Windows Shortcut keys

Alt-F4 (and sometimes Control+W or Control+Q), or Command+Q on a Mac, is the keyboard shortcut for quitting the current application. In Windows it will quit the currently open that's in focus on the screen. On a Mac this is also generally the case, but sometimes it's not as clear. To know which application is going to quit when you perform this keyboard command, just look in the upper left corner to see it's name.

Obviously we have to begin with Control+F since the statistic is begging for it. Control+F, or Command+F on a Mac, is the keyboard shortcut for the Find command. If you're in a web browser and want to search text on a web page, pressing Control+F will bring up a search box. Just type in that search box and it'll locate the text you're typing on the page. Control+F may work in other applications, too, when you need to find something. For example, Microsoft Word and other word processing applications use this keyboard shortcut.

  Pressing Control+N, or Command+N on a Mac, is the command for creating something new. In a web browser, this will make a new window. In a word processing, image editing, or other document-based application this keyboard shortcut will create a new document.

Now that you know how to create a new document with your keyboard, you should also know how to save one. Control+S, or Command+S on a Mac is the keyboard shortcut for saving a document. If this is the first time you've saved the document you'll be presented with a new window that'll ask you what to name it and where you want to save it. If you've already saved it once before, this keyboard shortcut will simply save your changes.

The enter key, or return key on a Mac, is useful for a lot of things. When a dialog window pops up and asks you to press okay or cancel, you can usually just press Enter instead of clicking okay. In Windows you can tell which button will respond to enter because it'll have a dotted box inside of it. On a Mac the button will be blue instead of gray. Enter can also be used for other things, like submitting forms on web pages from any text field in that form.

WinKey+E = My Computer
WinKey+L = Lock Computer
Alt + Tab = Scroll through open windows / applications.
Tab = Scroll through text fields / objects.
Ctrl + Tab = Scroll through open windows / tabs within an application.
Ctrl + Shift + Escape = Open Task Manager 
Ctrl+A: select all
Ctrl+X: cut
Ctrl+C: copy
Ctrl+V: paste
WinKey+R: run  

Windows system key combinations

• F1: Help
• CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
• ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
• ALT+F4: Quit program
• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently
• Windows Logo+L: Lock the computer (without using CTRL+ALT+DELETE)

Windows program key combinations

• CTRL+C: Copy
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+V: Paste
• CTRL+Z: Undo
• CTRL+B: Bold
• CTRL+U: Underline
• CTRL+I: Italic

Mouse click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects

• SHIFT+right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands
• SHIFT+double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the menu)
• ALT+double click: Displays properties
• SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin

General keyboard-only commands

• F1: Starts Windows Help
• F10: Activates menu bar options
• SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object
• CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)
• CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)
• CTRL+SHIFT+ESC: Opens Windows Task Manager
• ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box
• ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window)
• SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature
• ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)
• ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)
• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
• ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu
• ALT+F4: Closes the current window
• CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window
• 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)

Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts

For a selected object:

• F2: Rename object
• F3: Find all files
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+C: Copy
• CTRL+V: Paste
• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin
• ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object

To copy a file

Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder.

To create a shortcut

Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder.

General folder/shortcut control

• F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer)
• F5: Refreshes the current window.
• F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer
• CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
• CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
• CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window
• BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder
• SHIFT+click+Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders

Windows Explorer tree control

• Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection
• Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection
• Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection.
• RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child
• LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent

Properties control

• CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs

Accessibility shortcuts

• Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off
• Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off
• Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off

Microsoft Natural Keyboard keys

• Windows Logo: Start menu
• Windows Logo+R: Run dialog box
• Windows Logo+M: Minimize all
• SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all
• Windows Logo+F1: Help
• Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer
• Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders
• Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer
• CTRL+Windows Logo+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)
• Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons
• Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialog box
• Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed

• Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows
• Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager
• Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel
• Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard
• Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box
• Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box
• Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)
• Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys
• Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

Dialog box keyboard commands

• TAB: Move to the next control in the dialog box
• SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialog box
• SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the option.
• ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline)
• ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button
• ALT+underlined letter in dialog box item: Move to the corresponding item

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

Alt + Tab

Switch between open applications in all versions of Windows. Reverse the direction by pressing Alt + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Ctrl + Tab

Switches between program groups, tabs, or document windows in applications that support this feature. Reverse the direction by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Alt + double-click

Display the properties of the object you double-click on in Windows 95 and later. For example, doing this on a file would display its properties.

