Windows 7 Shortcut Keys
.
New in Windows 7
The → symbol stands for the right arrow key, ← for the left arrow key, etc.
| Win+↑ | Maximize the current window |
| Win+↓ | If the current window is maximized, restore it; if the current window is restored, minimize it |
| Win+← | Dock the current window to the left half of the screen
*If it is already docked left, it is moved to the right half of the screen
*If it is already docked right, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+→ | Dock the current window to the right half of the screen
*If it is already docked right, it is moved to the left half of the screen
*If it is already docked left, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+Shift+← | Move current window to the left monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Shift+→ | Move current window to the right monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Home | Minimize all but the current window |
| Win+Space | Peek at the desktop |
| Win+[Plus sign] | Zoom in |
| Win+[Minus sign] | Zoom out |
| Win+P | Open the projection menu (generally used for laptops connected to projectors) |
| Alt+P | In Explorer, show/hide the preview pane |
Taskbar Modifiers (New in Windows 7)
| Shift+Click | Open a new instance of the program |
| Ctrl+Click | Cycle between windows in a group |
| Middle Click | Open a new instance of the program |
| Ctrl+Shift+Click | Open a new instance of the program as Administrator |
| Shift+Right-Click | Show window menu |
Managing Windows
| Alt+F4 | Close the active window |
| Alt+Tab | Switch to previous active window |
| Alt+Esc | Cycle through all open windows |
| Win+Tab | Flip 3D |
| Ctrl+Win+Tab | Persistent Flip 3D |
| Win+T | Cycle through applications on taskbar (showing its live preview) |
| Win+M | Minimize all open windows |
| Win+Shift+M | Undo all window minimization |
| Win+D | Toggle showing the desktop |
| Win+↑ | Maximize the current window |
| Win+↓ | If the current window is maximized, restore it; if the current window is restored, minimize it |
| Win+← | Dock the current window to the left half of the screen
*If it is already docked left, it is moved to the right half of the screen
*If it is already docked right, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+→ | Dock the current window to the right half of the screen
*If it is already docked right, it is moved to the left half of the screen
*If it is already docked left, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+Shift+← | Move current window to the left monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Shift+→ | Move current window to the right monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Home | Minimize all but the current window |
| Win+Space | Peek at the desktop |
| Win+[Plus sign] | Zoom in |
| Win+[Minus sign] | Zoom out |
Starting Programs
| Win+1 | Open the first program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+2 | Open the second program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+n | Open the nth program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+U | Open the ease of access center |
| Win+F | Open the search window |
| Win+X | Open the Mobility Center |
| Win+E | Open Explorer |
| Win+R | Open the Run window [more info] |
| Win+B | Move focus to notification tray (the right-most portion of the taskbar) |
| Win+P | Open the projection menu (generally used for laptops connected to projectors) |
| Win+Pause | Open the System Properties portion from the Control Panel |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc | Open Windows Task Manager |
Logging In And Out
While the below shortcuts seem unwieldy because of their length, they're quite easy to remember once you try them out a few times.
| Win, →, Enter | Shutdown |
| Win, →, →, R | Restart |
| Win, →, →, S | Sleep |
| Win, →, →, W | Switch Users |
| Win+L | Locks computer |
Viewing Folders With Explorer
| Alt+← | Go back |
| Alt+→ | Go forward |
| Alt+↑ | Go up a directory |
| Alt+D | Move focus to address bar |
| Alt+D, Tab | Move focus to search bar |
| Alt+Enter | Open the Properties window of the current selection |
| Ctrl+Mousewheel | Change the view type (extra large, small, list view, detail, etc.) |
| Alt+P | Show/hide the preview pane |
Basic Run Command Information
It is accessible in one of two ways: through the start menu (Figure 1) and through the shortcut key Win+R. The dialog itself looks very unassuming, and quite user unfriendly if you ask me (Figure 2). Its main purpose, as you can see from the dialog information, is to open a program, folder, document, or Internet resource which Windows will then open.
