Windows keyboard shortcuts
These are the system shortcuts: they work on the desktop and inside almost any app, because Windows handles them before the app ever sees the key press. Nearly all of these system shortcuts also work in Windows 10.
Checked against Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Windows. Version: Windows 11, with Windows 10 differences noted.
149 shortcuts
The top 20 are the Windows shortcuts this page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear here. The drill asks the marked ones first too, shuffled. Or tick your own and print those.
The 20 to learn first: the shortcuts the Windows page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.
Your own sheet: the Windows shortcuts you ticked.
Pasting and the clipboard
Windows keeps more than one thing on the clipboard, if you let it. The history has to be switched on once, and the shortcut below does that for you the first time you press it.
Practise thesePaste as plain text, with no formatting # Microsoft warns that it may not work in every app.Control plusShift plusV
Open the clipboard history # Off by default. Press it once and accept the prompt, or turn it on under Settings, System, Clipboard.Windows key plusV
Copy the selection # The older binding, still honoured.Control plusInsert
Paste #Shift plusInsert
The Windows key
The key nobody presses. Almost everything the system does is behind it.
Open search # Win+Q does the same.Windows key plusS
Open Settings #Windows key plusI
Open File Explorer #Windows key plusE
Lock the computer #Windows key plusL
Show or hide the desktop #Windows key plusD
Open the Run box #Windows key plusR
Open the action centre #Windows key plusA
Open the notification centre and calendar #Windows key plusN
Open the emoji panel # Win+; opens it too.Windows key plusFull stop
Open voice dictation #Windows key plusH
Open Widgets #Windows key plusW
Open the Game Bar # In Windows 10 it opens only while a game is open.Windows key plusG
Open Copilot # Opens search instead where Copilot is unavailable or turned off. What it opens can be changed under Settings, Personalization, Text input.Windows key plusC
Open Recall # Only on devices that support it.Windows key plusJ
Open Task View #Windows key plusTab
Open Cast # In Windows 10 it opens the Connect quick action.Windows key plusK
Open the System About page # In Windows 10 it opens the System Properties dialogue.Windows key plusPause
Peek at the desktop #Windows key plusComma
Cycle through apps on the taskbar # Win+Shift+T goes the other way. With several monitors it cycles through the apps on all of them.Windows key plusT
Zoom in with Magnifier #Windows key plusPlus
Zoom out with Magnifier #Windows key plusMinus
Close Magnifier #Windows key plusEscape
Open Narrator #Control plusWindows key plusEnter
Open the accessibility settings # In Windows 10 it opens the Ease of Access Center.Windows key plusU
Switch the input language # Keyboard layouts too. Add Shift to go backwards.Windows key plusSpace bar
Mute or unmute the microphone # In apps that support it.Alt plusWindows key plusK
Wake a blank screen #Control plusShift plusWindows key plusB
Snapping and arranging windows
The reason to give up dragging window edges with the mouse.
Snap the window to the left half #Windows key plusLeft arrow
Snap the window to the right half #Windows key plusRight arrow
Maximise the window #Windows key plusUp arrow
Minimise the window #Windows key plusDown arrow
Snap the window to the top half #Alt plusWindows key plusUp arrow
Snap the window to the bottom half #Alt plusWindows key plusDown arrow
Open the snap layouts # In Windows 10, Win+Z shows the commands of a full-screen app instead.Windows key plusZ
Move the window to the monitor on the left #Shift plusWindows key plusLeft arrow
Move the window to the monitor on the right #Shift plusWindows key plusRight arrow
Stretch the window top to bottom #Shift plusWindows key plusUp arrow
Restore a snapped or maximised window #Shift plusWindows key plusDown arrow
Minimise everything #Windows key plusM
Restore what you minimised #Shift plusWindows key plusM
Minimise everything except this window # Press it again to bring them back.Windows key plusHome
Virtual desktops
One desktop for work and one for everything else, without buying a second screen.
