Keyboard shortcuts

Applies to Windows 10

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of two or more keys that perform a task that would typically require a mouse or other pointing device. Keyboard shortcuts can save you time and effort as you use Windows and other apps.

Check the menus of apps for accelerator keys. Most of them provide accelerator keys to help make it easier to work with menus and other commands. If a letter of a word is underlined in a menu, it usually means you can press the Alt key and the underlined key together instead of clicking that menu item. With a touch keyboard, you can see some shortcuts when you press the Ctrl key.

Pressing the Alt key in some apps, such as Paint and WordPad, shows commands that are labeled with additional keys needed to create shortcuts.

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Keyboard shortcuts in Windows

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Top keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains common keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10.

Press this key	To do this
Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert)	Copy the selected item
Ctrl+X	Cut the selected item
Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert)	Paste the selected item
Ctrl+Z	Undo an action
Alt+Tab	Switch between open apps
Alt+F4	Close the active item, or exit the active app
Windows logo key +L	Lock your PC or switch accounts
Windows logo key +D	Display and hide the desktop

New keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains new keyboard shortcuts that you can use in Windows.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Windows logo key +A	To do this Open Action center
Press this key Windows logo key‌ +S	To do this Open search
Press this key Windows logo key‌ +C	To do this Open Cortana in listening mode Note Cortana is only available in certain countries/regions, and some Cortana features might not be available everywhere. If Cortana isn't available or is turned off, you can still use search.
Press this key Windows logo key‌ +Tab	To do this Open Task view
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+D	To do this Add a virtual desktop
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Right arrow	To do this Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the right
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Left arrow	To do this Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the left
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+F4	To do this Close the virtual desktop you’re using

General keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains general keyboard shortcuts in Windows.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key F2	To do this Rename the selected item
Press this key F3	To do this Search for a file or folder in File Explorer
Press this key F4	To do this Display the address bar list in File Explorer
Press this key F5	To do this Refresh the active window
Press this key F6	To do this Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
Press this key F10	To do this Activate the Menu bar in the active app
Press this key Alt+F4	To do this Close the active item, or exit the active app
Press this key Alt+Esc	To do this Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened
Press this key Alt+underlined letter	To do this Perform the command for that letter
Press this key Alt+Enter	To do this Display properties for the selected item
Press this key Alt+Spacebar	To do this Open the shortcut menu for the active window
Press this key Alt+Left arrow	To do this Go back
Press this key Alt+Right arrow	To do this Go forward
Press this key Alt+Page Up	To do this Move up one screen
Press this key Alt+Page Down	To do this Move down one screen
Press this key Alt+Tab	To do this Switch between open apps
Press this key Ctrl+F4	To do this Close the active document (in apps that are full-screen and allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
Press this key Ctrl+A	To do this Select all items in a document or window
Press this key Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert)	To do this Copy the selected item
Press this key Ctrl+D (or Delete)	To do this Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
Press this key Ctrl+R (or F5)	To do this Refresh the active window
Press this key Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert)	To do this Paste the selected item
Press this key Ctrl+X	To do this Cut the selected item
Press this key Ctrl+Y	To do this Redo an action
Press this key Ctrl+Z	To do this Undo an action
Press this key Ctrl+Right arrow	To do this Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
Press this key Ctrl+Left arrow	To do this Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
Press this key Ctrl+Down arrow	To do this Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
Press this key Ctrl+Up arrow	To do this Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+Tab	To do this Use the arrow keys to switch between all open apps
Press this key Ctrl+arrow key (to move to an item)+Spacebar	To do this Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop
Press this key Ctrl+Shift with an arrow key	To do this Select a block of text
Press this key Ctrl+Esc	To do this Open Start
Press this key Ctrl+Shift+Esc	To do this Open Task Manager
Press this key Ctrl+Shift	To do this Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are available
Press this key Ctrl+Spacebar	To do this Turn the Chinese input method editor (IME) on or off
Press this key Shift+F10	To do this Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
Press this key Shift with any arrow key	To do this Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
Press this key Shift+Delete	To do this Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first
Press this key Right arrow	To do this Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
Press this key Left arrow	To do this Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
Press this key Esc	To do this Stop or leave the current task

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that use the Windows logo key .

