Mastering
the keyboard will not only increase your navigation speed but it can also help
with wrist fatigue. Here are some lesser known Windows shortcuts to help
you become a keyboard ninja.
Global
Windows Shortcuts
Win+1,
2, 3, 4, etc. will launch each program in your task bar. It is helpful
then to keep your most used programs at the beginning of your task
bar so you can open them one right after another. This also works in Windows
Vista for the quick launch icons.
Win+Alt+1, 2, 3, etc. will open the
jump list for each program in the task bar. You can then use your arrows to
select which jump list option you want to open.
Win+T will cycle through task bar
programs. This is similar to just hovering over the item with your mouse but
you can launch the program with Space or Enter.
Win+Home minimizes all programs except
current the window.
Win+B selects the system tray which
isn’t always useful but can come in very handy if your mouse stops working.
Win+Up/Down maximizes and
restores down the current window so long as that window has the option to be
maximized. It is exactly the same as clicking on the middle button on your
windows.
Alt+Esc is like
Alt+Tab but switches windows in the order they were opened and does not have
the fancy window preview overlay.
Win+Pause/Break will open your
system properties window. This can be helpful if you need to see the name of a
computer or simple system statistics.
Ctrl+Esc can be used to
open the start menu but will not work as a Windows key replacement for other
shortcuts.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc will open the
task manager without needing to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del first.
Alt+Space will open the window system
menu which can be used to maximize (x), minimize (n), close (c), or move (m)
the window which can be especially helpful if your window is somehow
off-screen. This shortcut can also be helpful with windows that don’t close
with the Alt+F4 shortcut such as the command window.
Windows Explorer Shortcuts
Here are
handy shortcuts built into Windows Explorer which may have similar features in
other programs too.
Alt+Up will navigate
up one folder level since the up arrow on the menu bar was removed in Windows
Vista.
Shift+F10 opens the
contextual or “right click” menu for a file/folder. This can be very handy for
speed especially if you know which option you want to select. Look for an
underlined letter in each option to know which letter you can press for faster
access.
Shift+Del deletes a file
without sending it to the recycle bin because who wants to empty their recycle
bin anyway?
Ctrl+Shift+N creates a new
folder in your current directory.
Alt+Enter opens the file
properties so you can view file size, sharing settings, and creation date.
F2 renames a file
or folder.
F3 will open
explorer and select the search bar. If you already have an explorer window open
it will highlight the search bar. In some programs it will also open the search
dialog to search within that program.
F6 cycles objects
in the current window. In explorer this will cycle between the location bar,
options bar, left pane, and right pane. It also works with
varying success in other programs.
F10 toggles the
file menu in explorer.
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