Keyboard shortcuts in Windows

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7

Select Product Version

Windows 10

Learn more about screenshots with Snip & Sketch

If you are trying to take a screenshot or screengrab, see How to take and annotate
screenshots on Windows 10.

Windows 10

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or combinations of keys that provide an alternative way
to do something that you’d typically do with a mouse. Click an option below, and
it'll open to display a table of related shortcuts:

Hide all

 Copy, paste, and other general keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this
Ctrl + X Cut the selected item.
Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) Copy the selected item.
Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) Paste the selected item.
Ctrl + Z Undo an action.
Alt + Tab Switch between open apps.
Close the active item, or exit the active
Alt + F4
app.
Windows logo key  + L Lock your PC.
Windows logo key  + D Display and hide the desktop.
F2 Rename the selected item.
Search for a file or folder in File
F3
Explorer.
Display the address bar list in File
F4
Explorer.
F5 Refresh the active window.
Cycle through screen elements in a
F6
window or on the desktop.
F10 Activate the Menu bar in the active
 app.
Show your password on the sign-in
Alt + F8
screen.
Cycle through items in the order in
Alt + Esc
which they were opened.
Alt + underlined letter Perform the command for that letter.
Display properties for the selected
Alt + Enter
item.
Open the shortcut menu for the active
Alt + Spacebar
window.
Alt + Left arrow Go back.
Alt + Right arrow Go forward.
Alt + Page Up Move up one screen.
Alt + Page Down Move down one screen.
Close the active document (in apps
that are full-screen and let you have
Ctrl + F4
multiple documents open at the same
time).
Select all items in a document or
Ctrl + A
window.
Delete the selected item and move it
Ctrl + D (or Delete)
to the Recycle Bin.
Ctrl + R (or F5) Refresh the active window.
Ctrl + Y Redo an action.
Move the cursor to the beginning of
Ctrl + Right arrow
the next word.
Move the cursor to the beginning of
Ctrl + Left arrow
the previous word.
Move the cursor to the beginning of
Ctrl + Down arrow
the next paragraph.
Move the cursor to the beginning of
Ctrl + Up arrow
the previous paragraph.
Use the arrow keys to switch between
Ctrl + Alt + Tab
all open apps.
When a group or tile is in focus on the
Alt + Shift + arrow keys Start menu, move it in the direction
specified.
When a tile is in focus on the Start
Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys menu, move it into another tile to
create a folder.
Ctrl + arrow keys Resize the Start menu when it's open.
Ctrl + arrow key (to move to an item) Select multiple individual items in a
+ Spacebar window or on the desktop.
Ctrl + Shift with an arrow key Select a block of text.
 Ctrl + Esc Open Start.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Open Task Manager.
Switch the keyboard layout when
Ctrl + Shift multiple keyboard layouts are
available.
Turn the Chinese input method editor
Ctrl + Spacebar
(IME) on or off.
Display the shortcut menu for the
Shift + F10
selected item.
Select more than one item in a
Shift with any arrow key window or on the desktop, or select
text in a document.
Delete the selected item without
Shift + Delete
moving it to the Recycle Bin first.
Open the next menu to the right, or
Right arrow
open a submenu.
Open the next menu to the left, or
Left arrow
close a submenu.
Esc Stop or leave the current task.
Take a screenshot of your whole
screen and copy it to the clipboard.

Note

You can change this shortcut so it

also opens screen snipping,
which lets you edit your
PrtScn
screenshot. Select Start  >
Settings > Ease of Access >
Keyboard, and turn on the toggle
under Print Screen shortcut.

Use PrtScn key to open screen snipping

 Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

Press this key To do this
Windows logo key  Open or close Start.
Windows logo key  + A Open Action center.
Windows logo key  + B Set focus in the notification area.
Windows logo key  + C Open Cortana in listening mode.

Notes
This shortcut is turned off by
default. To turn it on, select Start
 > Settings  > Cortana, and
turn on the toggle under Let
Cortana listen for my commands
 when I press the Windows logo
key + C.
Cortana is available only in
certain countries/regions, and
some Cortana features might not
be available everywhere. If
Cortana isn't available or is
turned off, you can still use
search.

Windows logo key  + Shift + C Open the charms menu.

Windows logo key  + D Display and hide the desktop.
Display and hide the date and time on
Windows logo key  + Alt + D
the desktop.
Windows logo key  + E Open File Explorer.
Open Feedback Hub and take a
Windows logo key  + F
screenshot.
Windows logo key  + G Open Game bar when a game is open.
Windows logo key  + H Start dictation.
Windows logo key  + I Open Settings.
Set focus to a Windows tip when one
is available.

Windows logo key  + J When a Windows tip appears, bring

focus to the Tip. Pressing the
keyboard shortcuts again to bring
focus to the element on the screen to
which the Windows tip is anchored.
Windows logo key  + K Open the Connect quick action.
Windows logo key  + L Lock your PC or switch accounts.
Windows logo key  + M Minimize all windows.
Windows logo key  + O Lock device orientation.
Windows logo key  + P Choose a presentation display mode.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Q Open Quick Assist.
Windows logo key  + R Open the Run dialog box.
Windows logo key  + S Open search.
Take a screenshot of part of your
Windows logo key  + Shift + S
screen.
Windows logo key  + T Cycle through apps on the taskbar.
Windows logo key  + U Open Ease of Access Center.
Windows logo key  + V Open the clipboard.

Note

To activate this shortcut, select

Start  > Settings  > System
  > Clipboard, and turn on the
toggle under Clipboard history.

Windows logo key  + Shift + V Cycle through notifications.