Alt + Print Screen

Create a screen shot only for the active program window in all versions of Windows. For example, if you opened the calculator and did this only the calculator window would be created as a screen shot. If just the Print Screen key is pressed the whole screen will be made into a screen shot.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

Open the Windows option screen for locking computer, switching user, Task Manager, etc. in later versions of Windows. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del multiple times will reboot the computer.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Immediately bring up the Windows Task Manager in Windows 2000 and later.

Ctrl + Esc

Open the Windows Start menu in most versions of Windows. In Windows 8 this will open the Start screen and in Windows 3.x this would bring up the Task Manager.

Alt + Esc

Switch between open applications on Taskbar in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Drops down the window control menu for the currently open Windows program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Enter

Opens properties window of selected icon or program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Open the control menu for the current window open in all versions of Windows.

Shift + Del

Will delete any file or other object without throwing it into the Recycle Bin in Windows 95 and later.

Hold down the Shift key

When putting in an audio CD or other CD that uses Autoplay, holding down the Shift key will prevent that CD from playing.

Windows function key shortcuts

Below is a listing of keyboard shortcuts that use the keyboard function keys. See our what are F1 through F12 keys page for a full listing of what function keys do with all other programs.

F1

Activates help for current open application. If you're at the Windows Desktop, this will activate the help for Windows.

F2

Renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.

F3

Starts find or search when at the Windows Desktop in all versions of Windows.

F4

In Windows 95 and later this opens the drive selection or address bar when browsing files in Windows Explorer.

• Pressing Alt + F4 closes the current open program window without a prompt in all versions of Windows.
• Pressing Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows. This will only work in programs that support multiple windows or tabs in the same program window.

F6

While in Windows Explorer, this will move the cursor to different Windows Explorer pane or in Windows 7 browse available drives.

F8

Pressing F8 over and over as the computer is booting will start the computer in Safe Mode.

F10

Activates the File menu bar in all versions of Windows.

• Simulates a right-click on selected item. This is useful if right-click is difficult or impossible using the mouse.

Windows keyboard key shortcuts

Below is a listing of Windows keys that can be used on computers running a Microsoft Windows 95 or later and using a keyboard with a Windows key. In the below list of shortcuts, the Windows key is represented by "WINKEY" and because not all these shortcuts will work in all versions of Windows we've mentioned what versions of Windows support each Windows key shortcut key.

All versions of Windows

WINKEY

Pressing the Windows key alone will open or hide the Windows Start menu. In Windows 8, this will open or hide the Start screen.

WINKEY + F1

Open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.

WINKEY + Pause / Break key

Open the System Properties window.

WINKEY + D

Opens the Desktop to the top of all other windows.

WINKEY + E

Open Microsoft Windows Explorer.

WINKEY + F

Display the Windows Search or Find feature.

WINKEY + Ctrl + F

Display the search for computers window.

WINKEY + L

Lock the computer and switch users if needed (Windows XP and above only).

WINKEY + M

Minimizes all windows.

WINKEY + Shift + M

Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.

WINKEY + R

Open the run window.

WINKEY + U

Open Utility Manager or the Ease of Access Center.

Windows XP only

WINKEY + Tab

Cycle through open programs through the Taskbar.

Windows 7 and 8 only

WINKEY + 1-0

Pressing the Windows key and any of the top row number keys from 1 to 0 will open the program corresponding to the number of icon on the Taskbar. For example, if the first icon on the Taskbar was Internet Explorer pressing WINKEY + 1 would open that program or switch to it if already open.

WINKEY + (Plus (+) or Minus (-))

Open Windows Magnifier and zoom in with the plus symbol (+) and zoom out with the minus symbol (-).

• Press the WINKEY + ESC to close the Magnifier

WINKEY + Home

Minimize all windows except the active window.

WINKEY + P

Change between the monitor and projection display types or how second screen displays computer screen.

WINKEY + T

Set the focus on the Taskbar icons

WINKEY + Left arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the left side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Right arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the right side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Up arrow

When in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to full size.

WINKEY + Down arrow

Minimizes the screen.  Also, when in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to a minimized size.

Windows 8 only

WINKEY + ,

Peek at the Windows Desktop.

WINKEY + .

Snap a Windows App to the sides of the screen. Pressing it multiple times will switch between the right and left-hand side of the screen or unsnap the app.

WINKEY + Enter

Open Windows Narrator

WINKEY + C

Open the Charms.

