Windows system key combinations
F1: Help
CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
ALT+TAB: Switch between open
programs
ALT+F4: Quit program
SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item
permanently
Windows Logo+L: Lock the computer
(without using CTRL+ALT+DELETE)
Windows program key combinations
CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+V: Paste
CTRL+Z: Undo
CTRL+B: Bold
CTRL+U: Underline
CTRL+I: Italic
Mouse click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects
SHIFT+right click: Displays a
shortcut menu containing alternative commands
SHIFT+double click: Runs the
alternate default command (the second item on the menu)
ALT+double click: Displays
properties
SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item
immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin
General keyboard-only commands
F1: Starts Windows Help
F10: Activates menu bar options
SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for
the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object
CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start
menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)
CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start
button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC: Opens Windows Task
Manager
ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down
list box
ALT+TAB: Switch to another running
program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching
window)
SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT
key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature
ALT+SPACE: Displays the main
window’s System menu (from the System menu, you can restore,
move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)
ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the
Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window’s System menu (from the
MDI child window’s System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize,
maximize, or close the child window)
CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window
of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
ALT+underlined letter in menu:
Opens the menu
ALT+F4: Closes the current window
CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple
Document Interface (MDI) window
ALT+F6: Switch between multiple
windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog
box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the
main Notepad window)
Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts
For a selected object:
F2: Rename object
F3: Find all files
CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+V: Paste
SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection
immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin
ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for
the selected object
To copy a file
Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to
another folder.
To create a shortcut
Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the
desktop or a folder.
General folder/shortcut control
F4: Selects the Go To A Different
Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active
in Windows Explorer)
F5: Refreshes the current window.
F6: Moves among panes in Windows
Explorer
CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool
(in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
CTRL+A: Select all the items in the
current window
BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent
folder
SHIFT+click+Close button: For
folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders
Windows Explorer tree control
Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything
under the current selection
Numeric Keypad +: Expands the
current selection
Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the
current selection.
RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current
selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child
LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current
selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent
Properties control
CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move
through the property tabs
Accessibility shortcuts
Press SHIFT five times: Toggles
StickyKeys on and off
Press down and hold the right SHIFT
key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off
Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key
for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK:
Toggles MouseKeys on and off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN:
Toggles high contrast on and off
Microsoft Natural Keyboard keys
Windows Logo: Start menu
Windows Logo+R: Run dialog
box
Windows Logo+M: Minimize all
SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize
all
Windows Logo+F1: Help
Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer
Windows Logo+F: Find files or
folders
Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open
windows and displays the desktop
CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer
CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus
from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or
LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system
tray)
Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through
taskbar buttons
Windows Logo+Break: System
Properties dialog box
Application key: Displays a shortcut
menu for the selected item
Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software
installed
Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows
Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager
Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel
Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard
Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard
Properties dialog box
Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse
Properties dialog box
Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility
Options (if installed)
Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the
list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys
Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on
and off
Dialog box keyboard commands
TAB: Move to the next control in the
dialog box
SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous
control in the dialog box
SPACEBAR: If the current control is
a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this
toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the
option.
ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the
selected button (the button with the outline)
ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel
button
ALT+underlined letter in dialog
box item: Move to the corresponding item