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Windows logo key	To do this Open or close Start
Press this key Windows logo key +A	To do this Open Action center
Press this key Windows logo key +B	To do this Set focus in the notification area
Press this key Windows logo key‌ +C	To do this Open Cortana in listening mode Note Cortana is only available in certain countries/regions, and some Cortana features might not be available everywhere. If Cortana isn't available or is turned off, you can still use search.
Press this key Windows logo key +D	To do this Display and hide the desktop
Press this key Windows logo key +E	To do this Open File Explorer
Press this key Windows logo key +G	To do this Open Game bar when a game is open
Press this key Windows logo key +H	To do this Open the Share charm
Press this key Windows logo key +I	To do this Open Settings
Press this key Windows logo key +K	To do this Open the Connect quick action
Press this key Windows logo key +L	To do this Lock your PC or switch accounts
Press this key Windows logo key +M	To do this Minimize all windows
Press this key Windows logo key +O	To do this Lock device orientation
Press this key Windows logo key +P	To do this Choose a presentation display mode
Press this key Windows logo key +R	To do this Open the Run dialog box
Press this key Windows logo key +S	To do this Open Search
Press this key Windows logo key +T	To do this Cycle through apps on the taskbar
Press this key Windows logo key +U	To do this Open Ease of Access Center
Press this key Windows logo key +V	To do this Cycle through notifications
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+V	To do this Cycle through notifications in reverse order
Press this key Windows logo key +X	To do this Open the Quick Link menu
Press this key Windows logo key +Z	To do this Show the commands available in an app in full-screen mode
Press this key Windows logo key +comma (,)	To do this Temporarily peek at the desktop
Press this key Windows logo key +Pause	To do this Display the System Properties dialog box
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+F	To do this Search for PCs (if you're on a network)
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+M	To do this Restore minimized windows on the desktop
Press this key Windows logo key +number	To do this Open the desktop and start the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the app is already running, switch to that app.
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+number	To do this Open the desktop and start a new instance of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+number	To do this Open the desktop and switch to the last active window of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Press this key Windows logo key +Alt+number	To do this Open the desktop and open the Jump List for the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Shift+number	To do this Open the desktop and open a new instance of the app located at the given position on the taskbar as an administrator
Press this key Windows logo key +Tab	To do this Open Task view
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+B	To do this Switch to the app that displayed a message in the notification area
Press this key Windows logo key +Up arrow	To do this Maximize the window
Press this key Windows logo key +Down arrow	To do this Remove current app from screen or minimize the desktop window
Press this key Windows logo key +Left arrow	To do this Maximize the app or desktop window to the left side of the screen
Press this key Windows logo key +Right arrow	To do this Maximize the app or desktop window to the right side of the screen
Press this key Windows logo key +Home	To do this Minimize all but the active desktop window (restores all windows on second stroke)
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+Up arrow	To do this Stretch the desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+Down arrow	To do this Restore/minimize active desktop windows vertically, maintaining width
Press this key Windows logo key +Shift+Left arrow or Right arrow	To do this Move an app or window in the desktop from one monitor to another
Press this key Windows logo key +Spacebar	To do this Switch input language and keyboard layout
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Spacebar	To do this Change to a previously selected input
Press this key Windows logo key +Enter	To do this Open Narrator
Press this key Windows logo key +forward slash (/)	To do this Initiate IME reconversion
Press this key Windows logo key +plus (+) or minus (-)	To do this Zoom in or out using Magnifier
Press this key Windows logo key +Esc	To do this Exit Magnifier

Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that you can use in Command Prompt.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert)	To do this Copy the selected text
Press this key Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert)	To do this Paste the selected text
Press this key Ctrl+M	To do this Enter Mark mode
Press this key Alt+selection key	To do this Begin selection in block mode
Press this key Arrow keys	To do this Move the cursor in the direction specified
Press this key Page up	To do this Move the cursor by one page up
Press this key Page down	To do this Move the cursor by one page down
Press this key Ctrl+Home (Mark mode)	To do this Move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer
Press this key Ctrl+End (Mark mode)	To do this Move the cursor to the end of the buffer
Press this key Ctrl+Up arrow	To do this Move up one line in the output history
Press this key Ctrl+Down arrow	To do this Move down one line in the output history
Press this key Ctrl+Home (History navigation)	To do this If the command line is empty, move the viewport to the top of the buffer. Otherwise, delete all the characters to the left of the cursor in the command line.
Press this key Ctrl+End (History navigation)	To do this If the command line is empty, move the viewport to the command line. Otherwise, delete all the characters to the right of the cursor in the command line.

