Keyboard shortcuts in Windows - Windows Help https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12445/windows-keyboard-sh...

Keyboard shortcuts in
Windows
Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7

Select Product Version

Windows 10

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or combinations of keys

that provide an alternative way to do something that
you’d typically do with a mouse.

Additional keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts in apps

Windows keyboard shortcuts for accessibility

Microsoft Surface Hub keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts in Continuum for phones

Copy, paste, and other general keyboard

shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Ctrl + X Cut the selected item
Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) Copy the selected item
Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) Paste the selected item
Ctrl + Z Undo an action
Switch between open
Alt + Tab
apps
Close the active item, or
Alt + F4
exit the active app
Windows logo key  + L Lock your PC
Display and hide the
Windows logo key   + D
desktop
F2 Rename the selected item

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Search for a file or folder

F3
in File Explorer
Display the address bar
F4
list in File Explorer
Refresh the active
F5
window
Cycle through screen
F6 elements in a window or
on the desktop
Activate the Menu bar in
F10
the active app
Show your password on
Alt + F8
the sign-in screen
Cycle through items in
Alt + Esc the order in which they
were opened
Perform the command for
Alt + underlined letter
that letter
Display properties for the
Alt + Enter
selected item
Open the shortcut menu
Alt + Spacebar
for the active window
Alt + Left arrow Go back
Alt + Right arrow Go forward
Alt + Page Up Move up one screen
Alt + Page Down Move down one screen
Close the active
document (in apps that
are full-screen and let
Ctrl + F4
you have multiple
documents open at the
same time)
Select all items in a
Ctrl + A
document or window
Delete the selected item
Ctrl + D (or Delete) and move it to the
Recycle Bin
Refresh the active
Ctrl + R (or F5)
window
Ctrl + Y Redo an action
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Right arrow beginning of the next
word
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Left arrow beginning of the previous
word

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Move the cursor to the

Ctrl + Down arrow beginning of the next
paragraph
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Up arrow beginning of the previous
paragraph
Use the arrow keys to
Ctrl + Alt + Tab switch between all open
apps
When a group or tile is in
focus on the Start menu,
Alt + Shift + arrow keys
move it in the direction
specified
When a tile is in focus on
the Start menu, move it
Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys
into another tile to create
a folder
Resize the Start menu
Ctrl + arrow keys
when it's open
Select multiple individual
Ctrl + arrow key (to move
items in a window or on
to an item) + Spacebar
the desktop
Ctrl + Shift with an arrow
Select a block of text
key
Ctrl + Esc Open Start
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Open Task Manager
Switch the keyboard
layout when multiple
Ctrl + Shift
keyboard layouts are
available
Turn the Chinese input
Ctrl + Spacebar method editor (IME) on
or off
Display the shortcut
Shift + F10 menu for the selected
item
Select more than one
item in a window or on
Shift with any arrow key
the desktop, or select text
in a document
Delete the selected item
Shift + Delete without moving it to the
Recycle Bin first
Open the next menu to
Right arrow the right, or open a
submenu
Open the next menu to
Left arrow the left, or close a
submenu

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Stop or leave the current

Esc
task
 

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Windows logo key  Open or close Start
Windows logo key   + A Open Action center
Set focus in the
Windows logo key   + B
notification area
Open Cortana in listening
mode

Notes
This shortcut is
turned off by
default. To turn it
on, select Start 
> Settings  >
Cortana, and turn
on the toggle
under Let
Cortana listen for
my commands
when I press the
Windows logo
Windows logo key   + C
key + C.

Cortana is
available only in
certain
countries/regions,
and some Cortana
features might not
be available
everywhere. If
Cortana isn't
available or is
turned off, you
can still use
search.

Windows logo key   +

Open the charms menu
Shift + C
Display and hide the
Windows logo key   + D
desktop
Windows logo key   + Display and hide the date
Alt + D and time on the desktop
Windows logo key   + E Open File Explorer

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Open Feedback Hub and

Windows logo key   + F
take a screenshot
Open Game bar when a
Windows logo key   + G
game is open
Windows logo key   + H Start dictation
Windows logo key   + I Open Settings
 Set focus to a Windows
tip when one is available.

When a Windows tip

appears, bring focus to
Windows logo key   + J
the Tip.  Pressing the
keyboard shortcuts again
to bring focus to the
element on the screen to
which the Windows tip is
anchored.
Open the Connect quick
Windows logo key   + K
action
Lock your PC or switch
Windows logo key   + L
accounts
Windows logo key   +
Minimize all windows
M
Windows logo key   + O Lock device orientation
Choose a presentation
Windows logo key   + P
display mode
Windows logo key   + R Open the Run dialog box
Windows logo key   + S Open search
Cycle through apps on
Windows logo key   + T
the taskbar
Open Ease of Access
Windows logo key   + U
Center
Cycle through
Windows logo key   + V
notifications
Cycle through
Windows logo key   +
notifications in reverse
Shift + V
order
Open the Quick Link
Windows logo key   + X
menu
Switch input between
Windows logo key  + Y Windows Mixed Reality
and your desktop
Show the commands
Windows logo key   + Z available in an app in full-
screen mode
Windows logo key  +
Open emoji panel
period (.) or semicolon (;)

