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Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts — Complete Cheat Sheet
Windows 10 shortcut keys for window management, screenshots, virtual desktops, accessibility, and everyday navigation.
122 shortcuts across 11 categories
Windows 10 shortcut keys for window management, screenshots, virtual desktops, accessibility, and everyday navigation.
Editing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cut the selected item to the clipboard |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Copy the selected item to the clipboard |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Paste the clipboard contents at the cursor |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Undo the last action |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y | Redo the previously undone action |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Select all items or text in the current context |
| Delete | Delete | Delete the selected item or character after cursor |
| Bold | Ctrl + B | Toggle bold formatting |
| Italic | Ctrl + I | Toggle italic formatting |
| Underline | Ctrl + U | Toggle underline formatting |
File Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Ctrl + S | Save the current file or document |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S | Save the file with a new name or in a new location |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Open an existing file |
| New File / Window | Ctrl + N | Create a new file or window |
| Close Window / Tab | Ctrl + W | Close the current window or tab |
| Close Application | Alt + F4 | Close the active application |
| Ctrl + P | Print the current document or page | |
| Rename | F2 | Rename the selected file or folder |
| Delete to Recycle Bin | Delete | Move selected file(s) to the Recycle Bin |
| Permanently Delete | Shift + Delete | Permanently delete files, bypassing Recycle Bin |
| New Folder | Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder in File Explorer |
Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Find / Search | Ctrl + F | Open the find/search dialog in the current app |
| Windows Search | Win + S | Open Windows Search |
| Cortana | Win + C | Open Cortana (if enabled) |
| Switch Apps | Alt + Tab | Cycle through open application windows |
| Open Task View | Win + Tab | View all open windows and virtual desktops |
| Virtual Desktop Left | Ctrl + Win + Left | Switch to the virtual desktop on the left |
| Virtual Desktop Right | Ctrl + Win + Right | Switch to the virtual desktop on the right |
| New Virtual Desktop | Ctrl + Win + D | Create a new virtual desktop |
| Go Back | Alt + Left | Navigate back in File Explorer or browser |
| Go Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate forward in File Explorer or browser |
System & Display
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Print Screen (Full) | PrtSc | Copy a screenshot of the entire screen to the clipboard |
| Print Screen (Window) | Alt + PrtSc | Copy a screenshot of the active window to the clipboard |
| Save Screenshot to File | Win + PrtSc | Save a full-screen screenshot directly to Pictures > Screenshots |
| Snip & Sketch | Win + Shift + S | Open Snip & Sketch for a partial or full screenshot |
| Lock Screen | Win + L | Lock your Windows session immediately |
| Open Start Menu | Win | Open or close the Start menu |
| Open Settings | Win + I | Open Windows Settings |
| Open File Explorer | Win + E | Open File Explorer |
| Minimize Window | Win + Down | Minimize the active window |
| Maximize Window | Win + Up | Maximize the active window |
| Snap Left | Win + Left | Snap the window to the left half |
| Snap Right | Win + Right | Snap the window to the right half |
| Show Desktop | Win + D | Minimize all windows to show the desktop |
| Action Center | Win + A | Open the Action Center (notifications and quick settings) |
| Task Manager | Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager directly |
| Clipboard History | Win + V | Open clipboard history (must be enabled in Settings first) |
Text Cursor & Selection
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move Word Left | Ctrl + Left | Move the cursor one word to the left |
| Move Word Right | Ctrl + Right | Move the cursor one word to the right |
| Move to Line Start | Home | Move the cursor to the beginning of the current line |
| Move to Line End | End | Move the cursor to the end of the current line |
| Move to Document Start | Ctrl + Home | Move the cursor to the very beginning of the document |
| Move to Document End | Ctrl + End | Move the cursor to the very end of the document |
| Select Word Left | Ctrl + Shift + Left | Extend selection one word to the left |
| Select Word Right | Ctrl + Shift + Right | Extend selection one word to the right |
| Select to Line Start | Shift + Home | Extend selection to the beginning of the line |
| Select to Line End | Shift + End | Extend selection to the end of the line |
| Select to Document Start | Ctrl + Shift + Home | Extend selection to the very beginning of the document |
| Select to Document End | Ctrl + Shift + End | Extend selection to the very end of the document |
Window Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Snap to Left Half | Win + Left | Snap the active window to the left half of the screen |
| Snap to Right Half | Win + Right | Snap the active window to the right half of the screen |
| Move Window to Left Monitor | Win + Shift + Left | Move the active window to the monitor on the left |
| Move Window to Right Monitor | Win + Shift + Right | Move the active window to the monitor on the right |
| Shake to Minimize Others | Win + Home | Minimize all windows except the active one (Aero Shake) |
| Stretch Window Vertically | Win + Shift + Up | Stretch the window to full height while keeping its width |
| Open App on Taskbar (1-9) | Win + 1-9 | Open or switch to the app pinned at that taskbar position |
| Open New App Instance | Win + Shift + 1-9 | Open a new instance of the app at that taskbar position |
| Minimize All Windows | Win + M | Minimize all open windows to the taskbar |
