Windows keyboard shortcuts that save you time

Posted by Andy Atkinson on September 15, 2005

Memorizing keyboard shortcuts will save you time, especially if you work in one environment for many hours each day (this article is written for a Windows environment). Some shortcuts will only give you a marginal time savings, while others will save you a lot of time when used throughout the work day. In this article I have categorized my most frequently used keyboard shortcuts. Please feel free to contact me or leave a comment with Windows keyboard shortcuts I haven't mentioned.

Some of the Windows-only shortcuts involve the “Windows key,” (located on either side of your spacebar) and are very helpful. To utilize the keyboard shortcuts that start with the Windows key, press-and-hold either of them, then press another key simultaneously. I have categorized my most frequently used keyboard shortcuts in this convenient list. Many more keyboard shortcuts exist, but these are the ones that I use daily.

Windows key (press the key itself to launch the Start menu)

  • Open Explorer: Windows+E (an Explorer window can also server as a Internet Explorer window and vice versa, just type a web address in the location bar)
  • Open Run window: Windows+R (for quick command-prompt access: Windows+R, type: 'cmd' then press [ENTER])
  • Windows logout/lock: Windows+L or Windows+Shift+L
  • Minimize all windows (show desktop)/Maximize: Windows+M / Windows+Shift+M...you can accomplish similar results with Windows+D
  • System Settings: Windows+Pause/Break (this is convenient if you need to set environment variables or frequently check the Device Manager)

Moving between windows

We all know Alt+Tab, but do you use Ctrl+Tab? When moving between windows in an application that supports tabs (Firefox, TextPad, many more), use Ctrl+Tab to move between windows. Another very common task is to close windows, which is easily accomplished with Alt+F4. To close a specific tab, try Ctrl+F4.

Editing

The Tab key is your friend. Want to indent a chunk of text? There is a good chance you can change the indentation with the tab key. This won't work in all applications however.

Highlight what you want and hit the Tab key. Want to move text to the left? Select the text and use Shift+Tab. Want to select an entire row? If you want to select text to the left, use Shift+Home, if you want to select text to the right, use Shift+End.

We all know Ctrl+X for Cut and Ctrl+C for copy, but did you know Ctrl+Z for Undo (step backward through changes) and Ctrl+Y for Redo (step forward through changes)? In Programs like Photoshop, you can step backward through more than one change with Alt+Ctrl+Z.

Firefox

In Firefox, you already know how to open and close tabs. Try using Ctrl+1 or Ctrl+2, etc., to jump to a specific tab. This works on a Mac with the command key as well. Hit Ctrl+L to jump to the location bar (where you type a URL in).

Launching programs from the Run window

Some of the built-in Windows programs like Paint or Calculator are many levels deep in the Start menu. To access them quickly, press Windows+R to bring up the Run window, and type any of the following then press enter:

  • mspaint
  • iexplore (Internet Explorer)
  • calc (Calculator)
  • notepad (Notepad)

More Keyboard Shortcuts

About the author(s)

Andy started Pain in the Tech in 2005 as a way to share tips and tutorials with friends and family, and evangelize great products and services. By 2008, Pain in the Tech had 7 contributors, thousands of daily page views. Site ownership was transitioned to Matt Thommes in 2008.

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