A	Open Action center.
Windows key + S (or Q)	Open Search.
Windows key + D	Display and hide the desktop.
Windows key + L	Locks computer.
Windows key + M	Minimize all windows.
Windows key + B	Set focus notification area in the Taskbar.
Windows key + C	Launch Cortana app.
Windows key + F	Launch Feedback Hub app.
Windows key + G	Launch Game bar app.
Windows key + Y	Change input between desktop and Mixed Reality.
Windows key + O	Lock device orientation.
Windows key + T	Cycle through apps in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Z	Switch input between the desktop experience and Windows Mixed Reality.
Windows key + J	Set focus on a tip for Windows 10 when applicable.
Windows key + H	Open dictation feature.
Windows key + E	Open File Explorer.
Windows key + I	Open Settings.
Windows key + R	Open Run command.
Windows key + K	Open Connect settings.
Windows key + X	Open Quick Link menu.
Windows key + V	Open Clipboard bin.
Windows key + W	Open the Windows Ink Workspace.
Windows key + U	Open Ease of Access settings.
Windows key + P	Open Project settings.
Windows key + Ctrl + Enter	Open Narrator.
Windows key + Plus (+)	Zoom in using the magnifier.
Windows key + Minus (-)	Zoom out using the magnifier.
Windows key + Esc	Exit magnifier.
Windows key + Forward-slash (/)	Start IME reconversion.
Windows key + Comma (,)	Temporarily peek at the desktop.
Windows key + Up arrow key	Maximize app windows.
Windows key + Down arrow key	Minimize app windows.
Windows key + Home	Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window.
Windows key + Shift + M	Restore minimized windows on the desktop.
Windows key + Shift + Up arrow key	Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Windows key + Shift + Down arrow key	Maximize or minimize active windows vertically while maintaining width.
Windows key + Shift + Left arrow key	Move active window to monitor on the left.
Windows key + Shift + Right arrow key	Move active window to monitor on the right.
Windows key + Left arrow key	Snap app or window left.
Windows key + Right arrow key	Snap app or window right.
Windows key + Number (0-9)	Open the app in number position in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Shift + Number (0-9)	Open another app instance in the number position in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Ctrl + Number (0-9)	Switch to the last active window of the app in the number position in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Alt + Number (0-9)	Open Jump List of the app in number position in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + Number (0-9)	Open another instance as an administrator of the app in the number position in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Ctrl + Spacebar	Change previous selected input option.
Windows key + Spacebar	Change keyboard layout and input language.
Windows key + Tab	Open Task View.
Windows key + Ctrl + D	Create a virtual desktop.
Windows key + Ctrl + F4	Close active virtual desktop.
Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow	Switch to the virtual desktop on the right.
Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow	Switch to the virtual desktop on the left.
Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B	Wake up the device when black or a blank screen.
Windows key + PrtScn	Capture a full screenshot in the "Screenshots" folder.
Windows key + Shift + S	Create part of the screen screenshot.
Windows key + Shift + V	Cycle through notifications.
Windows key + Ctrl + F	Open search for the device on a domain network.
Windows key + Ctrl + Q	Open Quick Assist.
Windows key + Alt + D	Open date and time in the Taskbar.
Windows key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;)	Open emoji panel.
Windows key + Pause	Show System Properties dialog box