All the Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts you need to know

Never use your mouse again.

Windows 10 was designed with touchscreens in mind, but Microsoft hasn’t forgotten more traditional PC users. The operating system comes with plenty of built-in keyboard shortcuts — including new shortcuts for the Command Prompt — for those who prefer a physical keyboard.

Here’s a handy list of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for navigating Windows 10. You might also find it useful to know how to open programs with keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10 .

The basics

• Ctrl + A: Select all items in a window.
• Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected or highlighted item (e.g. text, images and so on).
• Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste selected or highlighted item.
• Ctrl + X: Cut selected or highlighted item.
• Ctrl + Z: Undo previous action.
• Ctrl + Y: Redo action.
• Ctrl + N: When File Explorer is your current window, open a new File Explorer window with the same folder path as the current window.
• Windows key + F1: Open «how to get help in Windows 10» Bing search in default browser.
• Alt + F4: Close the current app or window.
• Alt + Tab: Switch between open apps or windows.
• Shift + Delete: Delete selected item permanently (skip the Recycle Bin).

Start menu and taskbar

You can use these keyboard shortcuts to open, close and otherwise control the Start menu and the taskbar.

• Windows key or Ctrl + Esc: Open Start menu.
• Windows key + X: Open the secret Start menu .
• Windows key + T: Cycle through the apps (including pinned apps) on the taskbar.
• Windows key + [Number]: Open the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar. For example, if you have Edge pinned in the first position on the taskbar and you click Windows key + 1, Edge will open. If the app is already open, a new instance or window will open.
• Windows key + Alt + [Number]: Open the right-click menu for the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar.
• Windows key + D: Show or hide desktop (Windows key + , will display the desktop briefly).

The desktop: Windows, Snap Assist and virtual desktops

These shortcuts control how individual windows act on your desktop, including virtual desktops.

• Windows key + M: Minimize all open windows.
• Windows key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows.
• Windows key + Home: Minimize all windows except the selected or currently active window.
• Windows key + Up arrow: Maximize selected window.
• Windows key + Shift + Up arrow: Maximizes the active window vertically while maintaining its width.
• Windows key + Down arrow: Minimize selected window.
• Windows key + Left arrow or Right arrow: Snap selected window to the left or right half of the screen. (If the window is already there, Windows key + Up or Down will snap it into a quadrant.)
• Windows key + Shift + Left arrow or Right arrow: Move selected window to the left or right monitor.
• Windows key + Tab: Open Task view ( virtual desktops ).
• Windows key + Ctrl + D: Add new virtual desktop.
• Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow: Move to the next virtual desktop (to the right).
• Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow: Move to the previous virtual desktop (to the left).
• Windows key + Ctrl + F4: Close current virtual desktop.

The Windows key

These keyboard shortcuts use the Windows logo key to perform various tasks, such as launching both Windows and third-party apps.

• Windows key + A: Open the Action Center .
• Windows key + S: Open Cortana in text mode, so you can type in the search bar. (Windows key + Q does the same thing.)
• Windows key + C: Open Cortana in listening mode (similar to saying » Hey, Cortana «).
• Windows key + E: Open File Explorer .
• Windows key + F: Open the Windows 10 Feedback Hub.
• Windows key + Ctrl + F: Search for PCs on a network.
• Windows key + G: Open the Game bar .
• Windows key + H: Open the Share sidebar.
• Windows key + I: Open the Settings menu .
• Windows key + K: Open the Connect sidebar (for connecting to new Bluetooth devices or Miracast).
• Windows key + L: Lock your computer.
• Windows key + O: Lock screen orientation.
• Windows key + P: Open presentation or projection sidebar.
• Windows key + R: Open the Run window.
• Windows key + U: Open Ease of Access center.
• Windows key + W: open the Windows Ink Workspace for scribbling on tablets or touchscreen laptops.
• Windows key + Print Screen: Take a screenshot of the entire desktop and save it to the Screenshots folder in the Pictures folder.
• Windows key + (+) or (-): Zoom in and out with magnifier.
• Windows key + Esc: Exit magnifier.

Command Prompt

You can use these keyboard shortcuts inside the Windows 10 Command Prompt .

• Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected text to the clipboard.
• Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste copied text inside the Command Prompt.
• Ctrl + A: Select all text on current line. (If current line has no text, all text inside the Command Prompt will be selected.)
• Ctrl + Up or Down: Move screen one line up or down.
• Ctrl + F: Search Command Prompt via Find window.
• Ctrl + M: Enter Mark mode (allows you to select text with mouse). Once Mark mode is enabled, you can use the arrow keys to move the cursor around.
• Shift + Up or Down: Move cursor up or down one line and select text.
• Shift + Left or Right: Move cursor left or right one character and select text.
• Ctrl + Shift + Left or Right: Move cursor left or right one word and select text.
• Shift + Page Up or Page Down: Move cursor up or down one screen and select text.
• Shift + Home or End: Move cursor to beginning or end of current line and select text.
• Ctrl + Shift + Home/End: Move cursor to beginning or end of screen buffer and select text and beginning or end of Command Prompt’s output.

Update, July 12, 2017: This story was originally published on July 29, 2016 and has since been updated with more shortcuts.

Windows keyboard shortcuts for accessibility

Accessibility shortcuts can help you use your PC with a keyboard or assistive device.