Figure 1 - Run on the Start Menu
Figure 2 - The Run Dialog
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Common Tasks with Run
Below are a list of commands you can type into the Run dialog:
| Run Calculator | calc |
| Run Command Prompt | cmd |
| Run Firefox (if installed) | firefox |
| Run Internet Explorer | iexplore |
| Run Microsoft Word (if installed) | winword |
| Run Microsoft Excel (if installed) | excel |
| Run Microsoft Outlook (if installed) | outlook |
| Run Notepad | notepad |
| Run Wordpad | wordpad |
| Open Control Panel | control panel |
| Open Program Files folder | %programfiles% |
| Shutdown Windows | shutdown |
| Restart Windows | shutdown -r |
| Log Off Windows | logoff |
| Registry Editor | regedit |
| Task Manager | taskmgr |
| Windows Update Launches | wupdmgr |
Creating Your Own Run Commands
If you are like me, you will use a few programs very frequently. One way to make them start faster is to give them their own Run command:
- Win+R to open the Run dialog
- Enter %windir% to open the Windows directory
- Alt+F W S to open the File menu, choose the New menu item, then the Shortcut menu item
- Go through the wizard to create a shortcut to the desired program
- The name you give the shortcut is what you type in the Run dialog to start the program
Infrequently Used Run Commands
Below are a list of commands you can type into the Run dialog, split into several categories: programs, control panels, computer administration tools, and special folders.
Programs
| Character Map | charmap |
| Check Disk Utility | chkdsk |
| Clipboard Viewer | clipbrd |
| Free Cell | freecell |
| Hearts Card | mshearts |
| Microsoft Chat | winchat |
| Minesweeper | winmine |
| On Screen Keyboard | osk |
| Remote Desktop | mstsc |
| Spider Solitare | spider |
| Telnet Client | telnet |
| Windows Magnifier | magnify |
Control Panels
| Accessibility Controls | access.cpl |
| Add Hardware Wizard | hdwwiz.cpl |
| Add/Remove Programs | appwiz.cpl |
| Administrative Tools | control admintools |
| Automatic Updates | wuaucpl.cpl |
| Date and Time | timedate.cpl |
| Display Properties | desk.cpl |
| Folders Properties | control folders |
| Fonts | control fonts |
| Fonts Folder | fonts |
| Game Controllers | joy.cpl |
| Internet Properties | inetcpl.cpl |
| Keyboard Properties | control keyboard |
| Mouse Properties | control mouse |
| Network Connections | control netconnections |
| Network Setup Wizard | netsetup.cpl |
| ODBC Data Source Administrator | odbccp32.cpl |
| Password Properties | password.cpl |
| Phone and Modem Options | telephon.cpl |
| Power Configuration | powercfg.cpl |
| Printers and Faxes | control printers |
| Printers Folder | printers |
| Regional Settings | intl.cpl |
| Scanners and Cameras | sticpl.cpl |
| Security Center | wscui.cpl |
| Sounds and Audio | mmsys.cpl |
| User Account Management | nusrmgr.cpl |
| Windows Firewall | firewall.cpl |
Computer Administration Tools
| Computer Management | compmgmt.msc |
| Device Manager | devmgmt.msc |
| Disk Cleanup Utility | cleanmgr |
| Disk Defragment | dfrg.msc |
| Disk Management | diskmgmt.msc |
| Disk Partition Manager | diskpart |
| Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting | drwtsn32 |
| Driver Verifier Utility | verifier |
| Event Viewer | eventvwr.msc |
| Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) | gpedit.msc |
| Local Security Settings | secpol.msc |
| Local Users and Groups | lusrmgr.msc |
| Performance Monitor | perfmon |
| Resultant Set of Policy | rsop.msc |
| Scheduled Tasks | control schedtasks |
| Services | services.msc |
| Shared Folders | fsmgmt.msc |
| System Configuration Editor | sysedit |
| System Configuration Utility | msconfig |
| Utility Manager | utilman |
| Windows System Security Tool | syskey |
Computer Administration Tools
| Application Data Folder | %appdata% |
| Home Directory Drive | %homedrive% |
| Home Directory | %homepath% |
| Shared Home Directory | %homeshare% |
| Temporary Folder | %temp% |
| Windows Root Drive | %systemdrive% |
| Windows Root Directory | %windir% |
Firefox Shortcut Keys
Review Of Common Browser Shortcut Keys
Before we get started on Firefox, let's do a quick review of the most common Web browser shortcut keys from another article on Common Shortcut Keys:
| Ctrl+N | Open a new window |
| Ctrl+T | Open a new tab |
| Ctrl+W | Close the current window/tab |
| Ctrl+R | Refresh |
| Esc | Stop |
| Alt+← | Back |
| Alt+→ | Forward |
| Alt+Home | Go to your homepage |
| Alt+D | Move focus to the address bar to type in a URL |
| Ctrl+Enter | Add "http://www." and ".com" around an address |
| MiddleClick | Middle-clicking a tab will close it, even if it's not the active tab |
All of the above work in Firefox, as well as Internet Explorer, so learn them and love them!
