This article lists keyboard shortcuts that
you can use with Windows.
More information
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