The following is a list of keyboard shortcuts for assistive technologies in Windows 10, including Magnifier, high contrast, and others.

To see a list of keyboard shortcuts and touch gestures for Narrator in Windows 10, see Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

Windows logo key + Plus sign (+)

Turn Magnifier on

Windows logo key + Esc

Turn Magnifier off

Windows logo key + Plus sign (+) or Minus sign (-)

When Magnifier is on, zoom in or out

Ctrl + Alt + mouse scroll wheel

Zoom in and out using the mouse scroll wheel

Windows logo key + Ctrl + M

Open Magnifier settings

Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys

Pan in the direction of the arrow keys

Switch to full screen view

Switch to lens view

Switch to docked view

Cycle through views

Resize the lens with the mouse

Shift + Alt + arrow keys

Resize the lens with the keyboard

Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar

Quickly see the entire desktop when using full screen view

Magnifier reading commands

Windows logo key + Plus sign (+)

Turn Magnifier on

Start, pause, and resume reading

Modifier key + Enter

Read from mouse pointer

Modifier key + Left Mouse click

Read previous sentence

Modifier key + H

Read next sentence

Modifier key + K

For more info about Magnifier reading, see How to use Magnifier reading

Additional accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Right Shift for eight seconds

Turn Filter Keys on and off

Left Alt + left Shift + Print screen

Turn High Contrast on or off

Left Alt + left Shift + Num lock

Turn Mouse Keys on or off

Shift five times

Turn Sticky Keys on or off

Num lock for five seconds

Turn Toggle Keys on or off

Windows logo key + U

Open the Ease of Access Center

Windows logo key + Ctrl + C

Turn color filters on or off

Windows logo key + Ctrl + N

Open Narrator settings

Windows logo key + Ctrl + S

Turn on Windows Speech Recognition

Windows logo key + Ctrl + O

Turn on the On-Screen Keyboard

Additional keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts to help control Windows 8.1 with the keyboard.

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your PC easier to use.

Right Shift for eight seconds

Turn Filter Keys on and off

Left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen

Turn High Contrast on or off

Left Alt + left Shift + Num Lock

Turn Mouse Keys on or off

Shift five times

Turn Sticky Keys on or off

Num Lock for five seconds

Turn Toggle Keys on or off

Windows logo key + U

Open the Ease of Access Center

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.

Windows logo key + plus (+) or minus (-)

Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar

Preview the desktop in full-screen mode

Switch to docked mode

Switch to full-screen mode

Switch to lens mode

Resize the lens

Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys

Pan in the direction of the arrow keys

Windows logo key + Esc

Narrator keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Narrator.

Spacebar or Enter

Activate current item

Tab and arrow keys

Move around on the screen

Caps Lock + Page Up or Page Down

Increase or decrease the volume of the voice

Caps Lock + plus (+) or minus (-)

Increase or decrease the speed of the voice

Caps Lock + Spacebar

Do default action

Caps Lock + Left or Right arrows

Move to previous/next item

Show commands for current item

Press Caps Lock twice in quick succession

Turn Caps Lock on or off

Narrator touch keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Narrator on a four-point tablet.

Tap once with two fingers

Stop Narrator from reading

Tap three times with four fingers

Show all Narrator commands (including the ones not in this list)

Activate primary action

Activate secondary action

Touch or drag a single finger

Read what’s under your fingers

Flick left/right with one finger

Move to next or previous item

Swipe left/right/up/down with two fingers

Swipe down with three fingers

Start reading on explorable text

Additional keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts to help control Windows 7 with the keyboard.

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your PC easier to use.

Right Shift for eight seconds

Turn Filter Keys on and off

Left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen

Turn High Contrast on or off

Left Alt + left Shift + Num Lock

Turn Mouse Keys on or off

Shift five times

Turn Sticky Keys on or off

Num Lock for five seconds

Turn Toggle Keys on or off

Windows logo key + U

Open the Ease of Access Center

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.

Windows logo key + plus (+) or minus (-)

Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar

Preview the desktop in full-screen mode

Switch to docked mode

Switch to full-screen mode

Switch to lens mode

Resize the lens

Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys

Pan in the direction of the arrow keys

Windows logo key + Esc

Create keyboard shortcuts to open programs

You can create keyboard shortcuts to open programs. Before you get started, you need to create a shortcut for the program to which you want to assign a keyboard shortcut. To do this, open the folder that contains the program’s executable file, right-click it, and then click Create Shortcut.

For more information about creating shortcuts to programs, see Create or delete a shortcut.

Locate the shortcut to the program that you want to create a keyboard shortcut for.

Right-click the shortcut, and then click Properties.

In the Shortcut Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab.

Click in the Shortcut key box, press the key on your keyboard that you want to use in combination with Ctrl + Alt (keyboard shortcuts automatically start with Ctrl + Alt), and then click OK. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

If you’re using a program that also has a keyboard shortcut using the same key combination as the shortcut you just created, then your shortcut might not work.

The word None appears in the Shortcut key box until you press a key; then it’s replaced with Ctrl + Alt + the key that you pressed.

You can’t use the Esc, Enter, Tab, Spacebar, PrtScn, Shift, or Backspace keys to create a keyboard shortcut.