Firefox Shortcut Keys
If you know the above shortcut keys, you are well on your way to working faster with Firefox. But, there are some Firefox-specific shortcut keys that will save you even more time. Check them out:
| Ctrl+T | Open a new tab |
| Ctrl+W | Close the current window or tab |
| Ctrl+Shift+T | Undo close tab (re-open the last closed tab) |
| Ctrl+Tab | Switch to the next tab |
| Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Switch to the previous tab |
| Ctrl+[0-9] | Switch to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. tab |
| / | Open the "Find Text As You Type" widget (bottom of screen) |
| ' | Open the "Find Links As You Type" widget (bottom of screen) |
| Ctrl+G | Find the next occurrence of a search phrase |
| Ctrl+Shift+G | Find the previous occurrence of a search phrase |
| Ctrl+K | Move cursor to the Web Search widget (top right of screen) |
Some of these shortcut keys need additional notes:
- Ctrl+W will close the current tab. If there is only one tab left, it will close the window, exiting Firefox.
- Think of Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab as analogies to Alt+Tab andAlt+Shift+Tab. Whereas the Firefox shortcut keys (using Ctrl) switch between tabs, the Windows shortcut keys (using Alt) switch between windows.
- Just to be clear, Ctrl+[0-9] actually means Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3, etc. Here,Ctrl+0 will switch you to the 10th tab.
- The "Find Text As You Type" widget that appears at the bottom of your Firefox browser when you press / looks like this:
Figure 1 - Search Widget
Type in a phrase and Firefox will move the browser window to the first occurrence of the phrase in the website. Ctrl+G finds the next occurrences andCtrl+Shift+G finds previous.
- Note that instead of searching through a whole website, you can search just through the links on a website by using the ' shortcut key.
- If the search phrase you entered highlights a link, you can simply press Enterto navigate to that link.
- Pressing Ctrl+K moves your cursor to the Web Search widget, which looks something like this:
Figure 2 - Web Search Widget
Once your cursor is there, you can type in a search phrase, press enter, and you're on your way to Google.
Microsoft Word
Review of Common Text Editing Shortcut Keys
Before learning any new shortcut keys for Microsoft Word, you may wish to review the Common Shortcut Keys article in the Keyboard section. Those basics are absolutely vital for saving time when working with Microsoft Word.
For the sake of completeness, I've included the common shortcut keys discussed from that article in these tables as well. So, you may see some shortcut keys you already know.
Shortcut Keys
Formatting Text: Changing Decoration
| Ctrl+B | Bold the selected text bold |
| Ctrl+I | Italicize the selected text italic |
| Ctrl+U | Underline the selected text |
| Ctrl+Shift+D | Double underline |
| Ctrl+= | Subscript |
| Ctrl+Shift+= | Superscript |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | Apply "Normal" style |
Formatting Text: Changing Fonts
| Ctrl+D | Open font options dialog box |
| Ctrl+Shift+F | Select font face in toolbar |
| Ctrl+Shift+P | Select font size in toolbar |
| Ctrl+] | Increase font size by one pt |
| Ctrl+[ | Decrease font size by one pt |
| Ctrl+Shift+> | Increase font size |
| Ctrl+Shift+<< | Decrease font size |
| Ctrl+Spacebar | Reset to default font face |
Formatting Text: Manipulating Paragraphs
| Ctrl+E | Center paragraph |
| Ctrl+M | Justify paragraph |
| Ctrl+L | Flush paragraph left |
| Ctrl+R | Flush paragraph right |
| Ctrl+M | Indent paragraph |
| Ctrl+Shift+M | Un-indent paragraph |
| Ctrl+1 | Single-space lines |
| Ctrl+2 | Double-space lines |
| Ctrl+5 | 1.5-space lines |
Remember that you can use these shortcut keys both for existing text and for new text. To understand, let's look at the example of bolding text:
- If you have existing text that you want to bold: 1) select that text, 2) hit theCtrl+B shortcut key to make the text bold.
