22 Must-Know Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
- March 18, 2024
By: Matt Saxton, Client Experience Manager
Introduction
Microsoft Windows has lots of helpful keyboard shortcuts to make you more productive. By now, most of us are aware of things like copying and pasting text, but there are so many other shortcuts that you could be using to save time and stay ahead of the game!
In this article, we will quickly summarize the most common keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 and 11. Let’s start with the basics in case you missed any of the easy ones…
Basic Shortcuts
CTRL+A to highlight all text/elements on the focused window
CTRL+C to copy highlighted items to the clipboard
CTRL+V to paste last copied items
CTRL+X to “cut” highlighted items (cut deletes the highlighted items when you follow up with the paste command)
WIN+V (must enable before using) to access the clipboard for previously copied items
CTRL+Z to undo recent changes – this can be used repeatedly to undo many changes
CTRL+Y to revert/redo previously undone changes
CTRL+Backspace to quickly delete entire words
WIN+L to lock your computer (security best practice says you should always be doing when walking away from your device!)
WIN+D to minimize all windows to get to your desktop
Intermediate Shortcuts
ALT+TAB and ALT+SHIFT+TAB to navigate active windows (hold tab to see window preview screen)
ALT+F4 to close currently focused window
CTRL+W to close current browser window
CTRL+T to open new browser tab
CTRL+N to open a new browser window
CTRL+SHIFT+T to open recently closed tabs/windows
CTRL+TAB, CTRL+SHIFT+TAB to quickly navigate tabs
WIN+SHIFT+S to quickly access Microsoft’s snipping tool (particularly useful for quickly cropping a screenshot!)
Expert Shortcuts
F5 to refresh your browser window. Helpful if a page is having trouble loading, just be careful if you have already typed/entered in form information as it can be lost!
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open your Windows task manager – useful when apps are not responsive, or your computer is having trouble processing currently running applications.
CTRL+ALT+DEL is a system interrupt that can be extremely useful when a program crashes or freezes and makes your computer unresponsive. It can override the failed program to allow you to restart the computer or access the task manager when input is otherwise not working.
ALT+R to open the Windows Run dialog box. This allows you to quickly enter various types of commands for Windows and other installed applications.
Bonus Tip
If you have a mouse with a mouse wheel, you can use CTRL+MouseWheel up/down to quickly zoom in/out on many different applications. This is helpful when you want to quickly change the zoom level for web pages, PDFs, and more!
Conclusion
Mastering Windows shortcuts is just one of the many ways to boost your productivity and efficiency. Here at Kite Technology, we’re passionate about empowering individuals and businesses to make the most of their technology. If you’re ready to streamline your operations, our Managed IT Services are here to support you every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule a conversation and discover how we can help!
Matt Saxton
Client Experience Manager
Kite Technology Group