| Restore All Windows | Win + Shift + M | Restore all minimized windows |
Command Prompt & PowerShell
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Command Prompt | Win + X or C | Open Command Prompt from the power user menu |
| Open PowerShell | Win + X or I | Open PowerShell from the power user menu |
| Autocomplete (Tab) | Tab | Autocomplete file/folder names at the prompt |
| History Up | Up | Recall the previous command from history |
| History Down | Down | Go forward through command history |
| Clear Screen | Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal display |
| Interrupt / Cancel | Ctrl + C | Stop the currently running command |
| Copy in Terminal | Ctrl + C | Copy selected text in Windows Terminal (modern terminal) |
| Paste in Terminal | Ctrl + V | Paste into the Windows Terminal |
| New Tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Open a new tab in Windows Terminal |
| Move to Word Start | Ctrl + Left | Move cursor to the previous word at the prompt |
| Move to Word End | Ctrl + Right | Move cursor to the next word at the prompt |
Accessibility
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Ease of Access Center | Win + U | Open the Ease of Access settings |
| Toggle Narrator | Win + Ctrl + Enter | Start or stop the Narrator screen reader |
| Magnifier Zoom In | Win + + | Open Magnifier and zoom in |
| Magnifier Zoom Out | Win + - | Zoom out with the Magnifier |
| Close Magnifier | Win + Esc | Close the Magnifier |
| Toggle High Contrast | Alt + Left Shift + PrtSc | Enable or disable High Contrast mode |
| Toggle Sticky Keys | Shift + ×5 | Press Shift 5 times rapidly to enable Sticky Keys |
| Toggle Filter Keys | Right Shift (hold 8s) | Hold Right Shift for 8 seconds to toggle Filter Keys |
| On-Screen Keyboard | Win + Ctrl + O | Open the On-Screen Keyboard |
| Toggle Mouse Keys | Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock | Control mouse pointer with the numeric keypad |
Browser Controls
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Tab | Ctrl + T | Open a new tab in Microsoft Edge or Chrome |
| Close Tab | Ctrl + W | Close the current browser tab |
| Reopen Closed Tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Reopen the most recently closed tab |
| New Window | Ctrl + N | Open a new browser window |
| New InPrivate Window | Ctrl + Shift + N | Open a new private/incognito browsing window |
| Focus Address Bar | Ctrl + L | Select the address bar to type a URL or search |
| Find on Page | Ctrl + F | Open the in-page search bar |
| Go Back | Alt + Left | Navigate to the previous page in history |
| Go Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate to the next page in history |
| Reload Page | F5 | Reload the current page |
| Hard Reload (bypass cache) | Ctrl + Shift + R | Reload the page and skip the browser cache |
| Bookmark This Page | Ctrl + D | Add the current page to your bookmarks/favourites |
| Open Bookmark Manager | Ctrl + Shift + O | Open the bookmarks/favourites manager |
| Open History | Ctrl + H | View your browsing history |
| Open Downloads | Ctrl + J | View all downloads |
| Jump to Tab (1–8) | Ctrl + 1-8 | Switch directly to the tab at that position |
| Jump to Last Tab | Ctrl + 9 | Switch to the rightmost open tab |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Increase the page zoom level |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + - | Decrease the page zoom level |
| Reset Zoom | Ctrl + 0 | Reset the page zoom to 100% |
| Developer Tools | F12 | Open browser Developer Tools |
Clipboard
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Copy the selected text or item to the clipboard |
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cut the selected text or item to the clipboard |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Paste the most recent clipboard item at the cursor |
| Paste as Plain Text | Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste without any formatting (app-dependent) |
| Open Clipboard History | Win + V | Open clipboard history to paste any previously copied item (must be enabled in Settings > System > Clipboard first) |
| Enable Clipboard History | Win + V | If history is not yet enabled, pressing Win+V shows a prompt to turn it on |
| Pin Item in Clipboard History | Win + V or Pin icon | In the clipboard panel, pin an item so it is not removed when the history clears |
| Emoji / Symbol Picker | Win + . | Open the emoji, kaomoji, and symbol picker to insert special characters |
Printing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Open the print dialog for the current document | |
| Screenshot to File | Win + PrtSc | Save a full-screen screenshot to Pictures > Screenshots |
Windows Tips & Tricks
- Enable Clipboard History: Clipboard History is off by default in Windows 10. Turn it on in Settings > System > Clipboard, then use Win + V to access a history of everything you've copied.
- Virtual Desktops: Press Win + Tab to open Task View, then click '+ New Desktop' at the top left. Use Ctrl + Win + Arrow keys to switch between desktops without opening Task View each time.
- Timeline in Task View: Windows 10 Task View also shows a Timeline of activities from the past 30 days, so you can quickly jump back to a document or webpage you were viewing earlier.
- Quick Access Toolbar: In File Explorer, you can customize the Quick Access Toolbar in the top left to pin frequently used commands like 'New Folder', 'Delete', or 'Rename' for one-click access.
- Storage Sense: Enable Storage Sense in Settings > System > Storage to automatically delete temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and clean up old Windows Update files on a schedule.
- Windows Sandbox: Pro and Enterprise editions include Windows Sandbox — a lightweight, isolated virtual machine that resets after every use. Great for safely testing software without risking your main system.
- God Mode: Create a folder named GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} on your desktop to get a single window with every Windows control panel setting accessible in one place.