- If you are going to type some text that you want to be bold: 1) hit the Ctrl+Bshortcut key, 2) type the text, 3) then hit Ctrl+B again to turn off the bolding.
Editing Text
| Ctrl+Backspace | Delete the previous word |
| Ctrl+Del | Delete the next word |
| Ctrl+F | Find text in the current document |
| Ctrl+H | Replace text in the current document |
| Ctrl+Enter | Page break |
Moving the Cursor
These shortcut keys are great for navigating around documents. For example, I use Ctrl+RightArrow (move the cursor right one word) when I'm trying to edit a word in the middle of a line since it gets me there faster than picking up my mouse and clicking there. I also use Ctrl+DownArrow (move the cursor to the next paragraph) to scan the entire document quickly.
| PageUp | Move the cursor up a page |
| PageDown | Move the cursor down a page |
| Home | Move the cursor to the beginning of the line |
| End | Move the cursor to the end of the line |
| Ctrl+Home | Move the cursor to the beginning of the document |
| Ctrl+End | Move the cursor to the end of the document |
| Ctrl+LeftArrow | Move the cursor left one word |
| Ctrl+RightArrow | Move the cursor right one word |
| Ctrl+UpArrow | Move the cursor to beginning of, or previous paragraph |
| Ctrl+DownArrow | Move the cursor to end of, or next paragraph |
Selecting Text
The shortcut keys for selecting text are directly related to those that move the cursor around. Just add a Shift:
| Shift+PageUp | Select everything between the cursor and a page previous |
| Shift+PageDown | Select everything between the cursor and a page after |
| Shift+Home | Select everything between the cursor and the beginning of the line |
| Shift+End | Select everything between the cursor and the end of the line |
| Shift+Ctrl+Home | Select everything betweeen the cursor and the beginning of the document |
| Shift+Ctrl+End | Select everything between the cursor and the end of the document |
| Shift+Ctrl+LeftArrow | Select the word to the left |
| Shift+Ctrl+RightArrow | Select the word to the right |
Using the Clipboard
| Ctrl+C | Copy what's selected |
| Ctrl+X | Cut what's selected |
| Ctrl+V | Paste what you last copied or cut |
| Ctrl+A | Select all |
Working with Documents
| Ctrl+N | New document |
| Ctrl+O | Open existing document |
| Ctrl+S | Save document |
| F12 | Save document as... |
| Ctrl+W | Close document |
| Ctrl+P | Print document |
| Ctrl+F6 | Switch to the next open documewnt |
| Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Switch to the previous open documewnt |
| Alt+F4 | Exit Microsoft Word |
Miscellaneous
| F7 | Open spellcheck dialog box |
| Shift+F7 | Open thesaurus dialog box |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo your last action |
| Ctrl+Y | Redo your last action |
Mouse Shortcuts
Microsoft Word also has support for some mouse shortcuts. Overall, I recommend learning the keyboard shortcuts so you don't have to switch from keyboard to mouse to keyboard. But, sometimes these can come in handy:
| Double-click a word | Select the word |
| Triple-click a word | Select the paragraph |
| Left-click the space on the left of a line | Select the line |
| Double-click the space on the left of a line | Select the paragraph |
| Ctrl+ScrollUp | Zoom in on the document |
| Ctrl+ScrollDown | Zoom out of the document |
| Click and drag some text | Select text from where you click and hold to where you let go |
| Click and drag the space on the left of a line | Select the lines you drag over |
Example Scenarios
Scenario: Bold some text you are about to type
- Ctrl+B to turn on the bold feature
- Type the text you want to be bold
- Ctrl+B to turn off the bold feature
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Scenario: Selecting A Line Of Text
- Home to move the cursor to the beginning of the line
- Shift-End to move the cursor to the end of the line and select everything alonig the way
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50 Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know
Windows 8 is the latest offering from Microsoft and has reinvented
itself as an operating system for both tablet and PC users. While
touchscreen users can take advantage of the many navigational rewrites
e.g. the Charms Menu, Metro UI with tiles, and swipes, Microsoft has
also done their part to ensure that users who prefer getting around with
the keyboard would not be left out.
