September 20, 2009 - Useful Windows Shortcuts

I don’t usually use Windows these days, but when I do, I generally find it a lot easier (and faster) to navigate with the keyboard instead of the mouse. So I thought I’d post a few keyboard shortcuts that can make peoples’ lives a bit easier. These aren’t the usual Ctrl+C (Copy) and Ctrl+V (Paste) shortcuts, but rather some slightly more obscure ones that you may not know about.

Also, just to make sure people know… hitting just the Windows key will show the Start menu, while hitting the Menu key (which usually looks like this) acts like a right-click,

Windows Key + L: If you have the normal login screen enabled in XP, this will lock your computers screen in the exact same way that hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del and then clicking “Lock Screen” will. If you have the Welcome screen, it’ll take you back to that. This works in Vista as well.

Windows Key + D: Instantly minimizes all windows to show your desktop. Hitting it again immediately afterward will return all the windows to their previous state. In all honesty, I find this useless, not useful.

Windows Key + Pause: Opens up the System window, which is the same one as when you go to Control Panel->System.

Windows Key + Tab: It’s sort of like Alt+Tab, the window switcher key combination, but this one only switches the active item on the task bar without bringing the window to the foreground.

Windows Key + E: Opens up Windows Explorer.

Windows Key + B: Put the focus on the first item in the notification area (that place right next to your clock with the icons). You can then use the arrow keys to highlight different icons, the enter key as a left click, and the Menu key as a right click.

Windows Key + F: Open up the search window, which I also find useless because I actually take time to organize my files…

Windows Key + U: Open up the Utility Manager, where you can enable/disable things like the on-screen narrator and stuff.

Windows Key + R: Open up the Run dialog (the same as going Start->Run).

There are also ways to assign custom keyboard shortcuts to programs, so that typing them can instantly bring them up. For example, I have Ctrl+Alt+T bring up the Command Prompt, while Ctrl+Alt+E brings up Emacs. However, setting these things in XP seems a bit buggy at times, and I can’t always get them to work.