Question 1

What is a keyboard shortcut?

Accepted Answer

A keyboard shortcut is a key or combination of keys that performs a command or action when pressed — without using a mouse or menu. For example, Ctrl+C copies selected text, Ctrl+V pastes it, and Alt+Tab switches between open windows on Windows. On Mac, the Command (⌘) key replaces Ctrl for most shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts save time by letting you perform frequent actions instantly.

Question 2

What is the keyboard shortcut to copy?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+C on Windows and Linux. Cmd+C (Command+C) on macOS. Works in virtually every application.

Question 3

What is the keyboard shortcut to paste?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux. Cmd+V (Command+V) on macOS.

Question 4

What is the shortcut to undo?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Z on Windows and Linux. Cmd+Z on macOS. Works in almost every desktop application.

Question 5

How do I take a screenshot on Windows 11?

Accepted Answer

Press Win+Shift+S to open the Snipping Tool and select an area. Press PrtScn to copy the full screen to clipboard. Press Win+PrtScn to save the full screenshot to Pictures > Screenshots. Full reference: https://keyshortcuts.net/windows-11

Question 6

How do I take a screenshot on Mac?

Accepted Answer

Cmd+Shift+3 captures the full screen and saves as a file. Cmd+Shift+4 lets you select an area. Cmd+Shift+4 then Space captures a specific window. Add Ctrl to any shortcut to copy to clipboard instead of saving. Full reference: https://keyshortcuts.net/macos

Question 7

How do I switch between open applications?

Accepted Answer

Alt+Tab on Windows — hold Alt and press Tab to cycle through open apps. Cmd+Tab on macOS — hold Cmd and press Tab to cycle.

Question 8

How do I lock my computer?

Accepted Answer

Win+L on Windows instantly locks the screen. Cmd+Ctrl+Q on macOS locks the screen immediately.

Question 9

How do I open Task Manager on Windows?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager directly. Ctrl+Alt+Delete shows a menu where you can choose Task Manager.

Question 10

What is the VS Code shortcut to open the command palette?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux. Cmd+Shift+P on Mac. The command palette lets you run any VS Code command. Full reference: https://keyshortcuts.net/vscode-shortcuts

Question 11

How do I format code automatically in VS Code?

Accepted Answer

Shift+Alt+F on Windows/Linux. Shift+Option+F on Mac. Requires a formatter extension like Prettier to be installed and configured.

Question 12

What is the shortcut to mute yourself in Zoom?

Accepted Answer

Alt+A on Windows. Cmd+Shift+A on Mac. You can also hold Spacebar to temporarily unmute while held. Full reference: https://keyshortcuts.net/zoom-shortcuts

Question 13

How do I reopen a closed tab in Chrome?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Shift+T on Windows/Linux. Cmd+Shift+T on Mac. Press repeatedly to reopen multiple recently closed tabs. Also works in Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Question 14

What is the shortcut to open a new incognito window?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome and Edge on Windows. Cmd+Shift+N on Mac. Ctrl+Shift+P in Firefox.

Question 15

What are the most important Excel keyboard shortcuts?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+Home (go to cell A1), Ctrl+End (last used cell), Ctrl+Arrow (jump to data edge), Alt+= (AutoSum), Ctrl+Shift+L (toggle filters), Ctrl+1 (format cells dialog), Ctrl+D (fill down), Ctrl+R (fill right). Full reference: https://keyshortcuts.net/excel-shortcuts

Question 16

How do I open Spotlight search on Mac?

Accepted Answer

Cmd+Space opens Spotlight Search. Type any app name, file, calculation, or query to search instantly.

Question 17

What is the shortcut to select all text or items?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+A on Windows and Linux. Cmd+A on macOS. Selects all content in the current document, field, or folder.

Question 18

Where can I find a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows, Mac, and all major apps?

Accepted Answer

KeyShortcuts.net has free keyboard shortcut cheat sheets for Windows 11, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, ChromeOS, and 40+ apps including VS Code, Excel, Figma, Photoshop, Zoom, Gmail, and more. Over 2,500 shortcuts — searchable, printable, and downloadable as PDF. Visit https://keyshortcuts.net