Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are often faster than using a mouse, and you can use them to navigate if your mouse refuses to cooperate.
Windows Key Shortcuts
Note: The Windows key (,
also called Windows Logo key or WinKey) is between the Ctrl and the Alt keys on
the lower left side of the keyboard.
|
Key Combination |
Function |
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Opens the Start menu. |
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Minimize all windows. Toggle it to restore all windows. |
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Open Windows Explorer. |
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Finds a file or folder. |
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Logs on and off Windows. |
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Minimizes all windows. |
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Undoes the minimize all windows action. |
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Opens the Print Manager. |
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Displays the Run dialog box. |
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Displays Windows help. |
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Displays the system properties. |
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Scroll down one page (in Internet Explorer). |
A few of these might not work if another program window is active.
Function Key Shortcuts
|
Key Combination |
Function |
|
F1 |
Displays help |
|
F2 |
Rename a folder. |
|
F3 |
Find files. |
Control Key Shortcuts
|
Key Combination |
Function |
|
Ctrl + F4 |
Closes the current window. |
|
Ctrl + A |
Selects all items in the active window. |
|
Ctrl + B |
Bolds selected text. |
|
Ctrl + I |
Italicizes selected text. |
|
Ctrl + U |
Underlines selected text. |
|
Ctrl + C |
Copies selected text to the Windows clipboard. |
|
Ctrl + X |
Cuts the selected text and puts it on the Windows clipboard. |
|
Ctrl + V |
Pastes from the clipboard to the current document at the insertion point. |
|
Ctrl + Z |
Undoes the last action. |
|
Ctrl + Esc |
Displays the Start menu. |
|
Ctrl + Click |
Selects items that are not necessarily adjacent. |
Shift Key Shortcuts
|
Key Combination |
Function |
|
Shift + F10 |
Displays a shortcut menu (same as a right click). |
|
Shift + Delete |
Deletes without placing item in Recycle Bin. |
|
Shift |
Press and hold while loading a CD-ROM to skip the autorun function. |
Internet Explorer Browser Shortcuts
|
|
|
|
Ctrl + B |
Opens Favorites window. |
|
Ctrl + D |
Bookmarks a page. |
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Ctrl + F |
Finds text on the current page. |
|
Ctrl + H |
Opens the History folder. |
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Ctrl + N |
Opens a new browser window. |
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Ctrl + O |
Opens the Address dialog box. |
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Ctrl + R |
Reloads or refreshes the current page. |
|
Ctrl + W |
Closes the active window. |
|
Alt+ Left Arrow |
Goes back one page. |
|
Alt + Right Arrow |
Goes forward one page if the new page has been accessed via a hyperlink click. |
|
Esc |
Halts a page that is loading. |
|
Backspace |
Goes back one page. |
|
Spacebar |
Scrolls down the page in increments. |
Note: The Alt key is used mostly with menu items and the underlined letters in each one. It toggles on and off like a light switch.
Special Characters (ANSI Character Set)
Using Alt + combinations of numbers on the numeric pad produce special characters that don’t appear on your keyboard. This is just a small sample of what’s available. You can do a search on Google or any other search engine for the ANSI Character set to find the complete list.
|
ANSI Code ALT + |
Special Character |
|
|
|
|
0162 |
¢ |
|
0169 |
© |
|
0170 |
® |
|
0188 |
¼ |
|
0189 |
½ |
|
0190 |
¾ |
|
0191 |
¿ |
|
0247 |
÷ |
The font matters. Try different fonts for more possibilities.
Windows Webdings and Wingdings
You can draw icon-sized pictures by using Webdings and Wingdings fonts and pressing the letter associated with each one.
Here are a few possibilities.
Experiment with lowercase letters.