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Windows logo key   + Temporarily peek at the

comma (,) desktop
Windows logo key   + Display the System
Pause Properties dialog box
Windows logo key   + Search for PCs (if you're
Ctrl + F on a network)
Windows logo key   + Restore minimized
Shift + M windows on the desktop
Open the desktop and
start the app pinned to
the taskbar in the
Windows logo key   +
position indicated by the
number
number. If the app is
already running, switch to
that app.
Open the desktop and
start a new instance of
Windows logo key   +
the app pinned to the
Shift + number
taskbar in the position
indicated by the number
Open the desktop and
switch to the last active
Windows logo key   + window of the app
Ctrl + number pinned to the taskbar in
the position indicated by
the number
Open the desktop and
open the Jump List for
Windows logo key   +
the app pinned to the
Alt + number
taskbar in the position
indicated by the number
Open the desktop and
open a new instance of
Windows logo key   + the app located at the
Ctrl + Shift + number given position on the
taskbar as an
administrator
Windows logo key   +
Open Task view
Tab
Windows logo key   +
Maximize the window
Up arrow
Remove current app from
Windows logo key   +
screen or minimize the
Down arrow
desktop window
Maximize the app or
Windows logo key   +
desktop window to the
Left arrow
left side of the screen
Maximize the app or
Windows logo key   +
desktop window to the
Right arrow
right side of the screen

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Windows logo key   +
Home
Windows logo key   +
Shift + Up arrow
Windows logo key   +
Shift + Down arrow
Windows logo key   +
Shift + Left arrow or
Right arrow
Windows logo key  +
Spacebar
Windows logo key  +
Ctrl + Spacebar
Windows logo key   +
Ctrl + Enter
Windows logo key  +
Plus (+)
Windows logo key   +
forward slash (/)
Windows logo key  +
Ctrl + V
Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts
Press this key
Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert)
Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) Paste the selected text
Ctrl + M
Alt + selection key
Arrow keys
Page up
Page down
Ctrl + Home (Mark mode)
Ctrl + End (Mark mode)
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Minimize all except the
active desktop window
(restores all windows on
second stroke)
Stretch the desktop
window to the top and
bottom of the screen
Restore/minimize active
desktop windows
vertically, maintaining
width
Move an app or window
in the desktop from one
monitor to another
Switch input language
and keyboard layout
Change to a previously
selected input
Open Narrator
Open Magnifier
Begin IME reconversion
Open shoulder taps
To do this
Copy the selected text
Enter Mark mode
Begin selection in block
mode
Move the cursor in the
direction specified
Move the cursor by one
page up
Move the cursor by one
page down
Move the cursor to the
beginning of the buffer
Move the cursor to the
end of the buffer
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Move up one line in the

Ctrl + Up arrow
output history
Move down one line in
Ctrl + Down arrow
the output history
If the command line is
empty, move the
viewport to the top of the
Ctrl + Home (History
buffer. Otherwise, delete
navigation)
all the characters to the
left of the cursor in the
command line.
If the command line is
empty, move the
viewport to the command
Ctrl + End (History
line. Otherwise, delete all
navigation)
the characters to the
right of the cursor in the
command line.
 

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Display the items in the
F4
active list
Move forward through
Ctrl + Tab
tabs
Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move back through tabs
Ctrl + number (number
Move to nth tab
1–9)
Move forward through
Tab
options
Move back through
Shift + Tab
options
Perform the command (or
Alt + underlined letter select the option) that is
used with that letter
Select or clear the check
Spacebar box if the active option is
a check box
Open a folder one level
up if a folder is selected
Backspace
in the Save As or Open
dialog box
Select a button if the
Arrow keys active option is a group
of option buttons
 

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File Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Alt + D Select the address bar
Ctrl + E Select the search box
Ctrl + F Select the search box
Ctrl + N Open a new window
Ctrl + W Close the active window
Change the size and
Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel appearance of file and
folder icons
Display all folders above
Ctrl + Shift + E
the selected folder
Ctrl + Shift + N Create a new folder
Display all subfolders
Num Lock + asterisk (*)
under the selected folder
Display the contents of
Num Lock + plus (+)
the selected folder
Collapse the selected
Num Lock + minus (-)
folder
Alt + P Display the preview panel
Open the Properties
Alt + Enter dialog box for the
selected item
Alt + Right arrow View the next folder
View the folder that the
Alt + Up arrow
folder was in
Alt + Left arrow View the previous folder
Backspace View the previous folder
Display the current
selection (if it's
Right arrow
collapsed), or select the
first subfolder
Collapse the current
selection (if it's
Left arrow expanded), or select the
folder that the folder was
in
Display the bottom of the
End
active window
Display the top of the
Home
active window
Maximize or minimize the
F11
active window
 

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Virtual desktops keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Windows logo key  +
Open Task view
Tab
Windows logo key  +
Add a virtual desktop
Ctrl + D
Switch between virtual
Windows logo key  +
desktops you’ve created
Ctrl + Right arrow
on the right
Switch between virtual
Windows logo key  +
desktops you’ve created
Ctrl + Left arrow
on the left
Windows logo key  + Close the virtual desktop
Ctrl + F4 you're using
 

Taskbar keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Shift + click a taskbar
button
Ctrl + Shift + click a
taskbar button
Shift + right-click a
taskbar button
Shift + right-click a
grouped taskbar button
Ctrl + click a grouped
taskbar button
Open an app or quickly
open another instance of
an app
Open an app as an
administrator
Show the window menu
for the app
Show the window menu
for the group
Cycle through the
windows of the group

Settings keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this

Windows logo key  + I Open settings
Go back to the settings
Backspace
home page
Type on any page with
Search settings
search box
 

Last Updated: Apr 6, 2018

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