On Windows 10, the system offers a slew of keyboard shortcuts to help you quickly navigate and perform actions using one or multiple key combos, which otherwise would take many more clicks and time to complete the task with the mouse.
Although the operating system has a long list of shortcuts, you don't need to learn every one of them. You only need to remember those that will help you make your workflow easier and help you finish tasks faster.
In this how-to guide, I'll outline the most helpful keyboard shortcuts for navigating and operating the desktop and apps. You can also check out these additional shortcuts for Windows 11.
Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts
This comprehensive list includes the most helpful keyboard shortcuts to perform tasks on Windows 10.
Essential shortcuts
In this list, I'm including the most essential keyboard shortcuts anyone should know on Windows 10:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select all content. |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste content from clipboard. |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo an action, including undelete files (limited). |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo an action. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create new folder on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Alt + F4 | Close active window. (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears.) |
| Ctrl + D (Del) | Delete selected item to the Recycle Bin. |
| Shift + Delete | Delete the selected item permanently, skipping Recycle Bin. |
| F2 | Rename selected item. |
| Esc | Close current task. |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps. |
| PrtScn | Take a screenshot and stores it in the clipboard. |
| Windows key + I | Open Settings app. |
| Windows key + E | Open File Explorer. |
| Windows key + A | Open Action center. |
| Windows key + D | Display and hide the desktop. |
| Windows key + L | Lock device. |
| Windows key + V | Open Clipboard bin. |
| Windows key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;) | Open emoji panel. |
| Windows key + PrtScn | Capture a full screenshot in the "Screenshots" folder. |
| Windows key + Shift + S | Capture part of the screen with Snip & Sketch. |
| Windows key + Left arrow key | Snap app or window left. |
| Windows key + Right arrow key | Snap app or window right. |
Desktop shortcuts
You can use these keyboard shortcuts to open, close, navigate, and perform tasks faster throughout the desktop experience, including the Start menu, Taskbar, Settings, and more.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows key (or Ctrl + Esc) | Open Start menu. |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys | Change Start menu size. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager. |
| Ctrl + Shift | Switch keyboard layout. |
| Alt + F4 | Close active window. (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears.) |
| Ctrl + F5 (or Ctrl + R) | Refresh current window. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Tab | View open apps. |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys (to select) + Spacebar | Select multiple items on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Alt + Underlined letter | Runs command for the underlined letter in apps. |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps while pressing Tab multiple times. |
| Alt + Left arrow key | Go back. |
| Alt + Right arrow key | Go forward. |
| Alt + Page Up | Move up one screen. |
| Alt + Page Down | Move down one screen. |
| Alt + Esc | Cycle through open windows. |
| Alt + Spacebar | Open context menu for the active window. |
| Alt + F8 | Reveals typed password in Sign-in screen. |
| Shift + Click app button | Open another instance of an app from the Taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Click app button | Run app as administrator from the Taskbar. |
| Shift + Right-click app button | Show window menu for the app from the Taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Click a grouped app button | Cycle through windows in the group from the Taskbar. |
| Shift + Right-click grouped app button | Show window menu for the group from the Taskbar. |
| Ctrl + Left arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word. |
| Ctrl + Right arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word. |
| Ctrl + Up arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph |
| Ctrl + Down arrow key | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Arrow key | Select block of text. |
| Ctrl + Spacebar | Enable or disable Chinese IME. |
| Shift + F10 | Open context menu for selected item. |
| F10 | Enable app menu bar. |
| Shift + Arrow keys | Select multiple items. |
| Windows key + X | Open Quick Link menu. |
