Windows OS Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can make you a power user if you can do it flawlessly however, if you tried to do it without practice you may delete something accidentally.

Here are some keyboard shortcuts that you can use everyday when using the computer.

This tip is only confined in windows OS.


Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

• NUM LOCK + Asterick Sign(*) : Display all the subfolders under the current folder.
• NUM LOCK + PLUS Sign(+) : Display the content under the selected folder.
• NUM LOCK + Minus Sign(-) : Collapse the current selection.

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

• Left ALT + left SHIFT + PrintScreen: High Resolution on/off.
• Left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK: Switch Mouse keys on/off.
• CTRL + Windows Logo + F : Look for computers on network.
• CTRL + SHIFT + TAB : Move backward through the tabs
• ALT + ESC : Cycle through items in order they had been opened.
• SHIFT + F10 : Display shortcut menu for the selected item.
• CTRL + ESC : Display start menu.
• F10 Key : Activate Menu bar in active program.

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
• CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu
• CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button
• ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box
• ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program
• ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu
• ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface
• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface
• 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

Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts

• F2: Rename object
• F3: Find all files
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+C: Copy
• CTRL+V: Paste
• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving 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
• 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
• LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded

Properties control

• CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs