The Most Useful Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts
Updated: Feb. 03, 2022
Control everything on your computer faster and easier with these Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.
Most of us know how to control tasks on our computer using our mouse, but there’s a much faster way. Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts make things happen with just a tap on the keyboard. Here are shortcuts for everything from taking a screenshot to controlling your taskbar.
Got an Apple computer? You’ll want to know these Mac keyboard shortcuts.
New Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts
While some Windows shortcuts have been around as long as Microsoft Windows, some are new and exclusive to Windows 10. Here’s what they are and how to use them:
| COMMAND | ACTION |
| Windows key + S | Opens Cortana, Windows’ virtual assistant (similar to Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa) |
| Windows key + C | Open Cortana’s listening mode |
| Windows key + A | Open the Action Center to view your latest emails, alerts, and notifications |
| Windows key + the arrow keys | Since Windows 7, you’ve been able to look at two applications side-by-side on the screen using this Windows shortcut. A new addition to Windows 10 is that you can now use the up and down arrow keys to move applications to the top and bottom of your monitor |
| Windows key + CTRL + D | Create a “virtual desktop” or second desktop |
| Windows key + I | Open Window Settings |
| Windows key + X | Open Quick Link, a hidden menu. From there you can access power options, the Device Manager, system settings, and more |
| Windows key + Tab | View all your open applications at once. Scroll through the applications using the arrow keys and choose to make an application full-screen by tapping Enter |
Find out why keyboard letters aren’t in alphabetical order.
File Explorer shortcuts for Windows 10
Open File Explorer by using the shortcut Windows key + E. When you’re using File Explorer, you’ll want to know these shortcuts that can help you sort, find, delete, and more much faster:
| COMMAND | ACTION |
| CTRL + E | Select the search box |
| CTRL + F (or F3) | Start a search |
| CTRL + L | Put the cursor in the address bar |
| Alt + D | Select text in the address bar |
| CTRL + Shift + E | Expand all the folders in the navigation pane on the left |
| Alt + right arrow key | View the next folder |
| Alt + left arrow key (or Backspace) | View the previous folder |
| Alt + up arrow | Move up a level in the folder path |
| CTRL + Shift + N | Create a new folder |
| CTRL + N | Open a new window |
| CTRL + W | Close a window |
| Alt + Enter | Open the properties of a selected file |
| End | Scroll to the end of the window |
| Home key | Scroll to the top of the window |
| F5 | Refresh the screen |
| F11 | Open Full Screen mode |
| CTRL + scrolling the mouse wheel | Change the file and folder view |
| Alt + P | Display the preview panel |
Taskbar shortcuts for Windows 10
The taskbar on Windows 10 already saves a lot of time, but you can make it even faster with these shortcuts:
| COMMAND | ACTION |
| Windows key + T | Highlight the first app on the taskbar. From there, use the arrow keys to scroll through the apps and hit Enter to open an app |
| Windows key + B | Highlight the first item in the Notification Area. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the items and hit Enter to open an item. Tap Shift + F10 to open a menu for the item |
| Windows key + a number key | Open an application on the taskbar that corresponds with the number on the taskbar lineup |
| Shift + Windows key + a number | Open the application again, when it is still running. You can use this trick to open more than one browser window |
| CTRL + Windows key + a number | Open the application that most recently used that number open |
| Alt + Windows key + a number | Open the application’s menu or “jumplist” |
Command Prompt shortcuts for Windows 10
Open the Command Prompt by tapping the Windows button + R. This will open the “Run” box. You can then type “cmd” into the Run box and hit Enter to open the regular Command Prompt. Once you have Command Prompt open, you can use these shortcuts:
| COMMAND | ACTION |
| CTRL + End | Scroll to the bottom |
| CTRL + Home | Scroll to the top |
| CTRL + A | Select all of the text in the line you’re on |
| Page Down | Move the cursor down a page |
| Page Up | Move the cursor up a page |
| Right or left arrow keys | Move the cursor left or right |
| Up or down arrow keys | Cycle through command history |
| CTRL + up arrow key | Move the screen up one line |
| CTRL + down arrow key | Move the screen down one line |
| CTRL + C (or CTRL + Insert) | Copy selected items to the clipboard |
| CTRL + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste content from clipboard |
| CTRL + M | Starts mark mode |
| CTRL + F | Open search |
How to see all of the keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10
There are many more shortcuts for Microsoft Windows 10—Don’t miss our Windows Keyboard Shortcuts cheat sheet. Plus, check out these Word shortcuts that’ll help you save time.
Originally Published: January 20, 2021
