Boost Your Productivity With These Essential Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Tired of endless mouse movements? Unlock the full potential of your Windows PC by mastering keyboard shortcuts. This guide is a comprehensive list of over 100 key combinations, starting with the hidden gems that can save you a ton of time, and finishing with the foundational shortcuts everyone should know.

Part 1: The Power User’s Arsenal (Lesser-Known Shortcuts)

These are the shortcuts that will make you look like a tech wizard. They're not as common, but incredibly useful.

Advanced Windows Key (⊞) Combinations

1. Win + X  This is the fastest method for experienced users who know exactly what they want to do. It opens a hidden menu without needing to go to the desktop.

    Step 1: Press Windows Key (⊞) + X.

   Step 2: A menu will pop up in the bottom-left corner of your screen.

   Step 3: Press the U key to open the "Shut down or sign out" submenu.

   Step 4: Press the key for your desired action:

   1. Press U again to Shut down.
   2. Press R to Restart.
   3. Press S to enter Sleep mode.
   4. Press I to Sign out.
2. Win + V: Opens clipboard history. (You must enable this in Settings first.)
3. Win + Shift + S: Open the Snipping Tool to take a screenshot of a specific area.
4. Win + . (period) or Win + ; (semicolon): Opens the emoji, GIF, and Kaomoji panel.
5. Win + Ctrl + D: Create a new virtual desktop.
6. Win + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow: Switch between virtual desktops.
7. Win + Ctrl + F4: Close the current virtual desktop.
8. Win + Ctrl + Shift + B: Wake your PC from a black or blank screen.
9. Win + X: Open the Quick Link menu (also known as the Power User menu), which gives you fast access to settings like Task Manager, File Explorer, and Command Prompt.
10. Win + Alt + D: Show or hide the date and time on the desktop.
11. Win + H: Open the voice typing tool to dictate text.
12. Win + C: Open Microsoft Copilot.
13. Win + K: Open the Cast panel to connect to a wireless display.
14. Win + T: Cycle through the apps on your taskbar.
15. Win + 1 to 9: Launch the app pinned in that position on your taskbar.

16. Win + Alt + R: Start or stop screen recording using the Xbox Game Bar.

    Unique Task Management & Navigation 

17. Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager directly (skips the Ctrl + Alt + Delete screen). 
18. Alt + F8: Show the password on the sign-in screen (if typed). 
19.  Ctrl + Shift + Click a taskbar icon: Open a new instance of the app as an administrator. 
20. Ctrl + Alt + Tab: View all open apps and stay on the screen until you release it (unlike Alt + Tab which requires you to hold Alt). 
21. Ctrl + Shift + V: Paste text without formatting. 
22. Shift + Right-click a file: Open the more extensive context menu, which includes options like “Copy as path.”
23. Ctrl + Alt + Del: Opens the security options screen (Lock, Switch user, Task Manager). 
24. Alt + Spacebar: Open the system menu for the active window (with options like Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize). 
25. Ctrl + Tab: Switch to the next tab in most tabbed applications. 

26. Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Switch to the previous tab.

    Part 2: Essential Productivity Shortcuts

    These shortcuts will make you a master of text editing, file management, and navigation.

    Text Editing & Document Navigation 

27. Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow: Move the cursor one word at a time. 
28. Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow: Move the cursor one paragraph at a time. 
29. Shift + Left/Right Arrow: Select text character by character. 
30. Ctrl + Shift + Left/Right Arrow: Select an entire word at a time. 
31. Ctrl + Home/End: Move the cursor to the beginning/end of the document. 
32. Ctrl + Backspace: Delete the previous word. 
33. Ctrl + Delete: Delete the next word. 
34. Ctrl + B: Bold selected text. 
35. Ctrl + I: Italicize selected text. 
36. Ctrl + U: Underline selected text. 
37. Ctrl + L: Align text to the left. 
38. Ctrl + R: Align text to the right. 
39. Ctrl + E: Center align text. 
40. Ctrl + J: Justify text. 
41. F7: Run a spell-check (in Microsoft Office apps). 
42. Shift + F7: Open the Thesaurus (in Microsoft Office apps). 

43. Ctrl + K: Insert a hyperlink.

    File Explorer Shortcuts 

44. F2: Rename the selected file or folder. 
45. Alt + P: Toggle the Preview Pane in File Explorer. 
46. Alt + Up Arrow: Go up one folder level. 
47. Alt + Left/Right Arrow: Navigate back and forth through folders. 
48. Ctrl + D: Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin. 
49. Shift + Delete: Permanently delete the selected item. 
50. Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new folder. 
51. F5: Refresh the current folder window. 
52. F11: Toggle full-screen mode for the window. 

53. Alt + Enter: Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item.

    Part 3: The Common & Universal Classics (A Quick Refresher)

    These are the shortcuts everyone should know by heart. They are the foundation of efficient computer use.

    Core Universal Shortcuts

54. Ctrl + C: Copy 
55. Ctrl + X: Cut 
56. Ctrl + V: Paste 
57. Ctrl + A: Select all 
58. Ctrl + Z: Undo 
59. Ctrl + Y: Redo 
60. Ctrl + S: Save 
61. Ctrl + P: Print 
62. Ctrl + F: Find
63. Alt + Tab: Switch between open applications. 
64. Alt + F4: Close the active window. 
65. Win + D: Show or hide the desktop. 
66. Win + L: Lock your computer. 
67. Win + M: Minimize all windows. 
68. Win + Shift + M: Restore all minimized windows. 
69. Win + E: Open File Explorer. 
70. Win + I: Open Windows Settings. 
71. Win + S: Open Search. 
72. Win + R: Open the Run dialog box. 
73. Win + Up/Down Arrow: Maximize/minimize the current window. 

74. Win + Left/Right Arrow: Snap the window to the left/right side of the screen.

    Browser Shortcuts
75. Ctrl + T: Open a new tab. 
76. Ctrl + W: Close the current tab. 
77. Ctrl + Shift + T: Reopen the last closed tab. 
78. Ctrl + N: Open a new browser window. 
79. Ctrl + H: Open browser history. 
80. Ctrl + J: Open downloads. 
81. Ctrl + D: Bookmark the current page. 
82. F5 or Ctrl + R: Refresh the page. 

83. Ctrl + L: Select the address bar.

    General & System Shortcuts

84. Alt + Esc: Cycle through open windows in the order they were opened. 
85. Alt + F8: Display the password on the Windows logon screen. 
86. Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager. 
87. Ctrl + Alt + Tab: Use the arrow keys to select an open window. 
88. Esc: Cancel the current task. 
89. F1: Open help for the current application. 
90. F10: Activate the menu bar in the active app. 
91. PrtScn: Take a screenshot and copy it to the clipboard. 
92. Shift + F10: Open the context menu (like a right-click). 
93. Win + A: Open Quick Settings. 
94. Win + B: Focus on the first icon in the notification area. 
95. Win + F: Open the Feedback Hub. 
96. Win + G: Open the Xbox Game Bar. 
97. Win + P: Open the Project panel. 
98. Win + U: Open Accessibility settings. 
99. Win + W: Open the Widgets panel. 
100. Win + Tab: Open Task View. 
101. Win + Plus/Minus: Zoom in or out with Magnifier.