WINKEY + G

Cycle through Desktop gadgets.

WINKEY + H

Open Share in Charms.

WINKEY + I

Open the Settings in Charms.

WINKEY + J

Switch between snapped apps.

WINKEY + K

Open Devices in Charms.

WINKEY + O

Lock the screen orientation.

WINKEY + X

Open the power user menu, which gives you access to many of the features most power users would want to use such as Device Manager, Control Panel, Event Viewer, Command Prompt, and much more.

Keyboard Shortcut Keys

Basic PC shortcut keys

Alt + F	File menu options in current program.
Alt + E	Edit options in current program
F1	Universal Help in almost every Windows program.
Ctrl + A	Select all text.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected item.
Shift + Del	Cut selected item.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected item.
Ctrl + Ins	Copy selected item
Ctrl + V	Paste
Shift + Ins	Paste
Ctrl + P	Print the current page or document.
Home	Goes to beginning of current line.
Ctrl + Home	Goes to beginning of document.
End	Goes to end of current line.
Ctrl + End	Goes to end of document.
Shift + Home	Highlights from current position to beginning of line.
Shift + End	Highlights from current position to end of line.
Ctrl + Left arrow	Moves one word to the left at a time.
Ctrl + Right arrow	Moves one word to the right at a time.

                   F1 through F12 keys

 F1

• Almost always used as the help key, almost every program will open the help screen when this key is pressed.
• Enter CMOS Setup.
• Windows Key + F1 would open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.
• Open the Task Pane.

F2

• In Windows renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.
• Alt + Ctrl + F2 opens document window in Microsoft Word.
• Ctrl + F2 displays the print preview window in Microsoft Word.
• Enter CMOS Setup.

F3

• Often opens a search feature for many programs including Microsoft Windows when at the Windows Desktop..
• In MS-DOS or Windows command line F3 will repeat the last command.
• Shift + F3 will change the text in Microsoft Word from upper to lower case or a capital letter at the beginning of every word.
• Windows Key + F3 opens the Advanced find window in Microsoft Outlook.

F4

• Open find window in Windows 95 to XP.
• Open the address bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.
• Repeat the last action performed (Word 2000+)
• Alt + F4 will close the program window currently active in Microsoft Windows.
• Ctrl + F4 will close the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows.

F5

• In all modern Internet browsers pressing F5 will refresh or reload the page or document window.
• Open the find, replace, and go to window in Microsoft Word.
• Starts a slideshow in PowerPoint.

F6

• Move the cursor to the Address bar in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and most other Internet browsers.
• Ctrl + Shift + F6 opens to another open Microsoft Word document.

F7

• Commonly used to spell check and grammar check a document in Microsoft programs such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, etc.
• Shift + F7 runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.
• Turns on Caret browsing in Mozilla Firefox.

F8

• Function key used to enter the Windows startup menu, commonly used to access Windows Safe Mode.

F9

• Opens the Measurements toolbar in Quark 5.0.

F10

• In Microsoft Windows activates the menu bar of an open application.
• Shift + F10 is the same as right-clicking on a highlighted icon, file, or Internet link.
• Access the hidden recovery partition on HP and Sony computers.
• Enter CMOS Setup.

F11

• Full-screen mode in all modern Internet browsers.
• Ctrl + F11 as computer is starting to access the hidden recovery partition on many Dell computers.
• Access the hidden recovery partition on eMachines, Gateway, and Lenovo computers.

F12

• Open the Save as window in Microsoft Word.
• Shift + F12 save the Microsoft Word document.
• Ctrl + Shift + F12 prints a document in Microsoft Word.
• Preview a page in Microsoft Expression Web
• Open Firebug.

Tip: Earlier IBM computers also had F13 - F24 on the keyboards. However, because these keyboards are no longer used they are not listed on this page.

                Top 10 keyboard shortcuts

 

 Using keyboard shortcuts can greatly increase your productivity, reduce repetitive strain, and help keep you focused. For example, highlighting text with the keyboard and pressing Ctrl + C is much faster than taking your hand from the keyboard, highlighting the text using the mouse, clicking copy from the file menu, and then putting your hand back in place on the keyboard. Below are our top 10 keyboard shortcuts we recommend everyone memorize and use.

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert

Copy the highlighted text or selected item.

Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert

Paste the text or object that's in the clipboard.

Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y

Undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this will undo it. This can also often be pressed multiple times to undo multiple changes. Pressing Ctrl + Y would redo the undo.

