Keyboard shortcuts can boost your productivity if your daily job relies heavily on using Windows. These are the essential keyboard shortcuts that e
Keyboard shortcuts can boost your productivity if your daily job relies heavily on using Windows.
These are the essential keyboard shortcuts that every Windows 10 user should know.
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select all content. |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste content from clipboard. |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo an action, including undelete files (limited). |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo an action. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create new folder on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Alt + F4 | Close active window. (If no active window present, then shutdown box appears.) |
| Ctrl + D (Del) | Delete selected item to the Recycle Bin. |
| Shift + Delete | Delete selected item permanently skipping Recycle Bin. |
| F2 | Rename selected item. |
| ESC | Close current task. |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps. |
| PrtScn | Take screenshot and stores it in clipboard. |
| 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 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. |
Desktop shortcuts
Use these keyboard shortcuts to open, close, navigate, and complete specific tasks more quickly throughout the desktop experience, including on Start menu, taskbar, Settings, and more.
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows key (or Ctrl + Esc) | Open Start menu. |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys | Change Start menu size. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager. |
| Ctrl + Shift | Switch keyboard layout. |
| Alt + F4 | Close active window. (If no active window present, then shutdown box appears.) |
| Ctrl + F5 (or Ctrl + R) | Refresh current window. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Tab | View open apps. |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys (to select) + Spacebar | Select multiple items on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Alt + Underlined letter | Runs command for the underlined letter in apps. |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps while pressing Tab multiple times. |
| Alt + Left arrow key | Go back. |
| Alt + Right arrow key | Go forward. |
| Alt + Page Up | Move up one screen. |
| Alt + Page down | Move down one screen. |
| Alt + Esc | Cycle through open windows. |
| Alt + Spacebar | Open context menu for the active window. |
| Alt + F8 | Reveals typed password in Sign-in screen. |
| Shift + Click app button | Open another instance of an app from the taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Click app button | Run app as administrator from the taskbar. |
| Shift + Right-click app button | Show window menu for the app from the taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Click a grouped app button | Cycle through windows in the group from the taskbar. |
| Shift + Right-click grouped app button | Show window menu for the group from the taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Left arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word. |
| Ctrl + Right arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word. |
| Ctrl + Up arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph |
| Ctrl + Down arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Arrow key | Select block of text. |
| Ctrl + Spacebar | Enable or disable Chinese IME. |
| Shift + F10 | Open context menu for selected item. |
| F10 | Enable app menu bar. |
| Shift + Arrow keys | Select multiple items. |
| Windows key + X | Open Quick Link menu. |
| Windows key + Number (0-9) | Open 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. |
| Backspace | Return to Settings app home page. |
File Explorer shortcuts
On Windows 10, File Explorer includes many keyboard shortcuts to help you.
Here’s a list with the most useful shortcuts for File Explorer.
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows key + E | Open File Explorer. |
| Alt + D | Select address bar. |
| Ctrl + E (or F) | Select search box. |
| Ctrl + N | Open new window. |
| Ctrl + W | Close active window. |
| Ctrl + F (or F3) | Start search. |
| Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel | Change view file and folder. |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Expands all folders from the tree in the navigation pane. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create new folder on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Ctrl + L | Focus on the address bar. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Number (1-8) | Changes folder view. |
| Alt + P | Display preview panel. |
| Alt + Enter | Open Properties settings for the selected item. |
| Alt + Right arrow key | View next folder. |
| Alt + Left arrow key (or Backspace) | View previous folder. |
| Alt + Up arrow | Move up a level in the folder path. |
| F11 | Switch active window full-screen mode. |
| F5 | Refresh the instance of File Explorer. |
| F2 | Rename selected item. |
| F4 | Switch focus to address bar. |
| F5 | Refresh File Explorer’s current view. |
| F6 | Cycle through elements on the screen. |
| Home | Scroll to top of the window. |
| End | Scroll to bottom of window. |
Command Prompt shortcuts
If you use Command Prompt, you can use these keyboard shortcuts to work a little more efficiently.
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select all content of the current line. |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste content from clipboard. |
| Ctrl + M | Starts mark mode. |
| Ctrl + Up arrow key | Move screen up one line. |
| Ctrl + Down arrow key | Move screen down one line. |
| Ctrl + F | Open search for Command Prompt. |
| Left or right arrow keys | Move cursor left or right in the current line. |
| Up or down arrow keys | Cycle through command history of the current session. |
| Page up | Move cursor one page up. |
| Page down | Move cursor one page down. |
| Ctrl + Home | Scroll to top of the console. |
| Ctrl + End | Scroll to the bottom of the console. |
Windows key shortcuts
Here’s a list with all the most common keyboard shortcuts using the Windows key.
| 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.k |
| 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 app in number position in the taskbar. |
| Windows key + Shift + Number (0-9) | Open another instance of the app in number position in the taskbar. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Number (0-9) | Switch to last active window of the app in 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 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 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 device on 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. |