| Windows key + Number (0-9) | Open the app in number position from the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + T | Cycle through apps in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Alt + Number (0-9) | Open Jump List of the app in number position from the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + D | Display and hide the desktop. |
| Windows key + M | Minimize all windows. |
| Windows key + Shift + M | Restore minimized windows on the desktop. |
| Windows key + Home | Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window. |
| Windows key + Shift + Up arrow key | Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen. |
| Windows key + Shift + Down arrow key | Maximize or minimize active desktop windows vertically while maintaining width. |
| Windows key + Shift + Left arrow key | Move active window to monitor on the left. |
| Windows key + Shift + Right arrow key | Move active window to monitor on the right. |
| Windows key + Left arrow key | Snap app or window left. |
| Windows key + Right arrow key | Snap app or window right. |
| Windows key + S (or Q) | Open Search. |
| Windows key + Alt + D | Open date and time in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Tab | Open Task View. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + D | Create new virtual desktop. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + F4 | Close active virtual desktop. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow | Switch to the virtual desktop on the right. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow | Switch to the virtual desktop on the left. |
| Windows key + P | Open Project settings. |
| Windows key + A | Open Action center. |
| Windows key + I | Open Settings app. |
| Backspace | Return to the Settings app home page. |
File Explorer shortcuts
On Windows 10, these are the most useful keyboard shortcuts you can use on File Explorer:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows key + E | Open File Explorer. |
| Alt + D | Select address bar. |
| Ctrl + E (or F) | Select search box. |
| Ctrl + N | Open new window. |
| Ctrl + W | Close active window. |
| Ctrl + F (or F3) | Start search. |
| Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel | Change view file and folder. |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Expands all folders from the tree in the navigation pane. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Creates a new folder on desktop or File Explorer. |
| Ctrl + L | Focus on the address bar. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Number (1-8) | Changes folder view. |
| Alt + P | Display preview panel. |
| Alt + Enter | Open Properties settings for the selected item. |
| Alt + Right arrow key | View next folder. |
| Alt + Left arrow key (or Backspace) | View previous folder. |
| Alt + Up arrow | Move up a level in the folder path. |
| F11 | Switch active window full-screen mode. |
| F2 | Rename selected item. |
| F4 | Switch focus to address bar. |
| F5 | Refresh File Explorer's current view. |
| F6 | Cycle through elements on the screen. |
| Home | Scroll to the top of the window. |
| End | Scroll to the bottom of the window. |
Settings page shortcuts
This list includes the keyboard shortcuts for the dialog box legacy settings pages (for example, Folder Options).
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Tab | Cycles forward through the tabs. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Cycles back through the tabs. |
| Ctrl + number of tab | Jumps to tab position. |
| Tab | Moves forward through the settings. |
| Shift + Tab | Moves back through the settings. |
| Alt + underline letter | Actions the setting identified by the letter. |
| Spacebar | Checks or clears the option in focus. |
| Backspace | Opens the folder one-level app in the Open or Save As dialog. |
| Arrow keys | Select a button of the active setting. |
Command Prompt shortcuts
On Command Prompt, you can use these keyboard shortcuts will help to work more efficiently and save time:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + A | Select all content of the current line. |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy selected items to clipboard. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste content from clipboard. |
| Ctrl + M | Starts mark mode. |
| Ctrl + Up arrow key | Move the screen up one line. |
| Ctrl + Down arrow key | Move screen down one line. |
| Ctrl + F | Open search for Command Prompt. |
| Left or right arrow keys | Move the cursor left or right in the current line. |
| Up or down arrow keys | Cycle through the command history of the current session. |
| Page Up | Move cursor one page up. |
| Page Down | Move cursor one page down. |
| Ctrl + Home | Scroll to the top of the console. |
| Ctrl + End | Scroll to the bottom of the console. |
