Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
Published: March
06, 2007
SUMMARY
This whitepaper
describes the keyboard shortcuts you can use with Windows.
Windows
system key combinations
| • |
F1: Help |
| • |
CTRL+ESC: Open Start
menu |
| • |
ALT+TAB: Switch between open
programs |
| • |
ALT+F4: Quit program |
| • |
SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item
permanently |
Windows
program key combinations
| • |
CTRL+C: Copy |
| • |
CTRL+X: Cut |
| • |
CTRL+V: Paste |
| • |
CTRL+Z: Undo |
| • |
CTRL+B: Bold |
| • |
CTRL+U: Underline |
| • |
CTRL+I:
Italic |
Mouse
click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects
| • |
SHIFT+right click: Displays a
shortcut menu containing alternative commands |
| • |
SHIFT+double click: Runs the
alternate default command (the second item on the menu) |
| • |
ALT+double click: Displays
properties |
| • |
SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item
immediately without placing it in the Recycle
Bin |
General
keyboard-only commands
| • |
F1: Starts Windows
Help |
| • |
F10: Activates menu bar
options |
| • |
SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu
for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an
object |
| • |
CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start
menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item) |
| • |
CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the
Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10
for a context menu) |
| • |
ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down
list box |
| • |
ALT+TAB: Switch to another
running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view
the task-switching window) |
| • |
SHIFT: Press and hold down the
SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run
feature |
| • |
ALT+SPACE: Displays the main
window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore,
move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window) |
| • |
ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the
Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from
the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize,
minimize, maximize, or close the child window) |
| • |
CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next
child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program |
| • |
ALT+underlined letter in
menu: Opens the menu |
| • |
ALT+F4: Closes the current
window |
| • |
CTRL+F4: Closes the current
Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window |
| • |
ALT+F6: Switch between multiple
windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find
dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog
box and the main Notepad window) |
Shell objects
and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts
For a selected object:
| • |
F2: Rename object |
| • |
F3: Find all files |
| • |
CTRL+X: Cut |
| • |
CTRL+C: Copy |
| • |
CTRL+V: Paste |
| • |
SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection
immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin |
| • |
ALT+ENTER: Open the properties
for the selected object |
To copy a
file
Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the
file to another folder.
To create
a shortcut
Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file
to the desktop or a folder.
General
folder/shortcut control
| • |
F4: Selects the Go To A
Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the
toolbar is active in Windows Explorer) |
| • |
F5: Refreshes the current
window. |
| • |
F6: Moves among panes in Windows
Explorer |
| • |
CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder
tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only) |
| • |
CTRL+Z: Undo the last
command |
| • |
CTRL+A: Select all the items in
the current window |
| • |
BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent
folder |
| • |
SHIFT+click+Close button:
For folders, close the current folder plus all parent
folders |
Windows
Explorer tree control
| • |
Numeric Keypad *: Expands
everything under the current selection |
| • |
Numeric Keypad +: Expands the
current selection |
| • |
Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the
current selection. |
| • |
RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current
selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first
child |
| • |
LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current
selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the
parent |
Properties
control
| • |
CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move
through the property tabs |
Accessibility
shortcuts
| • |
Press SHIFT five times: Toggles
StickyKeys on and off |
| • |
Press down and hold the right
SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off |
| • |
Press down and hold the NUM LOCK
key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off |
| • |
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK:
Toggles MouseKeys on and off |
| • |
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN:
Toggles high contrast on and off |
Microsoft
Natural Keyboard keys
| • |
Windows Logo: Start
menu |
| • |
Windows Logo+R: Run dialog
box |
| • |
Windows Logo+M: Minimize
all |
| • |
SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo
minimize all |
| • |
Windows Logo+F1:
Help |
| • |
Windows Logo+E: Windows
Explorer |
| • |
Windows Logo+F: Find files or
folders |
| • |
Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all
open windows and displays the desktop |
| • |
CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find
computer |
| • |
CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves
focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use
RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch
toolbar and the system tray) |
| • |
Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through
taskbar buttons |
| • |
Windows Logo+Break: System
Properties dialog box |
| • |
Application key: Displays a
shortcut menu for the selected item |
Microsoft
Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed
| • |
Windows Logo+L: Log off
Windows |
| • |
Windows Logo+P: Starts Print
Manager |
| • |
Windows Logo+C: Opens Control
Panel |
| • |
Windows Logo+V: Starts
Clipboard |
| • |
Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard
Properties dialog box |
| • |
Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse
Properties dialog box |
| • |
Windows Logo+A: Starts
Accessibility Options (if installed) |
| • |
Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays
the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys |
| • |
Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK
on and off |
Dialog box
keyboard commands
| • |
TAB: Move to the next control in
the dialog box |
| • |
SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous
control in the dialog box |
| • |
SPACEBAR: If the current control
is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check
box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this
selects the option. |
| • |
ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the
selected button (the button with the outline) |
| • |
ESC: Equivalent to clicking the
Cancel button |
| • |
ALT+underlined letter in
dialog box item: Move to the corresponding
item |
