Keyboard shortcuts are used to perform various tasks in a Windows operating system. The purpose of keyboard shortcuts is to increase productivity by performing quick operations. In this article, we will talk about the Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts you should know. Though both Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems have plenty of keyboard shortcuts that users can use to do tasks quickly, there is something new in Windows 11. Microsoft has introduced some new keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11.
Complete list of Windows 11 Keyboard shortcuts
We will list here the following keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11:
- Keyboard shortcuts with Windows logo key
- General keyboard shortcuts
- File Explorer keyboard shortcuts
- Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
- Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
- Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts
- Windows 11 Settings app keyboard shortcuts
- Keyboard shortcuts for Virtual Desktops
- Function keys shortcuts in Windows 11
Let’s start.
1] Keyboard shortcuts with Windows logo key
The following table lists the tasks performed by Windows logo keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11.
|
Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
|---|---|
| Win key | Toggle the Start Menu. |
| Win + A | Open Quick Settings. |
| Win + B | Set focus for the Show hidden icons dropdown menu. |
| Win + C | Open Microsoft Teams Chat. |
| Win + Ctrl + C | Toggle the Color Filters (you have to enable this shortcut first in Color Filter settings). |
| Win + D | Display and hide the desktop. |
| Win + E | Open File Explorer. |
| Win + F | Open Feedback Hub and takes a screenshot. |
| Win + G | Open Xbox Game Bar when a game is open. |
| Win + H | Launch voice typing. |
| Win + I | Open the Windows 11 Settings app. |
| Win + K | Open Cast from Quick Settings. You can use this shortcut to share your device screen on your computer. |
| Win + L | Lock your PC or switch accounts (if you have created more than one account on your PC). |
| Win + M | Minimize all the opened windows. |
| Win + Shift + M | Restore all the minimized windows on the desktop. |
| Win + N | Open the Notification Center and Calendar. |
| Win + O | Lock your device orientation. |
| Win + P | Used to select a presentation display mode. |
| Win + Ctrl + Q | Open Quick Assist. |
| Win + Alt + R | Used to record the video of the game that you are playing (using the Xbox Game bar). |
| Win + R | Open the Run dialog box. |
| Win + S | Open Windows Search. |
| Win + Shift + S | Used to take a screenshot of the entire screen or a part of it. |
| Win + T | Cycle through apps on the Taskbar. |
| Win + U | Open Accessibility Settings. |
| Win + V | Open the Windows 11 Clipboard.Note: You can turn off Clipboard history in Settings. Simply launch the Settings app and go to System > Clipboard, and turn off the Clipboard history button. After that, the Win + V shortcut keys will launch the Clipboard but not display the Clipboard history. |
| Win + Shift + V | Set focus to a notification. |
| Win + W | Open Windows 11 Widgets. |
| Win + X | Open the Quick Link menu. |
| Win + Y | Switch input between your desktop and Windows Mixed Reality. |
| Win + Z | Open the snap layouts. |
| Win + period (.) or Win + semicolon (;) | Open Windows 11 Emoji Panel. |
| Win + comma (,) | Displays the desktop temporarily until you release the Windows logo key. |
| Win + Pause | Display the System Properties dialog box. |
| Win + Ctrl + F | Search for PCs (if you’re connected to a network). |
| Win + number | Open the app pinned on the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the app is already running, you can use this shortcut to switch to that app. |
| Win + Shift + number | Start a new instance of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Win + Ctrl + number | Switch to the last active window of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Win + Alt + number | Open the Jump List for the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Win + Ctrl + Shift + number | Open a new instance of the app located at the given position on the taskbar as an administrator. |
| Win + Tab | Open the Task View. |
| Win + Up arrow | Maximize the window or app that is currently active. |
| Win + Alt + Up arrow | Snap the currently active window or app to the top half of the screen. |
| Win + Down arrow | Restores the currently active window or app. |
| Win + Alt + Down arrow | Snap the currently active window or app to the bottom half of the screen. |
| Win + Left arrow | Maximize the currently active app or desktop window to the left side of the screen. |
| Win + Right arrow | Maximize the currently active app or desktop window to the right side of the screen. |
| Win + Home | Minimize all except the active desktop window or app (restores all windows on the second stroke). |
| Win + Shift + Up arrow | Stretch the active desktop window or app to the top of the screen by maintaining its width. |
| Win + Shift + Down arrow | Restore the active desktop window or app or stretch it vertically downwards by maintaining its width. (Minimize the restored window or app on the second stroke). |
| Win + Shift + Left arrow or Win + Shift + Right arrow | Move an app or window on the desktop from one monitor to another. |
