Some Important Computer Keyboard Shortcuts
Text Editing Shortcuts
| Shortcut Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Backspace | Delete characters to the left |
| Ctrl + Backspace | Delete words to the left |
| Delete | Delete characters to the right |
| Ctrl + Delete | Delete words to the right |
| Up Arrow (↑) | Go up one row |
| Down Arrow (↓) | Go down one row |
| Left Arrow (←) | Go to the left or to the end of previous line break |
| Right Arrow (→) | Go to the right or to the beginning of next line break |
| Home | Go to the beginning of the current line |
| End | Go to the end of the current line |
| Page Up | Move up one frame |
| Page Down | Move down one frame |
| Tab | Indent |
| Shift + Tab | Outdent |
| Ctrl + A | Select all text |
| Ctrl + B | Make selected text bold |
| Ctrl + C | Copy the selected text |
| Ctrl + F | Find text |
| Ctrl + H | Find and replace text |
| Ctrl + I | Make selected text italic |
| Ctrl + U | Underline selected text |
| Ctrl + V | Paste text |
| Ctrl + X | Cut the selected text |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo text |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo text |
| Ctrl + = | Make selected text subscript |
| Ctrl + Shift + = | Make selected text superscript |
| Ctrl + ← | Go to beginning of previous word |
| Ctrl + → | Go to end of next word |
| Ctrl + ↑ | Go to beginning of line break |
| Ctrl + ↓ | Go to end of line break |
| Ctrl + Home | Go to the beginning of the document |
| Ctrl + End | Go to the end of the document |
| Shift + ← | Select characters to the left |
| Shift + → | Select characters to the right |
| Shift + ↑ | Select lines upwards |
| Shift + ↓ | Select lines downwards |
| Shift + Home | Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the current line |
| Shift + End | Select text between the cursor and the end of the current line |
| Shift + Page Up | Select one frame at a time of text above the cursor |
| Shift + Page Down | Select one frame at a time of text below the cursor |
| Shift + Ctrl + ← | Select words to the left |
| Shift + Ctrl + → | Select words to the right |
| Shift + Ctrl + ↑ | Select paragraphs to the left |
| Shift + Ctrl + ↓ | Select paragraphs to the right |
| Shift + Ctrl + Home | Select text between the cursor and the beginning of the document |
| Shift + Ctrl + End | Select text between the cursor and the end of the document |
Using
(Win/Window key)
| Shortcut Key | Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Opens/Closes the Start Menu |
|
+ A
|
Opens the Action Center |
|
+ D
|
Shows/Hides open apps on the desktop |
|
+ E
|
Opens File Explorer |
|
+ F
|
Opens the Feedback Hub |
|
+ G
|
Opens the Game bar app |
|
+ H
|
Opens the Dictation feature |
|
+ I
|
Opens Settings |
|
+ K
|
Opens the Cast/Connect settings |
|
+ L
|
Locks the screen |
|
+ M
|
Minimizes all open windows |
|
+ Shift + M
|
Opens minimized windows |
|
+ N
|
Opens the Notifications window [New] |
|
+ P
|
Opens the Project settings |
|
+ R
|
Opens the Run command window |
|
+ S/Q
|
Opens Search box |
|
+ T
|
Cycle through apps in the taskbar |
|
+ U
|
Opens Ease of Access settings |
|
+ V
|
Opens Clipboard bin |
|
+ W
|
Opens the Window Ink Workspace |
|
+ X
|
Opens the secondary start menuy |
|
+ Z
|
Switch input between the desktop experience and Windows Mixed Reality [New] |
|
+ Number (0-9)
|
Opens the app in the taskbar relative to the number input |
|
+ Alt + Number (0-9)
|
Opens the right-click menu for the app in the taskbar relative to the number input |
| Shortcut Key | Description |
|---|---|
|
+ Tab
|
Shows Task View |
|
+ Spacebar
|
Switches between installed languages (for writing text) |
|
+ Print Screen (PrtSc)
|
Takes a Screenshot of the desktop |
|
+ period(.) / semicolon(;)
|
Opens the Emoji panel |
|
+ Up Arrow
|
Maximizes the selected window |
|
+ Down Arrow
|
Reduces the selected window size (Restore down) |
|
+ Ctrl + D
|
Creates a Virtual Desktop |
|
+ Ctrl + Left Arrow
|
Switches to the virtual desktop on the left |
|
+ Ctrl + Right Arrow
|
Switches to the virtual desktop on the right |
|
+ Ctrl + F4
|
Closes the active virtual desktop |
Using Alt, Ctrl, & Shift Key
| Shortcut Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Alt + F4 | Close active window (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears) |
| Alt + F8 | Reveals typed password in Sign-in screen |
| Alt + Spacebar | Open context menu for the active window |
| Alt + Esc | Cycle through open windows |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps while pressing Tab multiple times |
| Ctrl + Alt + Tab | View opens apps |
| Ctrl + R/F5 | Refresh current window |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Opens Task Manager |
| Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys | Select block of text |
| Shift + F10 | Opens context menu for selected item |
| Shift + Arrow keys | Select multiple items |
| Shift + Click on app button | Open another instance of an app from the Taskbar |
| Ctrl + Shift + Click on app button | Run app as administrator from the Taskbar |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys(to select) + Spacebar | Select multiple items on desktop or File Explorer |