Microsoft Edge shortcuts
On Microsoft Edge, you will benefit from these keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts apply to any version of Windows.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + B | Show or hide the favorites bar. |
| Alt + Shift + B | Focus on the first item in the favorites bar. |
| Ctrl + D | Save the tab as a favorite. |
| Ctrl + Shift + D | Save open tabs as favorites inside a new folder. |
| Alt + D (or Ctrl + L or F4) | Select the URL in the address bar to edit. |
| Ctrl + E (or Ctrl + K) | Start search in the address bar. |
| Alt + E (or Alt + F or F10 + Enter) | Open the Settings (three-dotted) menu. |
| Ctrl + F (or F3) | Open the Find on page feature. |
| Ctrl + G | Cycle through search matches in the Find Bar. |
| Ctrl + Shift + G | Reverse cycle through search matches in the Find Bar. |
| Ctrl + H | Open the History page in a new tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + I (or F12) | Open Developer Tools console. |
| Alt + Shift + I | Open the Send feedback experience. |
| Ctrl + J | Open the Downloads page in a new tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + K | Create a duplicate of the tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + L | Paste and search or Paste and go. |
| Ctrl + M | Mute the current tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + M | Sign in as a different user in the browser or use Guest user. |
| Ctrl + N | Open a new tab in a new window. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new InPrivate window. |
| Ctrl + O | Launch Open dialog. |
| Ctrl + Shift + O | Open Favorites management page. |
| Ctrl + P | Print the current page. |
| Ctrl + Shift + P | Open print settings to print page. |
| Ctrl + R (or F5) | Reload the current page. |
| Ctrl + Shift + R (or Shift + F5) | Reload the page, ignoring cached content. |
| Ctrl + S | Save loaded page. |
| Ctrl + T | Open a new tab and switch to new tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the last closed tab and switch to the tab. |
| Alt + Shift + T | Focus on the first item in the toolbar. |
| Ctrl + U | View page source code. |
| Ctrl + Shift + U | Controls Read Aloud feature. |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste without including formatting. |
| Ctrl + W (or Ctrl + F4) | Close the current tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + W | Close the current window and tabs. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Y | Open Collections feature. |
| Ctrl + 0 | Reset zoom level setting. |
| Ctrl + 1, 2, ... 8 | Switch to a specific open tab. |
| Ctrl + 9 | Switch to the last tab of the window. |
| Ctrl + Enter | Add "www." to the link you typed. |
| Ctrl + Tab (or Ctrl + PgDn) | Switch to the next open tab. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Switch to the previous open tab. |
| Ctrl + Plus (+) | Zoom in. |
| Ctrl + Minus (-) | Zoom out. |
| Ctrl + \ (PDF) | Toggle PDF between fit to page or fit to width. |
| Ctrl + [ (PDF) | Rotate PDF counter-clockwise 90 degree. |
| Ctrl + ] (PDF) | Rotate PDF clockwise 90 degree. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Delete | Open clear browsing data options. |
| Alt (or F10) | Focus on the Settings (three-dotted) button. |
| Alt + Left arrow | Go back. |
| Alt + Right arrow | Go forward. |
| Alt + Home | Open home page. |
| Alt + F4 | Close the current window. |
| F1 | Open Help page. |
| F6 | Switch focus to the next pane. |
| Shift + F6 | Switch focus to the previous pane. |
| F7 | Enable or disable caret browsing. |
| F9 | Enter or exit Immersive Reader. |
| Shift + F10 | Open browser context menu. |
| F11 | Enter fullscreen. |
| Esc | Stop loading page, close dialog, or close pop-up. |
| Spacebar (or PgDn) | Scroll down the webpage one screen at a time. |
| Shift + Spacebar (or PgUp) | Scroll up the webpage one screen at a time. |
| Tab | Go to the next tab stop. |
| Shift + Tab | Go to the previous tab stop |
| Home | Scroll to the top of the page, or move keyboard focus to the first item of the pane. |
| End | Scroll to the bottom of the page, or move keyboard focus to the last item of the pane. |
| Ctrl + Shift + . (period) | Opens or closes Copilot |
| Ctrl + Shift + , (comma) | Open or closes vertical tabs |
| Ctrl + Shift + S | Open Web capture |
| Ctrl + Q | Opens Command palette |
| Shift + Esc | Opens Browser task manager |
| Alt + Shift + I | Opens Send feedback |
Windows key shortcuts
The "Windows key," combined with other keys, allows you to perform many useful tasks, such as launching Settings, File Explorer, the Run command, apps pinned in the Taskbar, or opening specific features like Narrator or Magnifier. You can also complete tasks like managing windows and virtual desktops, taking screenshots, locking the account, and more.