Switching between what is open
Switch windows # Keep holding Alt and press Tab again to go further.Alt plusTab
Switch windows the other way #Alt plusShift plusTab
Cycle windows in the order they were opened #Alt plusEscape
Show thumbnails of every open app # Stays open; use the arrow keys.Control plusAlt plusTab
Close the active window # With no window open, it brings up the shut-down prompt.Alt plusF4
Close the active document, not the app # Only in apps that let you have several documents open at once.Control plusF4
Open Task Manager #Control plusShift plusEscape
Open the security screen # From there you can lock, switch user, sign out, change a password or open Task Manager.Control plusAlt plusDelete
Open the app pinned at that place on the taskbar # Counting from the left; Microsoft lists Win+0 to Win+9. If the app is already running, it switches to it.Windows key plus1
Open another copy of that app #Shift plusWindows key plus1
Open that app as an administrator #Control plusShift plusWindows key plus1
Screenshots and recording
Capture part of the screen to the clipboard # The one worth remembering. Pick a region and it goes to the clipboard; open the Snipping Tool afterwards to mark it up or share it.Shift plusWindows key plusS
Capture the whole screen to a file # Saved in Pictures, Screenshots.Windows key plusPrint Screen
Capture the active window to the clipboard #Alt plusPrint Screen
Start the screen snipping overlay # The default in Windows 11; it can be switched off in Accessibility settings. In Windows 10 it copies the whole screen to the clipboard unless the Print Screen shortcut is turned on under Ease of Access, Keyboard.Print Screen
Record part of the screen # It opens in the Snipping Tool, and is saved as MP4 in Videos, Screen Recordings.Shift plusWindows key plusR
File Explorer
Practise theseOpen File Explorer #Windows key plusE
Rename the selected item #F2
Make a new folder #Control plusShift plusN
Open a new tab #Control plusT
Close this tab # With one tab open it closes the window. In Windows 10 it closes the window.Control plusW
Next tab #Control plusTab
Previous tab #Control plusShift plusTab
Open a new window #Control plusN
Go to the address bar # F4 also selects it.Control plusLorAlt plusD
Go to the search box # F3 also starts a search for a file or folder.Control plusForControl plusE
Go up one folder #Alt plusUp arrow
Go back #Alt plusLeft arroworBackspace
Go forward #Alt plusRight arrow
Show properties for the selection #Alt plusEnter
Delete to the Recycle Bin #DeleteorControl plusD
Delete for good, without the Recycle Bin #Shift plusDelete
Show or hide the preview pane #Alt plusP
Show or hide the details pane #Alt plusShift plusP
Change the view # Ctrl+Shift and a number from 1 to 9; 2 is large icons and 6 is details.Control plusShift plus1
Resize every column to fit # Needs the numeric keypad.Control plusPlus
Refresh #F5
Select several separate items #Control plusarrow keysthenSpace bar
Copy a dragged file rather than moving it #Control plusdrag
Make a shortcut to a dragged file #Alt plusdrag
Editing text
These hold in almost any text box in Windows, from Notepad to a form on a web page.
Practise theseBold #Control plusB
Italic #Control plusI
Underline #Control plusU
Find and replace #Control plusH
Delete the word to the left #Control plusBackspace
Delete the word to the right #Control plusDelete
Back one word #Control plusLeft arrow
Forward one word #Control plusRight arrow
Up one paragraph #Control plusUp arrow
Down one paragraph #Control plusDown arrow
To the start of the line #Home
To the end of the line #End
To the start of the document #Control plusHome
To the end of the document #Control plusEnd
Up one page #Page Up
Down one page #Page Down
Selecting text
Every one is the movement shortcut with Shift added, which is the whole trick.
Practise theseExtend the selection one character #Shift plusLeft arroworShift plusRight arrow
Extend the selection one line #Shift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arrow
Extend the selection one word #Control plusShift plusLeft arroworControl plusShift plusRight arrow
Extend the selection one paragraph #Control plusShift plusUp arroworControl plusShift plusDown arrow
Select to the start of the line #Shift plusHome
Select to the end of the line #Shift plusEnd
Select to the start of the document #Control plusShift plusHome
Select to the end of the document #Control plusShift plusEnd
Select a page up #Shift plusPage Up
Select a page down #Shift plusPage Down
Dialogue boxes
Small, and worth knowing the moment a dialogue has no obvious default button.
Practise theseMove forward through the options #Tab
Move back through the options #Shift plusTab
Move forward through the tabs #Control plusTab
Move back through the tabs #Control plusShift plusTab
Jump to that numbered tab #Control plus1
Tick or untick the checkbox in focus #Space bar
Open the list in focus #F4
Run the command with that underlined letter #Alt plusletter
Go up one folder in an Open or Save dialogue # Only when a folder is selected.Backspace
Cancel, or dismiss the dialogue #Escape
Command Prompt
Practise theseCopy the selection #Control plusCorControl plusInsert
Paste #Control plusVorShift plusInsert
Enter mark mode #Control plusM
Select in block mode #Alt plusselection key
Move up one line in the output history #Control plusUp arrow
Move down one line in the output history #Control plusDown arrow
Move to the start of the buffer # In mark mode. Outside it, with a command typed, Ctrl+Home deletes everything to the left of the cursor.Control plusHome
Move to the end of the buffer # In mark mode. Outside it, with a command typed, Ctrl+End deletes everything to the right of the cursor.Control plusEnd
Next
macOS
These work in the Finder and, with few exceptions, in every app that follows Apple's conventions.
Excel
Excel rewards the keyboard more than any other program on this site: the difference between a competent user and a fast one is almost entirely in this list.
Chrome
Most of these hold in Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi too, because they all share the same engine and the same conventions.
VS Code
VS Code has more shortcuts than anyone can hold in their head, so this page is ordered by how often you would actually reach for one.
Windows keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 25 September 2026 against Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Windows.