Keyboard shortcuts in Windows

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7

Select Product Version

Windows 10 

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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
Alt + F4
the active 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
F4
File Explorer.
F5 Refresh the active window.
Cycle through screen elements
F6
in a window or on the desktop.
Activate the Menu bar in the
F10
active app.
Show your password on the
Alt + F8
sign-in screen.
Cycle through items in the
Alt + Esc order in which they were
opened.
Perform the command for that
Alt + underlined letter
letter.
Display properties for the
Alt + Enter
selected item.
Open the shortcut menu for the
Alt + Spacebar
active 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
Ctrl + F4
you have multiple documents
open at the same time).
Select all items in a document
Ctrl + A
or window.
Delete the selected item and
Ctrl + D (or Delete)
move it to the Recycle Bin.
Ctrl + R (or F5) Refresh the active window.
Ctrl + Y Redo an action.
Ctrl + Right arrow
 Move the cursor to the
beginning of the next word.
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Left arrow beginning of the previous
word.
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Down arrow beginning of the next
paragraph.
Move the cursor to the
Ctrl + Up arrow beginning of the previous
paragraph.
Use the arrow keys to switch
Ctrl + Alt + Tab
between all open apps.
When a group or tile is in focus
Alt + Shift + arrow keys on the Start menu, move it in
the direction specified.
When a tile is in focus on the
Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys Start menu, move it into
another tile to create a folder.
Resize the Start menu when it's
Ctrl + arrow keys
open.
Ctrl + arrow key (to move to an Select multiple individual items
item) + Spacebar in a 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
Ctrl + Shift when multiple keyboard layouts
are available.
Turn the Chinese input method
Ctrl + Spacebar
editor (IME) on or off.
Display the shortcut menu for
Shift + F10
the 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.
Shift + Delete
 Delete the selected item
without moving it to the
Recycle Bin first.
Open the next menu to the
Right arrow
right, or open a submenu.
Open the next menu to the left,
Left arrow
or 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
PrtScn you edit your 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

 Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts
 Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
 File Explorer keyboard shortcuts
 Virtual desktops keyboard shortcuts
 Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
 Settings keyboard shortcuts

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: Jan 8, 2020

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