22 Must-Know Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

March 5, 2024

By: Matt Saxton, Client Experience Manager

Introduction

Microsoft Windows has lots of helpful keyboard shortcuts to make you more productive. By now, most of us are aware of things like copying and pasting text, but there are so many other shortcuts that you could be using to save time and stay ahead of the game!

In this article, we will quickly summarize the most common keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 and 11. Let’s start with the basics in case you missed any of the easy ones…

Basic Shortcuts

CTRL+A to highlight all text/elements on the focused window

CTRL+C to copy highlighted items to the clipboard

CTRL+V to paste last copied items

CTRL+X to “cut” highlighted items (cut deletes the highlighted items when you follow up with the paste command)

WIN+V (must enable before using) to access the clipboard for previously copied items

CTRL+Z to undo recent changes – this can be used repeatedly to undo many changes

CTRL+Y to revert/redo previously undone changes

CTRL+Backspace to quickly delete entire words

WIN+L to lock your computer (security best practice says you should always be doing when walking away from your device!)

WIN+D to minimize all windows to get to your desktop

Intermediate Shortcuts

ALT+TAB and ALT+SHIFT+TAB to navigate active windows (hold tab to see window preview screen)

ALT+F4 to close currently focused window

CTRL+W to close current browser window

CTRL+T to open new browser tab

CTRL+N to open a new browser window

CTRL+SHIFT+T to open recently closed tabs/windows

CTRL+TAB, CTRL+SHIFT+TAB to quickly navigate tabs

WIN+SHIFT+S to quickly access Microsoft’s snipping tool (particularly useful for quickly cropping a screenshot!)

Expert Shortcuts

F5 to refresh your browser window. Helpful if a page is having trouble loading, just be careful if you have already typed/entered in form information as it can be lost!

CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open your Windows task manager – useful when apps are not responsive, or your computer is having trouble processing currently running applications.

CTRL+ALT+DEL is a system interrupt that can be extremely useful when a program crashes or freezes and makes your computer unresponsive. It can override the failed program to allow you to restart the computer or access the task manager when input is otherwise not working.

ALT+R to open the Windows Run dialog box. This allows you to quickly enter various types of commands for Windows and other installed applications.

Bonus Tip

If you have a mouse with a mouse wheel, you can use CTRL+MouseWheel up/down to quickly zoom in/out on many different applications. This is helpful when you want to quickly change the zoom level for web pages, PDFs, and more!

Conclusion

Mastering Windows shortcuts is just one of the many ways to boost your productivity and efficiency. Here at Kite Technology, we’re passionate about empowering individuals and businesses to make the most of their technology. If you’re ready to streamline your operations, our Managed IT Services are here to support you every step of the way. Contact us today to schedule a conversation and discover how we can help!