Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts: The Ultimate Guide

If you use a mouse or touchpad a lot, it can be frustrating when one or both of them slow you down or stop working altogether. However, using the keyboard, you can quickly complete any task that you would normally do with a mouse or touchpad by simply pressing two or more keys at the same time.

As useful as the keyboard shortcuts are, they can also be difficult to remember and use at first, but once you master them, they will improve your Windows 10 experience.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll show you commonly used and new keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 to make navigation easier and improve productivity.

Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts

Clipboard keyboard shortcuts
Application shortcut keys
System hotkeys
Function keys
Move the Cursor
Arrow keyboard shortcuts
Tabs and Windows
Explorer shortcuts
Dialog box shortcuts
Cortana keyboard shortcuts
Game bar keyboard shortcuts
Groove Music Shortcuts
Snip & Sketch Shortcuts
Windows logo keyboard shortcuts (commonly used)
Keyboard shortcuts for TV and movies

Clipboard shortcuts

• Select all elements in a window or document: CTRL + A

• Copy: CTRL + C or CTRL + INSERT

• Cut: CTRL + X

• Paste: CTRL + V or SHIFT + INSERT

• Take a screenshot: Windows logo key + PrtScn (print screen) or Fn + Windows logo key + spacebar

Application shortcuts

• Hide open applications and go to desktop: Windows + D

• Minimize all open windows and applications: Windows + M

• Bind window or application to the left side of the screen: Windows + Left arrow

• Bind window or application to the right side of the screen: Windows + Right arrow

• Minimize all windows and applications: Windows + down arrow

• Maximize all open windows and applications that have been minimized: Windows + up arrow

• Open Task Manager: CTRL + SHIFT + ESC

• Switch between open applications: ALT + TAB
• Show open applications: CTRL + ALT + TAB
• Open Sticky Notes application: Windows + 0 (zero)
• Close hot spot or quit active application: ALT + F4
• Show password on login screen: ALT + F8

< ul >

• Switch between windows in the order they were opened: ALT + ESC

• Display the properties of the selected item: ALT + S PACEBAR

• Return to the previous folder: ALT + LEFT ARROW

• Move forward / View the next folder: ALT + RIGHT ARROW

• Move one screen up: ALT + PAGE UP

• Move one screen down: ALT + PAGE DOWN

System hotkeys

• Open and close the Start menu: Windows key

• Open Start: CTRL + ESC

• Open Settings: Windows + I

• Open Center Actions: Windows + A

• Open Explorer: Windows + E

• View Tasks: Windows + Tab
• Show / Hide Desktop: Windows + D
• Shutdown Options: Windows + X
• Lock PC: Windows + L
• Maximize Window: Windows + Up Arrow
• Open Xbox Game Bar while playing to your laptop or computer: Windows + G.
• Activate the Connect menu to pair your device with Windows 10 and more via Bluetooth: Windows + K
• Lock your Windows 10 device and return to the login screen: Windows + L
• Switch between language and keyboard settings: Windows + space
  • Stop or leave the current task: ESC
  • Delete the selected item permanently (without first moving to the trash): SHIFT + DELETE
  • Close the active document: CTRL + F4

  Function keys

  

  • Open a window or help page: F1
  • Rename the selected item: F2
  • Search for a file or folder in explorer: F3
  • Show address bar list in explorer: F4
  • Refresh active window: F5 or CTRL + R
  • Cycle through screen elements on the desktop or window: F6
  • Activate the menu bar in the active application: F10

  Moving cursor

  

  • Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word: CTRL + Right Arrow
  • Move the cursor back to the beginning of the previous word: CTRL + Left Arrow
  • Move cursor back to the beginning of the previous paragraph: CTRL + Up arrow
  • Move cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph: CTRL + Down arrow
  • Move to the beginning of the document: CTRL + left arrow
  • Move to the end of the document: CTRL + right arrow

  Arrow Keyboard Shortcuts

  

  • Switch between all open applications: CTRL + ALT + TAB
  • Move a group or tile in a specified direction: ALT + SHIFT + arrow keys
  • Move a tile to another tile to create a folder in the Start menu: CTRL + SHIFT + ARROW KEYS.
  • Resize the Start menu when open: CTRL + ARROW KEYS.
  • Select multiple individual items on the desktop or window: CTRL + arrow key + spacebar
  • Select a block of text: CTRL + SHIFT with an arrow key.
  • Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are available: CTRL + SHIFT
  • Turn on / off the input method editor for Chinese : CTRL + space
  • Display the context menu for the selected item: SHIFT + F10
  • Select more than one item on the desktop, or in a window or select text in a document: SHIFT + any arrow key
  • Open a submenu or the next menu on the right: right arrow.
  • Open a submenu or the following menu on the left: left arrow

