Using a single press of one or more keys, keyboard shortcuts provide you with a quicker way of navigating and operating your desktop environment.
Regardless of what industry you work in, you will have at some point used simple Windows shortcuts, such as Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy and paste information from one location to another. Microsoft Windows has many more shortcuts that are easy to remember and will make you much more efficient throughout the year.
Ready to save time? Here is our compiled list of keyboard shortcuts, broken down into: Classic, Essential and those shortcuts especially for Windows 10 users.
Classic Shortcuts
Shortcut Keys | Description |
---|---|
Ctrl + A | Select All |
Ctrl + X | Cut the selection and store it in clipboard |
Ctrl + C | Copy the selection and store it in clipboard |
Ctrl + V | Paste contents of the clipboard at the cursor |
F5 | Refresh a webpage or folder contents |
Ctrl + Alt + Del | Open Task Manager |
Ctrl + S | Save a document, webpage or file |
Ctrl + F | Find |
Ctrl + P | |
Ctrl + Z | Undo last operation |
Ctrl + Y | Redo last operation |
Ctrl + B | Bold |
Ctrl + U | Underline |
Ctrl + I | Italics |
Ctrl + D | Save page as Bookmark |
Ctrl + +/- | Zoom in and out |
Ctrl + N | New document or internet session |
Ctrl + O | Open a file or document |
Keyboard shortcuts will enhance your productivity and save you time. Instead of using your touchpad or external mouse to navigate around your desktop environment, you can press a combination of keys to get things done. Here is our list of Essential shortcuts to help you through your working day:
Essential Shortcuts
Shortcut Keys | Description |
---|---|
Win | Launch Start Menu |
Win + D | Show your desktop |
Win + L | Lock your computer |
Win + Right Arrow | Resize window to half of the display and snap it right |
Win + Left Arrow | Resize window to half of the display and snap it left |
Win + M | Minimise all windows |
Alt + Tab | Show all open applications |
Ctrl + T | Open new tab |
Ctrl + W | Close active tab |
Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen a recently closed tab |
Ctrl + Tab | Go to the next tab |
F2 | Rename object |
Ctrl + Shift + A | Change text to uppercase/lowercase |
Ctrl + 0 | Zoom to 100% |
Ctrl + Shift + N | New private browsing session |
Alt + F4 | Close the focussed window |
F11 | Switch fullscreen/normal size |
Win + T | Switch between Taskbar entries |
Win + P | External display options |
Ctrl + Win + C | Accessibility/Ease of access settings |
Win + Prtscn | Save screenshot to Screenshots folder |
As Microsoft is constantly updating its Operating System, they have also added some new keyboard shortcuts that align with their latest operating system, Windows 10. Some of these keyboard shortcuts are as new as 2015 and compliment the latest OS. These help you navigate around the newest environment and fully utilise some additional features such as Cortana.
Windows 10 Shortcuts
Shortcut Keys | Description |
---|---|
Win + C | Open Cortana for voice input |
Win + S | Open Search |
Win + I | Open Windows settings |
Win + A | Open Notification/Action Centre |
Win + X | Open Quick Link menu |
Win + Ctrl + D | Create a new virtual desktop |
Win + Ctrl + F4 | Close current desktop |
Win + Tab | Access all desktops and apps in Task View |
Win + Prtscn | Take screenshot and save to Screenshots folder |
Win + G | Open Game Bar |
Win + Alt + G | Record your screen |
Win + Alt + R | Manually start and stop recording |
Win + V | Access clipboard library |
Win + H | Talk instead of type |
Win + . | Access emoji keyboard |
Win + Shift + S | Access Snipping tool |
After reading through these selected shortcuts, it is clear to see how keyboard shortcuts can save you time. Many of these shortcuts above can be used in Windows Operating Systems, Internet browsers and creating documentation. You can use this guide and our quick 8 time saver secrets to figure out which keyboard shortcuts suit your needs, put yourself to the test and see how much time you can save.