| Win + Shift + Spacebar | Cycle backward through language and keyboard layout. |
| Win + Spacebar | Switch between different input languages and keyboard layouts. |
| Win + Ctrl + Spacebar | Change to the previously selected input. |
| Win + Ctrl + Enter | Turn on Narrator. |
| Win + Plus (+) | Open Magnifier and zoom in. |
| Win + Minus (-) | Zoom out in the Magnifier app. |
| Win + Esc | Close the Magnifier app. |
| Win + Forward-slash (/) | Begin IME reconversion. |
| Win + Ctrl + Shift + B | Wake PC from the blank or black screen. |
| Win + PrtScn | Save full-screen screenshot to file. |
| Win + Alt + PrtScn | Save a screenshot of the active game window to file (using Xbox Game Bar). |
2] General keyboard shortcuts
The following general keyboard shortcuts let you perform your tasks on Windows 11 with ease.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + X | Cut the selected item or text. |
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy the selected item or text. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste the selected item. Paste the copied text without losing formatting. |
| Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste the text without formatting. |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo an action. |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps or windows. |
| Alt + F4 | Close the currently active window or app. |
| Alt + F8 | Show your password on the sign-in screen. |
| Alt + Esc | Switch between the items in the order in which they were opened. |
| Alt + underlined letter | Perform the command for that letter. |
| Alt + Enter | Display properties for the selected item. |
| Alt + Spacebar | Open the shortcut menu for the active window. This menu appears on the top left corner of the active window. |
| Alt + Left arrow | Go back. |
| Alt + Right arrow | Go forward. |
| Alt + Page Up | Move up one screen. |
| Alt + Page Down | Move down one screen. |
| Ctrl + F4 | Close the active document (in apps that are full-screen and let you have multiple documents open at the same time, such as Word, Excel, etc.). |
| Ctrl + A | Select all items in a document or window. |
| Ctrl + D (or Delete) | Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin. |
| Ctrl + E | Open Search. This shortcut works in most apps. |
| Ctrl + R (or F5) | Refresh the active window. Reload the webpage in a web browser. |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo an action. |
| Ctrl + Right arrow | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word. |
| Ctrl + Left arrow | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word. |
| Ctrl + Down arrow | Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph. This shortcut may not work in some applications. |
| Ctrl + Up arrow | Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph. This shortcut may not work in some applications. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Tab | Displays all the opened windows on your screen so that you can switch to the desired one by using arrow keys or your mouse click. |
| Alt + Shift + arrow keys | Used to move an app or tile on the Start Menu. |
| Ctrl + arrow key (to move to an item) + Spacebar | Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop. Here, the spacebar acts as a left mouse click. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow key or Shift + Left Arrow key | Used to select a complete word or text. |
| Ctrl + Esc | Open the Start Menu. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open the Task Manager. |
| Shift + F10 | Opens the right-click context menu for the selected item. |
| Shift with any arrow key | Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document. |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently delete the selected item from your computer without moving it to the Recycle Bin. |
| Right arrow | Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. |
| Left arrow | Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. |
| Esc | Stop or leave the current task. |
| PrtScn | Take a screenshot of your whole screen and copy it to the clipboard. If you have enabled OneDrive on your computer, Windows saves the captured screenshot to OneDrive. |
3] File Explorer keyboard shortcuts
In Windows 11 File Explorer, you can do your tasks quickly by using the following keyboard shortcuts.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| Alt + D | Select the address bar. |
| Ctrl + E and Ctrl + F | Both of these shortcuts select the search box. |
| Ctrl + F | Select the search box. |
| Ctrl + N | Open a new window. |
| Ctrl + W | Close the active window. |
| Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel | Increase or decrease the size and appearance of file and folder icons. |
| Ctrl + Shift + E | Expands the selected item in the left pane of File Explorer. |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder. |
| Num Lock + asterisk (*) | Displays all the folders and subfolders under the selected item in the left pane of File Explorer. |
| Num Lock + plus (+) | Display the contents of the selected item in the left pane of the File Explorer. |
| Num Lock + minus (-) | Collapse the selected site in the left pane of the File Explorer. |
| Alt + P | Toggles the preview panel. |
