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Saeid Javadi
Saeid Javadi

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The Best Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Best Windows Shortcuts on Your Keyboard

Copy selected content (Ctrl + C can also abort commands):

Ctrl + C
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Paste copied content:

Ctrl + V
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Paste unformatted content:

Ctrl + Shift + V
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Delete and copy selected content (good for moving text, files, etc.):

Ctrl + X
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Select all available content in focus:

Ctrl + A
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Undo the previous action:

Ctrl + Z
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Redo the previous action:

Ctrl + Y
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Save what you're working on:

Ctrl + S
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Open a new file:

Ctrl + O
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Open the print dialog box:

Ctrl + P
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Open the search tool to find something on the page:

Ctrl + F
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Refresh the contents on the screen (only F5 works in some cases):

Ctrl + R
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Close the active program:

Alt + F4
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Enter full-screen mode:

F11
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Stop or close a prompt or process:

Esc
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating Windows

Lock your user account:

Win + L
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Open File Explorer:

Win + E
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Open Windows Settings:

Win + i
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Move focus to the navigation bar to edit or copy the folder path:

Alt + D
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Go to the folder the current folder is stored in:

Alt + Up
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Show your password on the sign-in screen:

Alt + F8
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Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del works, too):

Ctrl + Shift + Esc
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Open the Run dialog box to run commands:

Win + R
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Quickly switch to the desktop:

Win + D
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Open the selected item's Properties window:

Alt + [Enter or double-click]
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Add a Virtual Desktop:

Win + Ctrl + D
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Switch to the virtual desktop on the left or right:

Win + Ctrl + [Left or Right]
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Show All Open Desktops:

WIN + Tab
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Close Current Virtual Desktop:

WIN + Ctrl + F4
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Select noncontiguous items (like files or folders):

Ctrl + Click
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A possible fix for when your screen is black:

Win + Ctrl + Shift + B
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Select every item between the first and last select items:

Shift + Click
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Permanently delete a file or folder (it skips the Recycle Bin):

Shift + Del
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Switch to the last used window:

Alt + Tab
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Snap the active window to one side of the screen:

Win + [Arrow]
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Rename the selected file or folder:

F2
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Open the Power User Menu:

Win + X
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Open a new instance of that app:

Shift + Click Taskbar Icon
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Launch that item from the taskbar:

Win + [number]
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Make a new folder:

Ctrl + Shift + N
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Open the Windows About page:

Win + Pause
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Screenshots

Screenshot just the active window:

Alt + PrtScn
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Auto-save full-screen screenshot to Pictures > Screenshots:

Win + PrtScn
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Choose a part of the screen to make a screenshot:

Win + Shift + S
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Text Manipulation

Bold the selected text:

Ctrl + B
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Italicize the selected text:

Ctrl + i
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Underline the selected text:

Ctrl + U
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Insert a hyperlink into the selected text:

Ctrl + K
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Open the Find and Replace tool (confirmed in MS Word and Google Docs):

Ctrl + H
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Pick an arrow key with this shortcut to quickly highlight a whole word or paragraph:

Shift + Ctrl + [Arrow]
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Highlight everything from the cursor to the beginning or end of the line:

Shift + [Home or End]
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Delete the word to the right of the cursor:

Ctrl + Del
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Web Browsers

Open a new tab:

Ctrl + T
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Reopen the most recently closed tab:

Ctrl + Shift + T
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Close the active tab:

Ctrl + W
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Open the link in a new tab:

Ctrl + [Link]
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View your web browsing history:

Ctrl + H
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View recent or active downloads:

Ctrl + J
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Start a search using the default search engine:

Ctrl + E
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Jump to the tab in that position from the left (e.g., Ctrl + 4):

Ctrl + [number]
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Open the options to delete browsing data:

Ctrl + Shift + Del
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Go back or forward a page:

Alt + [Left or Right]
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Adjust the size of the text (scroll up with the mouse to increase the size):

Ctrl + [Zoom]
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Add .com to the end of the text in the address bar, and then visit the page:

Ctrl + Enter
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Refresh the page, but skip the cache:

Ctrl + F5
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Open LinkedIn (or Teams, Word Online):

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Win + L
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