Windows Keyboard Shortcuts & Commands

Master Windows productivity with comprehensive keyboard shortcuts and system commands - Your complete reference guide to efficient Windows navigation.

Understanding Modifier Keys

Before diving into shortcuts, let's understand the special keys that make these shortcuts work:

Ctrl

Control Key

Used for most common shortcuts like copy, paste, and undo. Located at the bottom corners of your keyboard.

Alt

Alt Key

Provides alternative functions and is often used to access menu items. Located on either side of the spacebar.

⊞

Windows Key

Opens the Start menu and is used for system-wide shortcuts. Features the Windows logo.

Fn

Function Key

Mainly found on laptops and activates secondary functions on keys. Located in the bottom-left corner.

Alt Gr

Alt Graph Key

Used to type special characters and symbols, especially on international keyboards.

Pro Tip: When you see a shortcut like "Ctrl + C", it means hold down the Ctrl key first, then press C while still holding Ctrl, then release both keys.

Special Function Keys

These keys perform specific functions and are organized by their primary use:

Navigation Keys

Home

Home

Jumps to the beginning of a line or document.

Page Up

Page Up

Scrolls up one page or screen of content.

End

End

Jumps to the end of a line or document.

Page Down

Page Down

Scrolls down one page or screen of content.

Editing Keys

Insert

Insert

Toggles between insert and overwrite modes when typing text.

Delete

Delete

Removes characters to the right of cursor or deletes selected items.

Control Keys

Esc

Escape

Cancels current operation or closes dialogs.

Num Lock

Number Lock

Toggles the numeric keypad between numbers and navigation keys.

⊞

Windows Key

Opens the Start menu when pressed alone.

Menu

Menu/Application Key

Opens the right-click context menu at cursor position.

Note: Some keys like Scroll Lock and Pause are legacy features that have limited use in modern Windows.

General Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function	Description
`Ctrl` + `X`	Cut	Removes selected item and places it in clipboard
`Ctrl` + `C`	Copy	Copies selected item to clipboard
`Ctrl` + `V`	Paste	Inserts clipboard contents at cursor position
`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo	Reverses the last action
`Ctrl` + `A`	Select All	Selects all items in current window or all text
`Alt` + `Tab`	Switch Apps	Cycles through open applications
`Alt` + `F4`	Close Window	Closes the active window or application
`⊞` + `L`	Lock Computer	Instantly locks your PC
`⊞` + `D`	Show Desktop	Minimizes all windows to show desktop
`⊞` + `E`	File Explorer	Opens File Explorer to browse files
`⊞` + `I`	Settings	Opens Windows Settings
`⊞` + `R`	Run Dialog	Opens Run command box
`⊞` + `←/→`	Snap Windows	Snaps active window to left or right half of screen

Browser Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function	Description
`Ctrl` + `T`	New Tab	Opens a new browser tab
`Ctrl` + `N`	New Window	Opens a new browser window
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close Tab	Closes current tab or window
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `T`	Reopen Tab	Reopens the last closed tab
`Ctrl` + `L`	Address Bar	Highlights and focuses the URL address bar
`Ctrl` + `R`	Refresh Page	Reloads the current web page
`Ctrl` + `-`	Zoom Out	Decreases page zoom level
`Ctrl` + `+`	Zoom In	Increases page zoom level
`Ctrl` + `0`	Reset Zoom	Returns page zoom to 100% default level

File Explorer Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function	Description
`F2`	Rename	Renames the selected file or folder
`F3`	Search	Opens search box to find files or folders
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `N`	New Folder	Creates a new folder in the current location
`Ctrl` + `W`	Close Window	Closes the current File Explorer window
`Alt` + `↑`	Go Up	Navigates to parent folder
`Alt` + `Enter`	Properties	Opens properties dialog for selected item
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `E`	Expand Tree	Displays all folders above current location

Miscellaneous Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function	Description
`Print Screen`	Screenshot	Captures entire screen to clipboard
`Alt` + `Print Screen`	Window Screenshot	Captures only the active window to clipboard
`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Delete`	Security Screen	Opens Windows security screen
`Shift` + `Delete`	Permanent Delete	Permanently deletes files without sending to Recycle Bin
`F1`	Help	Opens help documentation for current application
`F5`	Refresh	Refreshes current view or page
`F11`	Full Screen	Toggles full screen mode in browsers and applications

System Commands

These commands can be run from the Run dialog (⊞ + R):

Command	Description
`control`	Open Control Panel
`notepad`	Open Notepad
`mspaint`	Open Paint
`write`	Open Wordpad
`calc`	Open Calculator
`mstsc`	Open Remote Desktop Connection

Practice Tip

The best way to learn keyboard shortcuts is to practice them daily. Start with the most common ones like Copy, Paste, and Undo, then gradually add more to your repertoire. Your productivity will increase significantly once these become muscle memory!