Keyboard shortcuts are the secret weapon of productivity. They help you work faster, stay focused, and reduce mouse dependency. Whether you’re using Windows, Microsoft Office, browsers, or coding tools like Visual Studio and VS Code, this guide covers all the essential shortcuts you should know.
🧭 General Windows Shortcuts
- Alt + Tab — Switch between open apps
- Alt + F4 — Close active window or app
- Win + D — Show or hide the desktop
- Win + E — Open File Explorer
- Win + R — Open “Run” dialog
- Win + L — Lock your PC
- Win + I — Open Settings
- Win + S — Open Search
- Win + A — Open Quick Settings panel (Wi-Fi, brightness, etc.)
- Win + V — Open Clipboard history
- Win + . — Open Emoji & symbol picker 😄
- Win + Shift + S — Launch Snipping Tool for screenshots
- Win + X — Open Power User Menu
- Win + U — Open Accessibility options
- Ctrl + Shift + Esc — Open Task Manager directly
🪟 Window Management Shortcuts
- Win + ↑ / ↓ / ← / → — Snap or maximize windows
- Win + Home — Minimize all except active window
- Alt + Space — Open window control menu (Move, Close, etc.)
- Alt + Enter — Show properties of selected item
- Win + M — Minimize all windows
- Win + Shift + M — Restore minimized windows
- Win + Tab — Open Task View (virtual desktops)
- Ctrl + Win + D — Create new virtual desktop
- Ctrl + Win + ← / → — Switch between desktops
- Ctrl + Win + F4 — Close current virtual desktop
💻 File Explorer Shortcuts
- Alt + D — Focus address bar
- Ctrl + E / F — Focus search box
- Ctrl + N — Open new File Explorer window
- Ctrl + Shift + N — Create new folder
- Alt + ↑ — Go up one folder level
- Alt + Left / Right — Navigate backward / forward
- F2 — Rename selected file or folder
- F3 — Search within File Explorer
- Alt + Enter — View file properties
- Ctrl + Shift + 2 — Change view to Large Icons (and similar view shortcuts)
🧩 Microsoft Office Shortcuts (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Alt + R — Open Review tab (Spelling, Comments, Track Changes)
- Ctrl + K — Insert hyperlink
- Ctrl + Shift + M — New message (Outlook)
- Ctrl + 1 / 2 / 3 — Switch Mail / Calendar / Contacts (Outlook)
- Alt + Q — Search for commands (“Tell me what you want to do”)
- F7 — Spell check and grammar
- Ctrl + ; — Insert current date (Excel)
- Ctrl + Shift + : — Insert current time (Excel)
- Alt + = — AutoSum in Excel
- Ctrl + Space — Select column (Excel)
- Shift + Space — Select row (Excel)
🧠 Text Editing Shortcuts (Universal)
- Ctrl + A — Select all
- Ctrl + C / X / V — Copy / Cut / Paste
- Ctrl + Z / Y — Undo / Redo
- Ctrl + F / H — Find / Replace
- Ctrl + Shift + → / ← — Select by word
- Home / End — Move to start / end of line
- Ctrl + Home / End — Move to start / end of document
- Ctrl + Backspace — Delete previous word
- Ctrl + Delete — Delete next word
- Ctrl + Shift + V — Paste without formatting (works in most apps)
🌐 Browser Shortcuts (Edge, Chrome, Firefox)
- Ctrl + T — New tab
- Ctrl + W — Close current tab
- Ctrl + Shift + T — Reopen last closed tab
- Ctrl + Tab / Ctrl + Shift + Tab — Switch between tabs
- Ctrl + L / Alt + D — Focus address bar
- Ctrl + J — Open Downloads
- Ctrl + H — Open History
- Ctrl + Shift + Delete — Clear browsing data
- Alt + Left / Right — Navigate Back / Forward
- Ctrl + + / – — Zoom In / Out
- F11 — Toggle full screen
💻 Visual Studio Shortcuts (C#, .NET, etc.)
- Ctrl + Shift + B — Build solution
- F5 — Start debugging
- Ctrl + F5 — Run without debugging
- Shift + F5 — Stop debugging
- F9 — Toggle breakpoint
- F10 / F11 — Step Over / Step Into
- Ctrl + K, C — Comment selected lines
- Ctrl + K, U — Uncomment selected lines
- Ctrl + K, D — Format document
- Ctrl + . — Quick Actions / Refactor
- Ctrl + Shift + F — Find in entire solution
- Alt + ↑ / ↓ — Move current line up/down
🧑💻 VS Code Shortcuts
- Ctrl + P — Quick open file
- Ctrl + Shift + P — Command palette
- Ctrl + B — Toggle sidebar
- Ctrl + ` — Toggle terminal
- Ctrl + Shift + ` — Create new terminal
- Alt + ↑ / ↓ — Move line up/down
- Shift + Alt + ↓ — Copy line down
- Ctrl + / — Comment/uncomment line
- Ctrl + D — Select next occurrence
- Ctrl + Shift + L — Select all occurrences
- Ctrl + Space — Trigger IntelliSense
- Ctrl + K, Z — Zen mode
⚙️ PowerShell / Command Line Shortcuts
- Ctrl + L — Clear screen
- Ctrl + C — Cancel current command
- ↑ / ↓ — Browse command history
- Tab — Auto-complete file or command name
- Ctrl + Home / End — Jump to top / bottom of buffer
- Ctrl + Shift + C / V — Copy / Paste in terminal
⚡ Power User & Productivity Tips
- Win + Number (1–9) — Launch or switch to pinned taskbar apps
- Ctrl + Shift + Esc — Direct Task Manager access
- Alt + R — Review tools in Office apps for proofreading
- Win + . — Use emojis and symbols anywhere (even Notepad!)
- Ctrl + Shift + T — Your life-saver when you accidentally close a browser tab
- Ctrl + Shift + N — New folder or Incognito mode depending on context
Mastering keyboard shortcuts is a game-changer for anyone working on a computer. Start with a few essentials, add new ones weekly, and soon you’ll navigate faster than ever before. Every second counts — and with these shortcuts, you’ll reclaim them!
Techy Chalkboard in bits and pieces 