To cater to this group, Microsoft has integrated new keyboard
shortcuts to let them navigate through the reconstructed OS faster and
easier. And as much fun as touchscreens can be, sometimes you can do
more with keyboard shortcuts than you can with swipes. Besides, if you
are part of the keyboard generation, shortcuts just come more naturally
anyways.
Read on for
50 keyboard shortcuts that you’d probably find yourself using on Windows 8, when out of swipe mode
| Shortcut |
Description |
| Windows Key + D |
Show Desktop |
| Windows Key + C |
Open Charms Menu |
| Windows Key + F |
Charms Menu – Search |
| Windows Key + H |
Charms Menu – Share |
| Windows Key + K |
Charms Menu – Devices |
| Windows Key + I |
Charms Menu – Settings |
| Windows Key + Q |
Search For Installed Apps |
| Windows Key + W |
Search Settings |
| Windows Key + Tab |
Cycle through open Modern UI Apps |
| Windows Key + Shift + Tab |
Cycle through open Modern UI Apps in reverse order |
| Windows Key + . |
Snaps app to the right (split screen multitasking) |
| Windows Key + Shift + . |
Snaps app to the left (split screen multitasking) |
| Windows Key + , |
Temporarily view desktop |
| Alt + F4 |
Quit Modern UI Apps |
| Windows Key + E |
Launch Windows Explorer Window |
| Windows Key + L |
Lock PC and go to lock screen |
| Windows Key + T |
Cycle through icons on taskbar (press Enter to launch app) |
| Windows Key + X |
Show Advanced Windows Settings Menu |
| Windows Key + E |
Launch Windows Explorer Window |
| Windows Key + Page Down |
Moves Start screen and apps to secondary monitor on the right |
| Windows Key + M |
Minimize all Windows |
| Windows Key + Shift + M |
Restore all minimized Windows |
| Windows Key + R |
Open Run dialog box |
| Windows Key + Up Arrow |
Maximize current window |
| Windows Key + Down Arrow |
Minimize current window |
| Windows Key + Left Arrow |
Maximize current window to left side of the screen |
| Windows Key + Right Arrow |
Maximize current window to right side of the screen |
| Ctrl + Shift + Escape |
Open Task Manager |
| Windows Key + Print Screen |
Takes a Print Screen and saves it to your Pictures folder |
| Windows Key + Page Up |
Moves Start screen and apps to secondary monitor on the left |
| Windows Key + Pause Break |
Display System Properties |
| Shift + Delete |
Permanently delete files without sending it to Recycle Bin |
| Windows Key + F1 |
Open Windows Help and Support |
| Windows Key + V |
Cycle through notifications |
| Windows Key + Shift + V |
Cycle through notifications in reverse order |
| Windows Key + 0 to 9 |
Launch/show app pinned to taskbar at indicated number |
| Windows Key + Shift + 0 to 9 |
Launch new instance of app pinned to taskbar at indicated number |
| Alt + Enter |
Display Properties of selected item in File Explorer |
| Alt + Up Arrow |
View upper level folder of current folder in File Explorer |
| Alt + Right Arrow |
View next folder in File Explorer |
| Alt + Left Arrow |
View previous folder in File Explorer |
| Windows Key + P |
Choose secondary display modes |
| Windows Key + U |
Open Ease of Access Center |
| Alt + Print Screen |
Print Screen focused Window only |
| Windows Key + Spacebar |
Switch input language and keyboard layout |
| Windows Key + Shift + Spacebar |
Switch to previous input language and keyboard layout |
| Windows Key + Enter |
Open Narrator |
| Windows Key + + |
Zoom in using Magnifier |
| Windows Key + - |
Zoom out using Magnifier |
| Windows Key + Escape |
Exit Magnifier |
Singaraja
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