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Accepted
Mike McClelland
Asked: 2009-06-16 01:33:40 +0800 CST

Windows keystrokes/combos you couldn't live without

  • 772

OK, we all know the obvious ones here, but what always surprises me is the number of people that don't know all of them...

Simple ones:

  • Alt-Tab - switch between applications (Shift+Alt+Tab - go through in reverse order)
  • Ctrl-Tab - switch between documents in an application (doesn't work in MS Word though - grr)
  • Ctrl+P - print this document
  • Ctrl+S - Save
  • Ctrl+Z - Undo
  • Ctrl+Y - Redo
  • Windows+M - Minimise everything (Shift+Windows+M - put everything back!)
  • Windows+F - File search (as opposed to Ctrl+F - local find in document)
  • Alt+space - get the control box (the one with minimise/maximise) - esp. useful if you lose a window on a multi-monitor desktop...

New ones in Windows 7:

  • Windows-Tab - application switching (like alt-tab) + preview
  • Windows+ either up or down arrow - maximise/restore window position

Did you also know ones like - scrolling the mouse wheel and holding CTRL changes font-size/zoom options in most (MS) applications...

What are your favourites?

Mike

windows keyboard mouse

24 Answers

  1. Windows + L = Lock

    Ctrl + Esc = Windows Start Menu, for those keyboards with no Windows Super Key

    ALT + Print Screen = Take a screen shot of the current active window (not the whole desktop)

    Print Screen = Take a screen shot of the entire desktop.

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    • Control-Shift-Escape: Task Manager.
    • Windows-R: Run dialogue.
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  3. WINDOWS + E - Explorer Window

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  4. Win + Pause/Break - opens System Properties

    • 5

  5. Windows-D to show the desktop

    • 4

  6. Obviously:

    Ctrl-X : Cut
    Ctrl-C : Copy
    Ctrl-V : Paste

    are the ones I use the most!

    Some other ones:

    • In most text-editors:

      Ctrl-F : Find
      Ctrl-H : Find and replace

    • In most browsers:

      Ctrl-T : Open new tab
      Ctrl-Click on link or Middle Mouse Button on link : open link in new tab

    • 4 
  7. Windows+1
Windows+2
Windows+3...

    Starts or activates the window of the corresponding numbered icon in the quick launch bar. Since Vista / Server 2008.

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  8. Best Answer

    My old favorite is Ctrl-C, but not on text, on a dialog box. Most of the time it will copy the entire dialog box as text, so you don't have to do Alt-PrtScn and save an image of the application (unless you need to). It also makes it easier to search for solutions to the error message without having to retype the whole thing. I think I discovered this by mistake one day and have used it ever since.

    Try it yourself, Start, Run, asdf, Enter, Ctrl-C, then paste it somewhere.

    asdf

    Windows cannot find 'asdf'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.

    OK

    Or, in the IE address bar type javascript:zxcv, Enter, Ctrl-C on the message box.

    Error

    A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to Debug?

    Line: 0

    Error: 'zxcv' is undefined

    Yes No

    It looks like this editor is interpreting the dashed lines differently, but you get the idea. Try pasting it into Notepad.

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  9. After opening an Explorer window with Win+E, press Alt+D to get focus in the address bar (works in IE too)!

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  10. Shift + Delete - Used everytime i delete something, for deleting permanently instead of going trough recycle bin.

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