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Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts — Complete Cheat Sheet
Windows 11 shortcut keys for window management, screenshots, virtual desktops, accessibility, and everyday navigation.
145 shortcuts across 11 categories
Windows 11 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 |
| Paste as Plain Text | Ctrl + Shift + V | Paste without formatting (app-dependent) |
| 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 |
| Delete Word Left | Ctrl + Backspace | Delete the word to the left of the cursor |
| Delete Word Right | Ctrl + Delete | Delete the word to the right of the cursor |
| Bold | Ctrl + B | Toggle bold formatting on selected text |
| Italic | Ctrl + I | Toggle italic formatting on selected text |
| Underline | Ctrl + U | Toggle underline formatting on selected text |
File Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Ctrl + S | Save the current file or document |
| Save As | Ctrl + Shift + S | Save the current file with a new name or location |
| Open File | Ctrl + O | Open an existing file |
| New File / Window | Ctrl + N | Create a new file or open a new 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 selected file(s), bypassing Recycle Bin |
| New Folder | Ctrl + Shift + N | Create a new folder in File Explorer |
| Open Properties | Alt + Enter | Open the properties dialog for the selected item |
Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Find / Search | Ctrl + F | Open the find/search dialog in the current app |
| Find Next | F3 | Jump to the next search result |
| Find Previous | Shift + F3 | Jump to the previous search result |
| Go to Address Bar | Alt + D | Focus the address bar in File Explorer or browser |
| Back | Alt + Left | Navigate back in File Explorer or browser history |
| Forward | Alt + Right | Navigate forward in File Explorer or browser history |
| Refresh | F5 | Reload the current page or folder |
| Switch Tabs | Ctrl + Tab | Cycle through open tabs |
| Switch Apps | Alt + Tab | Cycle through open application windows |
| Switch Apps (reverse) | Alt + Shift + Tab | Cycle through open windows in reverse order |
| 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 |
| Close Virtual Desktop | Ctrl + Win + F4 | Close the current virtual desktop |
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 |
| Snipping Tool | Win + Shift + S | Open the Snipping Tool for a region, window, 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 the Windows Settings app |
| Open File Explorer | Win + E | Open a new File Explorer window |
| Open Run Dialog | Win + R | Open the Run command dialog |
| Minimize Window | Win + Down | Minimize the active window |
| Maximize Window | Win + Up | Maximize the active window |
| Snap Left | Win + Left | Snap the active window to the left half of the screen |
| Snap Right | Win + Right | Snap the active window to the right half of the screen |
| Show Desktop | Win + D | Minimize all windows and show the desktop |
| Open Notification Center | Win + N | Open the Notification Center and Quick Settings |
| Open Quick Settings | Win + A | Open Quick Settings (Wi-Fi, volume, brightness) |
| Task Manager | Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager directly |
| Clipboard History | Win + V | Open clipboard history to paste previously copied items |
| Emoji Picker | Win + . | Open the emoji and symbol picker |
| Zoom In (Magnifier) | Win + + | Activate and zoom in with the Magnifier |
| Zoom Out (Magnifier) | Win + - | Zoom out with the Magnifier |
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 |
| Select Line Up | Shift + Up | Extend the selection one line up |
| Select Line Down | Shift + Down | Extend the selection one line down |
Window Management
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Snap to Top-Left Quarter | Win + Left or Win + Up | Snap window to the top-left quadrant (press both in sequence) |
| Snap to Top-Right Quarter | Win + Right or Win + Up | Snap window to the top-right quadrant |
| Snap to Bottom-Left Quarter | Win + Left or Win + Down | Snap window to the bottom-left quadrant |
| Snap to Bottom-Right Quarter | Win + Right or Win + Down | Snap window to the bottom-right quadrant |
| Move Window to Left Monitor | Win + Shift + Left | Move the active window to the left monitor |
| Move Window to Right Monitor | Win + Shift + Right | Move the active window to the right monitor |
| 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 |
| Restore Vertical Stretch | Win + Shift + Down | Restore the vertically stretched window to its previous size |
| Open App on Taskbar (1-9) | Win + 1-9 | Open or switch to the app pinned at that position on the taskbar |
| Open New App Instance | Win + Shift + 1-9 | Open a new instance of the app pinned at that position |
