We all want to save ourselves time, and that is what Windows keyboard shortcuts will do.
Keyboard shortcuts will speed up almost everything you do on your computer. However, long lists of shortcuts can quickly become overwhelming if you’re just getting started with them.
With this in mind, we have created a useful guide with some of the most commonly used Windows shortcuts to save you time with everyday tasks on your PC. If you haven’t used keyboard shortcuts previously, these will show you just how useful they can be.
Some of the shortcuts may not work with your version of Windows or will depend on the program you are using (such as Internet Explorer or Word).
| Alt + Tab | Toggle between programs |
Windows key  + D |
Go to the desktop |
| Windows key + Tab |
Show all active windows in taskbar – or cycle through Modern UI apps with Windows 8 |
| PrtScn | Save screen capture to clipboard; “paste” the image into an image editing program to save it as a file |
| Windows key |
Opens applications menu – or Start screen with Windows 10 |
| Windows key + L |
Lock your computer or switch user |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo last operation |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo last operation |
| Ctrl + O | Open file |
| Ctrl + S | Save file |
| Ctrl + W | Close active window or file |
| Ctrl + Q | Exit application |
| Ctrl + T | Open a new tab |
| Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopens the tab you last closed |
| F5 | Reload page |
| Backspace | Go to previous page |
| Ctrl + Tab | Cycle between tabs |
| Ctrl + A | Select all in active window; i.e. select all text on page |
| Ctrl + X | Cut to clipboard |
| Ctrl + C | Copy |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Ctrl + F | Find; helpful if you’re searching for a particular word on a website or document |
| Ctrl + Shift + down arrow | Select until end of line |
| Ctrl + Shift + up arrow | Select until beginning of line |
| Ctrl + Home | Move cursor to top/start of document |
| Ctrl + End | Move cursor to bottom/end of document |
A full list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 can be found here.
For more useful PC tips or to find out more about the services we provide, please contact Vantage IT.