Ctrl + F

Open the Find in any program. This includes your Internet browser to find text on the current page.

Alt + Tab or Alt + Esc

Quickly switch between open programs moving forward.

Tip: Press Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs in a program.

Tip: Adding the Shift key to Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Tab will move backwards. For example, if you are pressing Alt + Tab and pass the program you want to switch to, press Alt + Shift + Tab to move backwards to that program.

Tip: Windows Vista and 7 users can also press the Windows Key + Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the Window.

Ctrl + Back space and Ctrl + Left or Right arrow

Pressing Ctrl + Backspace will delete a full word at a time instead of a single character.

Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow will move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you wanted to highlight one word at a time you can hold down Ctrl + Shift and then press the left or right arrow key to move one word at a time in that direction while highlighting each word.

Ctrl + S

While working on a document or other file in almost every program pressing Ctrl + S will save that file. This shortcut key should be used frequently anytime you're working on anything important.

Ctrl + Home or Ctrl + End

Move the cursor to the beginning or end of a document.

Ctrl + P

Print the page being viewed. For example, the document in Microsoft Word or the web page in your Internet browser.

Page Up, Space bar, and Page Down

Pressing either the page up or page down key will move that page one page at a time in that direction. When browsing the Internet pressing the space bar will also move the page down one page at a time. If you press Shift and the Space bar the page will go up a page at a time.

Microsoft Excel shortcut keys

F2	Edit the selected cell.
F5	Go to a specific cell. For example, C6.
F7	Spell check selected text or document.
F11	Create chart.
Ctrl + Shift + ;	Enter the current time.
Ctrl + ;	Enter the current date.
Alt + Shift + F1	Insert New Worksheet.
Shift + F3	Open the Excel formula window.
Shift + F5	Bring up search box.
Ctrl + A	Select all contents of the worksheet.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K	Insert link.
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + 5	Strikethrough highlighted selection.
Ctrl + P	Bring up the print dialog box to begin printing.
Ctrl + Z	Undo last action.
Ctrl + F9	Minimize current window.
Ctrl + F10	Maximize currently selected window.
Ctrl + F6	Switch between open workbooks or windows.
Ctrl + Page up	Move between Excel work sheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Page down	Move between Excel work sheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Tab	Move between Two or more open Excel files.
Alt + =	Create a formula to sum all of the above cells
Ctrl + '	Insert the value of the above cell into cell currently selected.
Ctrl + Shift + !	Format number in comma format.
Ctrl + Shift + $	Format number in currency format.
Ctrl + Shift + #	Format number in date format.
Ctrl + Shift + %	Format number in percentage format.
Ctrl + Shift + ^	Format number in scientific format.
Ctrl + Shift + @	Format number in time format.
Ctrl + Arrow key	Move to next section of text.
Ctrl + Space	Select entire column.
Shift + Space	Select entire row.

             Microsoft Word shortcut keys

Ctrl + 0	Adds or removes 6pts of spacing before a paragraph.
Ctrl + A	Select all contents of the page.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text.
Ctrl + D	Open the font preferences window.
Ctrl + E	Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.
Ctrl + F	Open find box.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + J	Aligns the selected text or line to justify the screen.
Ctrl + K	Insert link.
Ctrl + L	Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen.
Ctrl + M	Indent the paragraph.
Ctrl + P	Open the print window.
Ctrl + R	Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.
Ctrl + T	Create a hanging indent.
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + V	Paste.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected text.
Ctrl + Y	Redo the last action performed.
Ctrl + Z	Undo last action.
Ctrl + Shift + L	Quickly create a bullet point.
Ctrl + Shift + F	Change the font.
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increase selected font +1pts up to 12pt and then increases font +2pts.
Ctrl + ]	Increase selected font +1pts.
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decrease selected font -1pts if 12pt or lower, if above 12 decreases font by +2pt.
Ctrl + [	Decrease selected font -1pts.
Ctrl + / + c	Insert a cent sign (¢).
Ctrl + ' + <char>	Insert a character with an accent (grave) mark, where <char> is the character you want. For example, if you wanted an accented è you would use Ctrl + ' + e as your shortcut key. To reverse the accent mark use the opposite accent mark, often on the tilde key.
Ctrl + Shift + *	View or hide non printing characters.
Ctrl + <left arrow>	Moves one word to the left.
Ctrl + <right arrow>	Moves one word to the right.
Ctrl + <up arrow>	Moves to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
Ctrl + <down arrow>	Moves to the end of the paragraph.
Ctrl + Del	Deletes word to right of cursor.
Ctrl + Backspace	Deletes word to left of cursor.
Ctrl + End	Moves the cursor to the end of the document.
Ctrl + Home	Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.
Ctrl + Spacebar	Reset highlighted text to the default font.
Ctrl + 1	Single-space lines.
Ctrl + 2	Double-space lines.
Ctrl + 5	1.5-line spacing.
Ctrl + Alt + 1	Changes text to heading 1.
Ctrl + Alt + 2	Changes text to heading 2.
Ctrl + Alt + 3	Changes text to heading 3.
Alt + Ctrl + F2	Open new document.
Ctrl + F1	Open the Task Pane.
Ctrl + F2	Display the print preview.
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increases the highlighted text size by one.
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decreases the highlighted text size by one.
Ctrl + Shift + F6	Opens to another open Microsoft Word document.
Ctrl + Shift + F12	Prints the document.
F1	Open Help.
F4	Repeat the last action performed (Word 2000+)
F5	Open the find, replace, and go to window in Microsoft Word.
F7	Spellcheck and grammar check selected text or document.
F12	Save as.
Shift + F3	Change the text in Microsoft Word from uppercase to lowercase or a capital letter at the beginning of every word.
Shift + F7	Runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.
Shift + F12	Save.
Shift + Enter	Create a soft break instead of a new paragraph.
Shift + Insert	Paste.
Shift + Alt + D	Insert the current date.
Shift + Alt + T	Insert the current time.