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that you can use in dialog boxes.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key F4	To do this Display the items in the active list
Press this key Ctrl+Tab	To do this Move forward through tabs
Press this key Ctrl+Shift+Tab	To do this Move back through tabs
Press this key Ctrl+number (number 1-9)	To do this Move to nth tab
Press this key Tab	To do this Move forward through options
Press this key Shift+Tab	To do this Move back through options
Press this key Alt+underlined letter	To do this Perform the command (or select the option) that goes with that letter
Press this key Spacebar	To do this Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
Press this key Backspace	To do this Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
Press this key Arrow keys	To do this Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons

File Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Alt+D	To do this Select the address bar
Press this key Ctrl+E	To do this Select the search box
Press this key Ctrl+F	To do this Select the search box
Press this key Ctrl+N	To do this Open a new window
Press this key Ctrl+W	To do this Close the current window
Press this key Ctrl+mouse scroll wheel	To do this Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
Press this key Ctrl+Shift+E	To do this Display all folders above the selected folder
Press this key Ctrl+Shift+N	To do this Create a new folder
Press this key Num Lock+asterisk (*)	To do this Display all subfolders under the selected folder
Press this key Num Lock+plus (+)	To do this Display the contents of the selected folder
Press this key Num Lock+minus (-)	To do this Collapse the selected folder
Press this key Alt+P	To do this Display the preview pane
Press this key Alt+Enter	To do this Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item
Press this key Alt+Right arrow	To do this View the next folder
Press this key Alt+Up arrow	To do this View the folder that the folder was in
Press this key Alt+Left arrow	To do this View the previous folder
Press this key Backspace	To do this View the previous folder
Press this key Right arrow	To do this Display the current selection (if it's collapsed), or select the first subfolder
Press this key Left arrow	To do this Collapse the current selection (if it's expanded), or select the folder that the folder was in
Press this key End	To do this Display the bottom of the active window
Press this key Home	To do this Display the top of the active window
Press this key F11	To do this Maximize or minimize the active window

Virtual desktops keyboard shortcuts

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Windows logo key +Tab	To do this Open Task view
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+D	To do this Add a virtual desktop
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Right arrow	To do this Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the right
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+Left arrow	To do this Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the left
Press this key Windows logo key +Ctrl+F4	To do this Close the virtual desktop you’re using

Taskbar keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with items on the desktop taskbar.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Shift+click a taskbar button	To do this Open an app or quickly open another instance of an app
Press this key Ctrl+Shift+click a taskbar button	To do this Open an app as an administrator
Press this key Shift+right-click a taskbar button	To do this Show the window menu for the app
Press this key Shift+right-click a grouped taskbar button	To do this Show the window menu for the group
Press this key Ctrl+click a grouped taskbar button	To do this Cycle through the windows of the group

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

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

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Right Shift for eight seconds	To do this Turn Filter Keys on and off
Press this key Left Alt+left Shift+Print Screen	To do this Turn High Contrast on or off
Press this key Left Alt+left Shift+Num Lock	To do this Turn Mouse Keys on or off
Press this key Shift five times	To do this Turn Sticky Keys on or off
Press this key Num Lock for five seconds	To do this Turn Toggle Keys on or off
Press this key Windows logo key +U	To do this Open the Ease of Access Center

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Windows logo key +plus (+) or minus (-)	To do this Zoom in or out
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar	To do this Preview the desktop in full-screen mode
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+D	To do this Switch to docked mode
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+F	To do this Switch to full-screen mode
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+I	To do this Invert colors
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+L	To do this Switch to lens mode
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+R	To do this Resize the lens
Press this key Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys	To do this Pan in the direction of the arrow keys
Press this key Windows logo key +Esc	To do this Exit Magnifier

Narrator keyboard shortcuts

The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Narrator.

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Windows logo key +Enter	To do this Open Narrator
Press this key Spacebar or Enter	To do this Activate current item
Press this key Tab and arrow keys	To do this Move around on the screen
Press this key Ctrl	To do this Stop reading
Press this key Caps Lock+D	To do this Read item
Press this key Caps Lock+M	To do this Start reading
Press this key Caps Lock+H	To do this Read document
Press this key Caps Lock+V	To do this Repeat phrase
Press this key Caps Lock+W	To do this Read window
Press this key Caps Lock+Page Up or Page Down	To do this Increase or decrease the volume of the voice
Press this key Caps Lock+plus (+) or minus (-)	To do this Increase or decrease the speed of the voice
Press this key Caps Lock+Spacebar	To do this Do default action
Press this key Caps Lock+Left or Right arrows	To do this Move to previous/next item
Press this key Caps Lock+F2	To do this Show commands for current item
Press this key Press Caps Lock twice in quick succession	To do this Turn Caps Lock on or off
Press this key Caps+Esc	To do this Exit Narrator

Narrator touch keyboard shortcuts

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

Press this key	To do this
Press this key Tap once with two fingers	To do this Stop Narrator from reading
Press this key Tap three times with four fingers	To do this Show all Narrator commands (including the ones not in this list)
Press this key Double-tap	To do this Activate primary action
Press this key Triple-tap	To do this Activate secondary action
Press this key Touch or drag a single finger	To do this Read what’s under your fingers
Press this key Flick left/right with one finger	To do this Move to next or previous item
Press this key Swipe left/right/up/down with two fingers	To do this Scroll
Press this key Swipe down with three fingers	To do this Start reading on explorable text