Command Prompt & PowerShell
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Windows Terminal | Win + X or I | Open Windows Terminal from the power menu |
| Open Terminal (Admin) | Win + X or A | Open Windows Terminal as administrator |
| Autocomplete (Tab) | Tab | Autocomplete file/folder names; press again to cycle through matches |
| History Search Up | Up | Recall the previous command from history |
| History Search Down | Down | Go forward through command history |
| Clear Screen | Ctrl + L | Clear the terminal screen (same as 'cls' command) |
| Interrupt / Cancel | Ctrl + C | Stop the currently running command |
| Copy in Terminal | Ctrl + C | Copy selected text in Windows Terminal |
| Paste in Terminal | Ctrl + V | Paste into Windows Terminal |
| New Terminal Tab | Ctrl + Shift + T | Open a new tab in Windows Terminal |
| Close Terminal Tab | Ctrl + Shift + W | Close the current Windows Terminal tab |
| Move to Word Start | Ctrl + Left | Move cursor to the start of the previous word in the prompt |
| Move to Word End | Ctrl + Right | Move cursor to the end of the next word in the prompt |
| Delete to Start of Line | Ctrl + Home | Delete everything from the cursor to the start of the line |
Accessibility
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open Ease of Access Center | Win + U | Open the Ease of Access Center |
| Turn On / Off Narrator | Win + Ctrl + Enter | Start or stop the Narrator screen reader |
| Turn On Magnifier | Win + + | Open and zoom in with the Magnifier |
| Turn Off Magnifier | Win + Esc | Close the Magnifier |
| Zoom In (Magnifier) | Win + + | Increase the magnification level |
| Zoom Out (Magnifier) | Win + - | Decrease the magnification level |
| Toggle High Contrast | Alt + Left Shift + PrtSc | Turn High Contrast mode on or off |
| Toggle Sticky Keys | Shift + ×5 | Press Shift 5 times to toggle Sticky Keys (allows chord shortcuts one key at a time) |
| Toggle Filter Keys | Right Shift (hold 8s) | Hold the right Shift key for 8 seconds to toggle Filter Keys |
| Toggle Mouse Keys | Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock | Use the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer |
| On-Screen Keyboard | Win + Ctrl + O | Open the On-Screen Keyboard |
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 (Elements, Console, Network, etc.) |
| Reading Mode (Edge) | F9 | Toggle Immersive Reader / Reading Mode in Microsoft Edge |
| Collections (Edge) | Ctrl + Shift + Y | Open Edge Collections to save and organise web content |
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 the clipboard history panel to paste any previously copied item |
| Pin Item in Clipboard History | Win + V or Pin icon | In the clipboard history panel, pin an item so it persists across reboots and clipboard clears |
| Clear Clipboard History | Win + V or Clear All | In the clipboard history panel, click 'Clear All' to wipe the full history |
| Emoji / Symbol Picker | Win + . | Open the emoji, kaomoji, and symbol picker to paste characters |
| Paste from Cloud Clipboard | Win + V | If Cloud Clipboard is enabled (Settings > System > Clipboard), items copied on other signed-in Windows devices appear here |
Printing
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Open the print dialog to print the current document | |
| Print Preview | Ctrl + F2 | Open print preview in supported apps (e.g. Word) |
| Screenshot to File | Win + PrtSc | Save a full-screen screenshot directly to Pictures > Screenshots |
Windows Tips & Tricks
- Clipboard History: Press Win + V to see your full clipboard history — not just the last item you copied. You can pin frequently used snippets so they persist across reboots.
- Virtual Desktops: Use Ctrl + Win + D to create a new virtual desktop for different tasks (e.g. work vs. personal). Switch between them with Ctrl + Win + Arrow keys without losing your window layout.
- Snap Layouts: Hover your mouse over a window's maximize button to see Snap Layout presets. You can quickly arrange 2, 3, or 4 windows side by side without dragging.
- God Mode Folder: Create a folder named GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} on the desktop to get a single control panel with every Windows setting in one place.
- Run Commands: Press Win + R and type shortcuts like 'msconfig' (startup), 'regedit' (registry), 'mstsc' (remote desktop), 'devmgmt.msc' (device manager), or 'cleanmgr' (disk cleanup).
- Focus Assist: Set up Focus Assist (Settings > System > Focus) to automatically silence notifications during specific hours or when an app is in full screen, so you can work without interruptions.
- PowerToys: Microsoft's free PowerToys utility adds powerful shortcuts: FancyZones for advanced window snapping, PowerRename for batch file renaming, and a Color Picker (Win + Shift + C).