List of Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
by admin on Aug.21, 2008, under Computers
You’re asking why you want to know this? Well one of the reasons is it saves time and is less of a hassle. At work and throughout school, people have asked me “How do you do that?” with regards to a lot of the shortcuts I use. Well I am going to point out a few to note or you can go to Microsoft’s site. First off let’s go in the order that Microsoft has provided us:
| • | ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs |
| • | ALT+F4: Quit program |
| • | SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently |
These 3 are very useful shortcuts for removing files, quickly changing open programs, and quickly killing a program instead of having to navigate to the “X” to close it. ALT+F4 (meaning hit the ALT key and then the Function 4 key (F4) at the same time) is useful when a program hides the usual minimize, maximize, and close buttons at the top right of the window. Next on the list is basic formatting shortcuts.
| • | CTRL+C: Copy |
| • | CTRL+X: Cut |
| • | CTRL+V: Paste |
| • | CTRL+Z: Undo |
| • | CTRL+B: Bold |
| • | CTRL+U: Underline |
| • | CTRL+I: Italic |
These are great for any word processing program you use (helps when you switch from Office 2003 to 2007 and have no clue where Microsoft decided to put any button).
The first 4 shortcuts are also useful for Windows Explorer so that you can cut/copy/paste/and undo moving files and folders around (CTRL+Y may “redo” the undo that you might have invoked) as shown below:
| • | 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 |
You can normally add Ctrl+F to open the find dialog box to search for specific files. F2 is great for renaming files quickly (but for renaming a lot of files or removing characters %,@,!,#,$, whitespaces, etc. I would suggest downloading a renaming tool).
Next we have a few more commands:
| • | 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+Z: Undo the last command |
| • | CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window |
The select all items is a great shortcut which I use all the time in conjunction with Ctrl+C or Ctrl+X (cut or copy, respectively).
| • | 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 |
These are actually the ones that weird people out the most. They invoke that “How did you do that?” reaction. If I have a bunch of open windows on my screens and need to get to something on my desktop, Windows Logo+D is my goto command.
There are also commands for your web browser (such as CTRL+T to start a new tab in FireFox and IE7, as well as CTRL+Tab to scroll through those tabs). Again, for the complete list of keyboard shortcuts for the Windows OS, go here.