  Tabs and windows

  

  • Open a new tab in your web browser: CTRL + T
  • Reopen the tab you just closed: CTRL + SHIFT + T
    • View your browsing history: CTRL + H
    • Close the window: CTRL + W

    Explorer Shortcuts

    

    • Select the address bar: ALT + D
    • Select the search field: CTRL + E or CTRL + F
    • Open a new window: CTRL + N
    • Close the active window: CTRL + W
    • Change the size and appearance of the icons files and folders: CTRL + mouse scroll wheel

    

    • Show all folders above the selected folder: CTRL + SHIFT + E
    • Create a new folder: CTRL + SHIFT + N

    < ul>

    • Display subfolders in the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*)
    • Display the contents of the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Plus (+)

    

    • Collapse the selected folder: NUM LOCK + Minus (-)
    • Show the preview pane: ALT + P
    • View the next folder: ALT + Right arrow
    • View the location folder: ALT + Up arrow
    • View the previous folder : ALT + Left Arrow or Backspace
    • Show the current selection if collapsed, or select the first subfolder: Right Arrow
    • Open the next menu to the left or close a submenu: Left arrow
    • Show the bottom of the active window: The End key
    • Show the top of the active windows: Home key.
    • Minimize or maximize the active window: F11

    Dialog box shortcuts

    

    • Display active list items: F4
    • Move forward through tabs: CTRL + TAB
    • Move backward through tabs: CTRL + SHIFT + TAB
    • Move to a specific tab: CTRL + Number (1 to 9)
    • Go forward through options: TAB
    • Go back through options: SHIFT + TAB
    • Execute a command or select an option used with letter : ALT + underlined letter
    • Uncheck or select the checkbox if the active option is Space
    • Open folder one level above if a folder is selected in the Open or Save As dialog: Backspace
    • Select the button if the selection button group is the active option: arrow keys

    Cortana keyboard shortcuts

    

    • Open Search: Windows + S
    • Open Cortana in Listening Mode to speak without pressing the microphone button: Windows + C

    

    Note. This shortcut is disabled by default. To activate it, press Windows + I to open Settings, select Cortana, and then select the radio button below Allow Cortana to listen to my commands when I press the Windows logo key + C. If enabled, the shortcut will work.

    Game bar shortcuts

    • Open game bar when game is open: Windows + G
    • Record last 30 seconds: Windows + ALT + G

    < ul>

    • Start / stop recording: Windows + ALT + R
    • Take a screenshot of the game: Windows + ALT + PRINT SCREEN
    • Show / Hide Recording Timer: Windows + Alt + T
    • Microphone On / Off: Windows + Alt + M
    • Start / stop broadcast: Windows + ALT + B
    • Show camera during broadcast: Windows + ALT + W

    Groove Music Shortcuts

    

    • Play / Pause: CTRL + P
    • Skip to next song: CTRL + F
    • Skip skip to the previous song or restart the current song: CTRL + B
    • Volume up: F9 or volume up key
    • Volume down : F8 or volume down key
    • Mute: F7 or mute key
    • Select an item and enter selection mode: CTRL + Enter
    • Select All: CTRL + A
    • Remove Selected Item or Items: Remove
    • Play selected item: CTRL + SHIFT + P
    • Turn repeat on / off: CTRL + T
    • Shuffle on / off: CTRL + H
    • Search: CTRL + Q

    Snip & Sketch Hotkeys

    • Create new snippet: CTR L + N
    • Open file: CTRL + O
    • Move the cursor to select a rectangular area of ??the fragment: SHIFT + E keys arrows
    • Select eraser: CTRL + E
    • Print annotation: CT RL + P
    • Cancel annotation: CTRL + Z

    Windows logo keyboard shortcuts (Commonly used)

    

    • Wake up computer from black or blank screen: Windows + CTRL + SHIFT + B
    • Enable Narrator: Windows + CTRL + Enter
    • Display the System Properties dialog box: Windows + Pause
    • Search for computers on the network: Windows + CTRL + F
    • Open Emoji Panel: Windows + period (.) or semicolon (;)
    • Open Ease of Access Center: Windows + U
    • Switch applications on the taskbar: Windows + T
    • Take a partial screenshot of your screen: SHIFT + S
    • Open Run dialog box: Windows + R
    • Select presentation display mode: Windows + P
    • Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and desktop: Windows + Y
    • Minimize all windows: Windows + M

    TV and movie shortcuts

    

    • Play in full screen mode: ALT + Enter

    • Exit full screen mode: ESC

    • Play or pause video with focus: CTRL + P or space.

    • Turn on / off repeat: CTRL + T

    

    Did we miss any specific keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 that you’d like to know about? Let us know by leaving your comment in the section below.

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