This list includes all the most common keyboard shortcuts using the Windows key.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Keyboard shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows key | Open Start menu. |
| Windows key + A | Open Action center. |
| Windows key + S (or Q) | Open Search. |
| Windows key + D | Display and hide the desktop. |
| Windows key + L | Locks computer. |
| Windows key + M | Minimize all windows. |
| Windows key + B | Set focus notification area in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + C | Launch Cortana app. |
| Windows key + F | Launch Feedback Hub app. |
| Windows key + G | Launch Game bar app. |
| Windows key + Y | Change input between desktop and Mixed Reality. |
| Windows key + O | Lock device orientation. |
| Windows key + T | Cycle through apps in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Z | Switch input between the desktop experience and Windows Mixed Reality. |
| Windows key + J | Set focus on a tip for Windows 10 when applicable. |
| Windows key + H | Open dictation feature. |
| Windows key + E | Open File Explorer. |
| Windows key + I | Open Settings. |
| Windows key + R | Open Run command. |
| Windows key + K | Open Connect settings. |
| Windows key + X | Open Quick Link menu. |
| Windows key + V | Open Clipboard bin. |
| Windows key + W | Open the Windows Ink Workspace. |
| Windows key + U | Open Ease of Access settings. |
| Windows key + P | Open Project settings. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Enter | Open Narrator. |
| Windows key + Plus (+) | Zoom in using the magnifier. |
| Windows key + Minus (-) | Zoom out using the magnifier. |
| Windows key + Esc | Exit magnifier. |
| Windows key + Forward-slash (/) | Start IME reconversion. |
| Windows key + Comma (,) | Temporarily peek at the desktop. |
| Windows key + Up arrow key | Maximize app windows. |
| Windows key + Down arrow key | Minimize app windows. |
| Windows key + Home | Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window. |
| Windows key + Shift + M | Restore minimized windows on the desktop. |
| Windows key + Shift + Up arrow key | Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen. |
| Windows key + Shift + Down arrow key | Maximize or minimize active windows vertically while maintaining width. |
| Windows key + Shift + Left arrow key | Move active window to monitor on the left. |
| Windows key + Shift + Right arrow key | Move active window to monitor on the right. |
| Windows key + Left arrow key | Snap app or window left. |
| Windows key + Right arrow key | Snap app or window right. |
| Windows key + Number (0-9) | Open the app in number position in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Shift + Number (0-9) | Open another app instance in the number position in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Number (0-9) | Switch to the last active window of the app in the number position in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Alt + Number (0-9) | Open Jump List of the app in number position in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + Number (0-9) | Open another instance as an administrator of the app in the number position in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Spacebar | Change previous selected input option. |
| Windows key + Spacebar | Change keyboard layout and input language. |
| Windows key + Tab | Open Task View. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + D | Create a virtual desktop. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + F4 | Close active virtual desktop. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow | Switch to the virtual desktop on the right. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow | Switch to the virtual desktop on the left. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B | Wake up the device when black or a blank screen. |
| Windows key + PrtScn | Capture a full screenshot in the "Screenshots" folder. |
| Windows key + Shift + S | Create part of the screen screenshot. |
| Windows key + Shift + V | Cycle through notifications. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + F | Open search for the device on a domain network. |
| Windows key + Ctrl + Q | Open Quick Assist. |
| Windows key + Alt + D | Open date and time in the Taskbar. |
| Windows key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;) | Open emoji panel. |
| Windows key + Pause | Show System Properties dialog box. |
It's important to note that specific Windows features and other third-party apps like Google Chrome, Firefox, Adobe Photoshop, and many others also have keyboard shortcuts. In this case, you want to check the software vendor documentation to learn more about them.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
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