Windows logo key  + X Open the Quick Link menu.
Switch input between Windows Mixed
Windows logo key  + Y
Reality and your desktop.
Show the commands available in an
Windows logo key  + Z
app in full-screen mode.
Windows logo key  + period (.) or
Open emoji panel.
semicolon (;)
Windows logo key  + comma (,) Temporarily peek at the desktop.
Display the System Properties dialog
Windows logo key  + Pause
box.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + F Search for PCs (if you're on a network).
Restore minimized windows on the
Windows logo key  + Shift + M
desktop.
Open the desktop and start the app
pinned to the taskbar in the position
Windows logo key  + number
indicated by the number. If the app is
already running, switch to that app.
Open the desktop and start a new
Windows logo key  + Shift + instance of the app pinned to the
number taskbar in the position indicated by
the number.
Open the desktop and switch to the
last active window of the app pinned
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + number
to the taskbar in the position indicated
by the number.
Open the desktop and open the Jump
List for the app pinned to the taskbar
Windows logo key  + Alt + number
in the position indicated by the
number.
Open the desktop and open a new
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Shift + instance of the app located at the
number given position on the taskbar as an
administrator.
Windows logo key  + Tab Open Task view.
Windows logo key  + Up arrow Maximize the window.
Remove current app from screen or
Windows logo key  + Down arrow
minimize the desktop window.
Maximize the app or desktop window
Windows logo key  + Left arrow
to the left side of the screen.
Maximize the app or desktop window
Windows logo key  + Right arrow
to the right side of the screen.
Windows logo key  + Home Minimize all except the active desktop
window (restores all windows on
 second stroke).
Windows logo key  + Shift + Up Stretch the desktop window to the top
arrow and bottom of the screen.
Windows logo key  + Shift + Down Restore/minimize active desktop
arrow windows vertically, maintaining width.
Windows logo key  + Shift + Left Move an app or window in the
arrow or Right arrow desktop from one monitor to another.
Switch input language and keyboard
Windows logo key  + Spacebar
layout.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl +
Change to a previously selected input.
Spacebar
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Enter Turn on Narrator.
Windows logo key  + Plus (+) Open Magnifier.
Windows logo key  + forward slash
Begin IME reconversion.
(/)
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + V Open shoulder taps.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Shift +
Wake PC from blank or black screen
B
 Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) Copy the selected text.
Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) Paste the selected text.
Ctrl + M Enter Mark mode.
Alt + selection key Begin selection in block mode.
Move the cursor in the direction
Arrow keys
specified.
Page up Move the cursor by one page up.
Page down Move the cursor by one page down.
Move the cursor to the beginning of
Ctrl + Home (Mark mode)
the buffer.
Move the cursor to the end of the
Ctrl + End (Mark mode)
buffer.
Move up one line in the output
Ctrl + Up arrow
history.
Move down one line in the output
Ctrl + Down arrow
history.
If the command line is empty, move
the viewport to the top of the buffer.
Ctrl + Home (History navigation) Otherwise, delete all the characters to
the left of the cursor in the command
line.
Ctrl + End (History navigation) If the command line is empty, move
the viewport to the command line.
Otherwise, delete all the characters to
 the right of the cursor in the
command line.
 Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
F4 Display the items in the active list.
Ctrl + Tab Move forward through tabs.
Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move back through tabs.
Ctrl + number (number 1–9) Move to nth tab.
Tab Move forward through options.
Shift + Tab Move back through options.
Perform the command (or select the
Alt + underlined letter
option) that is used with that letter.
Select or clear the check box if the
Spacebar
active option is a check box.
Open a folder one level up if a folder
Backspace is selected in the Save As or Open
dialog box.
Select a button if the active option is a
Arrow keys
group of option buttons.
 File Explorer keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
Alt + D Select the address bar.
Ctrl + E Select the search box.
Ctrl + F Select the search box.
Ctrl + N Open a new window.
Ctrl + W Close the active window.
Change the size and appearance of file
Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel
and folder icons.
Display all folders above the selected
Ctrl + Shift + E
folder.
Ctrl + Shift + N Create a new folder.
Display all subfolders under the
Num Lock + asterisk (*)
selected folder.
Display the contents of the selected
Num Lock + plus (+)
folder.
Num Lock + minus (-) Collapse the selected folder.
Alt + P Display the preview panel.
Open the Properties dialog box for the
Alt + Enter
selected item.
Alt + Right arrow View the next folder.
Alt + Up arrow View the folder that the folder was in.
Alt + Left arrow View the previous folder.
Backspace View the previous folder.
 Right arrow Display the current selection (if it's
collapsed), or select the first subfolder.
Collapse the current selection (if it's
Left arrow expanded), or select the folder that
the folder was in.
Display the bottom of the active
End
window.
Home Display the top of the active window.
Maximize or minimize the active
F11
window.
 Virtual desktops keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
Windows logo key  + Tab Open Task view.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + D Add a virtual desktop.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Right Switch between virtual desktops
arrow you’ve created on the right.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + Left Switch between virtual desktops
arrow you’ve created on the left.
Windows logo key  + Ctrl + F4 Close the virtual desktop you're using.
 Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
Open an app or quickly open another
Shift + click a taskbar button
instance of an app.
Ctrl + Shift + click a taskbar button Open an app as an administrator.
Shift + right-click a taskbar button Show the window menu for the app.
Shift + right-click a grouped taskbar
Show the window menu for the group.
button
Cycle through the windows of the
Ctrl + click a grouped taskbar button
group.
 Settings keyboard shortcuts
Press this key To do this
Windows logo key  + I Open settings.
Backspace Go back to the settings home page.
Type on any page with search box Search settings.

Additional keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts in apps

Windows keyboard shortcuts for accessibility
Microsoft Surface Hub keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts in Continuum for phones

Last Updated: 06-Aug-2019