| Alt + Enter | Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item. |
| Alt + Right arrow | Used to move forward in File Explorer. |
| Alt + Up arrow | Take you one step back in the File Explorer |
| Alt + Left arrow | Used to move back in File Explorer. |
| Backspace | Used to view the previous folder. |
| Right arrow | Expand the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder. |
| Left arrow | Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the folder that the folder was in. |
| End | Select the last item in the current directory or display the bottom of the active window. |
| Home | Select the first item in the current directory display the top of the active window. |
4] Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
The following table lists Windows 11 Taskbar keyboard shortcuts.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| Shift + click on an app pinned on the Taskbar | Open the app. If the app is already running, another instance of the app will open. |
| Ctrl + Shift + click on an app pinned on the Taskbar | Open the app as an administrator. |
| Shift + right-click on an app pinned on the Taskbar | Show the window menu for the app. |
| Shift + right-click a grouped taskbar button | Show the window menu for the group. |
| Ctrl + click a grouped taskbar button | Cycle through the windows of the group. |
5] Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
|
Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
|---|---|
| F4 | Display the items in the active list. |
| Ctrl + Tab | Move forward through tabs. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | Move back through tabs. |
| Ctrl + number (number 1–9) | Move to the nth tab. |
| Tab | Move forward through options. |
| Shift + Tab | Move back through options. |
| Spacebar | Used to select or deselect the checkboxes. |
| Backspace | Take you one step back or open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. |
| Arrow keys | Used to move through the items in a particular directory or move the cursor in the specified direction in a document. |
6] Command Prompt keyboard shortcuts
|
Keyboard Shortcut |
Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) | Copy the selected text. |
| Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) | Paste the selected text. |
| Ctrl + M | Enter into the Mark mode. |
| Alt + selection key | Begin selection in block mode. |
| Arrow keys | Used to move the cursor in a specified direction. |
| Page up | Move the cursor by one page up. |
| Page down | Move the cursor by one page down. |
| Ctrl + Home | Move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer. (This shortcut works only if the Mark mode is enabled). |
| Ctrl + End | Move the cursor to the end of the buffer. (To use this keyboard shortcut, first, you have to enter into the Mark mode). |
| Ctrl + Up arrow | Move up one line in the output history. |
| Ctrl + Down arrow | Move down one line in the output history. |
| Ctrl + Home (History navigation) | 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. |
| Ctrl + End (History navigation) | 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. |
7] Windows 11 Settings app keyboard shortcuts
By using the following keyboard shortcuts, you can navigate through the Windows 11 Settings app without using your mouse.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| Win + I | Open the Settings app. |
| Backspace | Used to return to the Settings home page. |
| Type on any page with a search box | Search settings. |
| Tab | Used to cycle through different sections in the Settings app. |
| Arrow keys | Used to cycle through different elements in a particular section. |
| Spacebar or Enter | Can be used as a left mouse click. |
8] Keyboard shortcuts for Virtual Desktops
By using the following keyboard shortcuts, you can switch quickly between and close the specific virtual desktops.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| Win + Tab | Open Task view. |
| Win + Ctrl + D | Add a virtual desktop. |
| Win + Ctrl + Right arrow | Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the right. |
| Win + Ctrl + Left arrow | Switch between virtual desktops you’ve created on the left. |
| Win + Ctrl + F4 | Close the virtual desktop you’re using. |
9] Function keys shortcuts in Windows 11
Most of us do not know the use of Function keys in Windows OS. The following table will help you know what tasks different Function keys perform.
|
Keyboard Shortcuts |
Action |
|---|---|
| F1 | It is the default Help key in most of the apps. |
| F2 | Rename the selected item. |
| F3 | Search for a file or folder in File Explorer. |
| F4 | Display the address bar list in File Explorer. |
| F5 | Refresh the active window. |
| F6 |
|
| F7 |
|
| F8 | Used to enter into the Safe Mode while your system is booting. |
| F10 | Activate the Menu bar in the active app. |
| F11 |
|
| F12 | Opens the Save As dialog box in Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, etc. |
Related: List of Touch Screen and Touchpad Gestures in Windows 11
How do I see all keyboard shortcuts?
Well, there is no way in the Windows operating system to see all the keyboard short it has to offer. Your best bet is to check out such posts on TheWindowsClub or Microsoft websites.
If you are a keyboard junkie, these posts are sure to interest you too!