Click, hold, and drag	Selects text from where you click and hold to the point you drag and let go.
Double-click	If double-click a word, selects the complete word.
Double-click	Double-clicking on the left, center, or right of a blank line will make the alignment of the text left, center, or right aligned.
Double-click	Double-clicking anywhere after text on a line will set a tab stop.
Triple-click	Selects the line or paragraph of the text the mouse triple-clicked.
Ctrl + Mouse wheel	Zooms in and out of document.

 

Internet Explorer shortcut keys

Alt + Left Arrow	Back a page.
Backspace	Back a page.
Alt + Right Arrow	Forward a page.
F5	Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11	Display the current website in full screen mode. Pressing F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc	Stop page or download from loading.
Ctrl + (- or +)	Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and '+' will increase.
Ctrl + Enter	Quickly complete an address. For example, type computerhope in the address bar and press CTRL + ENTER to get http://www.computerhope.com.
Ctrl + D	Add a Favorite for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + I	Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + N	Open New browser window.
Ctrl + P	Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4	Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves through each of the open tabs.
Spacebar	Moves down a page at a time.
Shift + Spacebar	Moves up a page at a time.
Alt + Down arrow	Display all previous text entered in a text box or available options on drop down menu.
Alt + D	Highlights the text in the address bar

How do I create a Windows shortcut key?

Create a shortcut

1. Open the folder or directory that contains the program you wish to create a shortcut for.
2. Right-click on the program and click Create Shortcut.
3. This will create a shortcut named "Shortcut to <your program>" in the directory you are in. If you wish to rename this shortcut, right-click the file and click rename.
4. Once the above steps have been completed, you can copy or cut this shortcut and paste it anywhere to execute this program.

Assign shortcut key to that Windows shortcut

Once the shortcut has been created to assign a shortcut key to that Windows shortcut follow the below steps.

1. Right-click the shortcut and click Properties.
2. Click the Shortcut tab.
3. Click in the Shortcut key box and press a letter. For example, if you press "p" the shortcut key will automatically be made Ctrl + Alt + P. Which means if saved when pressing Ctrl and Alt and "P" all at the same time will run that shortcut.

 

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

Alt + Tab

Switch between open applications in all versions of Windows. Reverse the direction by pressing Alt + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Ctrl + Tab

Switches between program groups, tabs, or document windows in applications that support this feature. Reverse the direction by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Alt + double-click

Display the properties of the object you double-click on in Windows 95 and later. For example, doing this on a file would display its properties.

Alt + Print Screen

Create a screen shot only for the active program window in all versions of Windows. For example, if you opened the calculator and did this only the calculator window would be created as a screen shot. If just the Print Screen key is pressed the whole screen will be made into a screen shot.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

Open the Windows option screen for locking computer, switching user, Task Manager, etc. in later versions of Windows. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del multiple times will reboot the computer.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Immediately bring up the Windows Task Manager in Windows 2000 and later.

