Windows keyboard shortcuts overview

Use shortcut keys as an alternative to the mouse when working in Windows. You can open, close, and navigate the Start menu, desktop, menus, dialog boxes, and Web pages using keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts may also make it easier for you to interact with your computer.

Click a heading, or press TAB to highlight a heading, and then press ENTER.

General keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
CTRL+C	Copy.
CTRL+X	Cut.
CTRL+V	Paste.
CTRL+Z	Undo.
DELETE	Delete.
SHIFT+DELETE	Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.
CTRL while dragging an item	Copy selected item.
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item	Create shortcut to selected item.
F2	Rename selected item.
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Highlight a block of text.
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.
CTRL+A	Select all.
F3	Search for a file or folder.
ALT+ENTER	View properties for the selected item.
ALT+F4	Close the active item, or quit the active program.
ALT+Enter	Displays the properties of the selected object.
ALT+SPACEBAR	Opens the shortcut menu for the active window.
CTRL+F4	Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
ALT+TAB	Switch between open items.
ALT+ESC	Cycle through items in the order they were opened.
F6	Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
F4	Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
SHIFT+F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
ALT+SPACEBAR	Display the System menu for the active window.
CTRL+ESC	Display the Start menu.
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name	Display the corresponding menu.
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu	Carry out the corresponding command.
F10	Activate the menu bar in the active program.
RIGHT ARROW	Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
LEFT ARROW	Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
F5	Refresh the active window.
BACKSPACE	View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
ESC	Cancel the current task.
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive	Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
CTRL+TAB	Move forward through tabs.
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB	Move backward through tabs.
TAB	Move forward through options.
SHIFT+TAB	Move backward through options.
ALT+Underlined letter	Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.
ENTER	Carry out the command for the active option or button.
SPACEBAR	Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.
Arrow keys	Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.
F1	Display Help.
F4	Display the items in the active list.
BACKSPACE	Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.

Natural keyboard shortcuts

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts with a Microsoft Natural Keyboard or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key () and the Application key ().

Press	To
	Display or hide the Start menu.
+BREAK	Display the System Properties dialog box.
+D	Show the desktop.
+M	Minimize all windows.
+Shift+M	Restores minimized windows.
+E	Open My Computer.
+F	Search for a file or folder.
CTRL+ +F	Search for computers.
+F1	Display Windows Help.
+ L	Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain.
+R	Open the Run dialog box.
	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
+U	Open Utility Manager.

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
Right SHIFT for eight seconds	Switch FilterKeys on and off.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN	Switch High Contrast on and off.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK	Switch MouseKeys on and off.
SHIFT five times	Switch StickyKeys on and off.
NUM LOCK for five seconds	Switch ToggleKeys on and off.
+U	Open Utility Manager.

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
END	Display the bottom of the active window.
HOME	Display the top of the active window.
NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)	Display all subfolders under the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)	Display the contents of the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)	Collapse the selected folder.
LEFT ARROW	Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.
RIGHT ARROW	Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.

Notes

• You must associate a password with your user account to secure it from unauthorized access. If you do not have a password associated with your user account, pressing the +L will not prevent other users from accessing your account information.
• Some keyboard shortcuts may not work if StickyKeys is turned on in Accessibility Options.
• If you are connected to Windows through Microsoft Terminal Services Client, some shortcuts have changed. For more information, see the online documentation for Terminal Services Client.

To copy a file or folder

1. Open My Documents.

If the file or folder you want to copy is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it. To open Search, click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.

2. Click the file or folder you want to copy.
3. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file or Copy this folder.
4. In Copy Items, select the drive or folder you want to copy to, and then click Copy.

To copy a file or folder to a floppy disk

1. Insert the floppy disk into the disk drive.
2. Open My Documents.

If the file or folder you want to copy is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it. To open Search, click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.

3. Click the file or folder you want to copy.
4. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file or Copy this folder.
5. In Copy Items, click 3 1/2 Floppy (A:), and then click Copy.

To delete a file or folder

1. Open My Documents.

If the file or folder you want to delete is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it. To open Search, click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.

2. Click the file or folder you want to delete.
3. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Delete this file or Delete this folder.

To create a new folder

1. Open My Documents.
2. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Make a new folder.

A new folder is displayed with the default name, New Folder, selected.

3. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.

To make a shortcut in a folder

1. Open My Documents.

If the folder where you want to place the shortcut is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it. To open Search, click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.

2. Double-click the folder where you want to place the shortcut.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
4. Follow the instructions in the Create Shortcut Wizard.

To move an encrypted file or folder

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Click the encrypted file or folder that you want to move.
3. On the Edit menu, click Cut.
4. Open the folder where you want to move the file or folder.
5. On the Edit menu, click Paste.

To change the name of a file or folder

1. Open My Documents.

If the file or folder you want to rename is not located in My Documents or its subfolders, use Search to find it. To open Search, click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.

2. Click the file or folder you want to rename.
3. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Rename this file or Rename this folder.
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER.

Notes

• To open My Documents, double-click the My Documents icon on your desktop.
• Some programs cannot interpret long file names. The limit for programs that do not support long file names is eight characters. File names cannot contain the following characters:
  \ / : * ? " < > |.
• You can also rename a file or folder by right-clicking it and then clicking Rename.
• The names of system folders such as Documents and Settings, Windows, or System32 cannot be changed. They are required for Windows to run properly.

To set installable options for a printer

To change printer options, you must have the Manage Printers permission, which is one of several printer permissions. For more information, click Related Topics.

1. Open Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the printer you want to set options for, and then click Properties.
3. On the Device Settings tab, double-click Installable Options to see the options, and then click any option to set it.

Installable options include: printing on both sides of a page (duplex unit), using an envelope feeder, configuring multiple bin mailbox trays, and stapling printed documents.

Sorting a file
The following command reads the file Expenses.txt, sorts it in reverse order, and displays it on your screen:
Sort /r expenses.txt
Sorting the output from a command
To search a large file named Maillist.txt for the text "Jones," and to sort the results of the search, use the pipe (|) to direct the output of a find command to the sort command, as follows:
find "Jones" maillist.txt | sort
The command produces a sorted list of lines that contain the specified text.
Sorting keyboard input
To sort keyboard input and display the results alphabetically on the screen, you can first use the sort command with no parameters, as follows:

sort

Then type the text you want sorted, pressing ENTER at the end of each line. When you have finished typing text, press CTRL+Z, and then press ENTER. The sort command displays the text you typed, sorted alphabetically.
You can also redirect sorted keyboard input to a file. For more information, click redirect in the Related Topics list.

Formatting legend

Format	Meaning
Italic	Information that the user must supply
Bold	Elements that the user must type exactly as shown
Ellipsis (...)	Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command line
Between brackets ([])	Optional items
Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example: {even|odd}	Set of choices from which the user must choose only one
Courier font	Code or program output

To use a picture as a desktop background

1. Open My Pictures.
2. Click the picture you want to use as a desktop background.
3. Under Picture Tasks, click Set as desktop background.

Date and Time

You can use Date and Time to change the computer's date, time, or clock synchronization.

To start using Date and Time, do any of the following:

• Open Date and Time Properties.
• Open Date and Time Help.