Ctrl + Esc

Open the Windows Start menu in most versions of Windows. In Windows 8 this will open the Start screen and in Windows 3.x this would bring up the Task Manager.

Alt + Esc

Switch between open applications on Taskbar in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Drops down the window control menu for the currently open Windows program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Enter

Opens properties window of selected icon or program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Space bar

Open the control menu for the current window open in all versions of Windows.

Shift + Del

Will delete any file or other object without throwing it into the Recycle Bin in Windows 95 and later.

Hold down the Shift key

When putting in an audio CD or other CD that uses Autoplay, holding down the Shift key will prevent that CD from playing.

Windows function key shortcuts

Below is a listing of keyboard shortcuts that use the keyboard function keys. See our what are F1 through F12 keys page for a full listing of what function keys do with all other programs.

F1

Activates help for current open application. If you're at the Windows Desktop, this will activate the help for Windows.

F2

Renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.

F3

Starts find or search when at the Windows Desktop in all versions of Windows.

F4

In Windows 95 and later this opens the drive selection or address bar when browsing files in Windows Explorer.

• Pressing Alt + F4 closes the current open program window without a prompt in all versions of Windows.
• Pressing Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows. This will only work in programs that support multiple windows or tabs in the same program window.

F6

While in Windows Explorer, this will move the cursor to different Windows Explorer pane or in Windows 7 browse available drives.

F8

Pressing F8 over and over as the computer is booting will start the computer in Safe Mode.

F10

Activates the File menu bar in all versions of Windows.

• Simulates a right-click on selected item. This is useful if right-click is difficult or impossible using the mouse.

Windows keyboard key shortcuts

Below is a listing of Windows keys that can be used on computers running a Microsoft Windows 95 or later and using a keyboard with a Windows key. In the below list of shortcuts, the Windows key is represented by "WINKEY" and because not all these shortcuts will work in all versions of Windows we've mentioned what versions of Windows support each Windows key shortcut key.

All versions of Windows

WINKEY

Pressing the Windows key alone will open or hide the Windows Start menu. In Windows 8, this will open or hide the Start screen.

WINKEY + F1

Open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.

WINKEY + Pause / Break key

Open the System Properties window.

WINKEY + D

Opens the Desktop to the top of all other windows.

WINKEY + E

Open Microsoft Windows Explorer.

WINKEY + F

Display the Windows Search or Find feature.

WINKEY + Ctrl + F

Display the search for computers window.

WINKEY + L

Lock the computer and switch users if needed (Windows XP and above only).

WINKEY + M

Minimizes all windows.

WINKEY + Shift + M

Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.

WINKEY + R

Open the run window.

WINKEY + U

Open Utility Manager or the Ease of Access Center.

Windows XP only

WINKEY + Tab

Cycle through open programs through the Taskbar.

Windows 7 and 8 only

WINKEY + 1-0

Pressing the Windows key and any of the top row number keys from 1 to 0 will open the program corresponding to the number of icon on the Taskbar. For example, if the first icon on the Taskbar was Internet Explorer pressing WINKEY + 1 would open that program or switch to it if already open.

WINKEY + (Plus (+) or Minus (-))

Open Windows Magnifier and zoom in with the plus symbol (+) and zoom out with the minus symbol (-).

• Press the WINKEY + ESC to close the Magnifier

WINKEY + Home

Minimize all windows except the active window.

WINKEY + P

Change between the monitor and projection display types or how second screen displays computer screen.

WINKEY + T

Set the focus on the Taskbar icons

WINKEY + Left arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the left side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Right arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the right side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Up arrow

When in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to full size.

WINKEY + Down arrow

Minimizes the screen.  Also, when in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to a minimized size.

Windows 8 only

WINKEY + ,

Peek at the Windows Desktop.

WINKEY + .

Snap a Windows App to the sides of the screen. Pressing it multiple times will switch between the right and left-hand side of the screen or unsnap the app.

WINKEY + Enter

Open Windows Narrator

WINKEY + C

Open the Charms.

WINKEY + G

Cycle through Desktop gadgets.

WINKEY + H

Open Share in Charms.

WINKEY + I

Open the Settings in Charms.

WINKEY + J

Switch between snapped apps.

WINKEY + K

Open Devices in Charms.

WINKEY + O

Lock the screen orientation.

WINKEY + X

Open the power user menu, which gives you access to many of the features most power users would want to use such as Device Manager, Control Panel, Event Viewer, Command Prompt, and much more.