New Windows 7 hotkeys
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Windows logo key +Home |
Clear all but the active window |
| Windows logo key +Space |
All windows become transparent so you can see through to the desktop |
| Windows logo key +Up arrow |
Maximize the active window |
| Windows logo key +Down arrow: |
Minimize the active window or restore the window if it’s maximized |
| Windows logo key +Left/Right arrows |
Dock the active window to each side of the monitor |
| Windows logo key +Shift+Left/Right arrows |
If you’ve got dual monitors, this will move the active window to the adjacent monitor |
| Windows logo key +T |
Shift focus to and scroll through items on the taskbar |
| Windows logo key +P |
Adjust presentation settings for your display |
| Windows logo key +(+/-) |
Zoom in/out |
| Windows logo key +Click a taskbar item |
Open a new instance of that particular application |
Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that can help make your computer easier to use.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Right Shift for eight seconds |
Turn Filter Keys on and off |
| Left Alt+Left Shift+PrtScn (or PrtScn) |
Turn High Contrast on or off |
| Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock |
Turn Mouse Keys on or off |
| Shift five times |
Turn Sticky Keys on or off |
| Num Lock for five seconds |
Turn Toggle Keys on or off |
| Windows logo key +U |
Open the Ease of Access Center |
General keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains general keyboard shortcuts.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| F1 |
Display Help |
| Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert) |
Copy the selected item |
| Ctrl+X |
Cut the selected item |
| Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert) |
Paste the selected item |
| Ctrl+Z |
Undo an action |
| Ctrl+Y |
Redo an action |
| Delete (or Ctrl+D) |
Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin |
| Shift+Delete |
Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first |
| F2 |
Rename the selected item |
| 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 |
| Ctrl+Up Arrow |
Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph |
| Ctrl+Shift with an arrow key |
Select a block of text |
| Shift with any arrow key |
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document |
| Ctrl with any arrow key+Spacebar |
Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop |
| Ctrl+A |
Select all items in a document or window |
| F3 |
Search for a file or folder |
| Alt+Enter |
Display properties for the selected item |
| Alt+F4 |
Close the active item, or exit the active program |
| Alt+Spacebar |
Open the shortcut menu for the active window |
| Ctrl+F4 |
Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously) |
| Alt+Tab |
Switch between open items |
| Ctrl+Alt+Tab |
Use the arrow keys to switch between open items |
| Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel |
Change the size of icons on the desktop |
| Windows logo key +Tab |
Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D |
| Ctrl+Windows logo key +Tab |
Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D |
| Alt+Esc |
Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened |
| F6 |
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop |
| F4 |
Display the address bar list in Windows Explorer |
| Shift+F10 |
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item |
| Ctrl+Esc |
Open the Start menu |
| Alt+underlined letter |
Display the corresponding menu |
| Alt+underlined letter |
Perform the menu command (or other underlined command) |
| F10 |
Activate the menu bar in the active program |
| 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 |
| F5 (or Ctrl+R) |
Refresh the active window |
| Alt+Up Arrow |
View the folder one level up in Windows Explorer |
| Esc |
Cancel the current task |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc |
Open Task Manager |
| Shift when you insert a CD |
Prevent the CD from automatically playing |
| Left Alt+Shift |
Switch the input language when multiple input languages are enabled |
| Ctrl+Shift |
Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are enabled |
| Right or Left Ctrl+Shift |
Change the reading direction of text in right-to-left reading languages |
Dialog box keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for use in dialog boxes.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Ctrl+Tab |
Move forward through tabs |
| Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
Move back through tabs |
| Tab |
Move forward through options |
| Shift+Tab |
Move back through options |
| Alt+underlined letter |
Perform the command (or select the option) that goes with that letter |
| Enter |
Replaces clicking the mouse for many selected commands |
| Spacebar |
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box |
| Arrow keys |
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons |
| F1 |
Display Help |
| F4 |
Display the items in the active list |
| Backspace |
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box |
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts that use the Windows logo key .
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Windows logo key |
Open or close the Start menu. |
| Windows logo key +Pause |
Display the System Properties dialog box. |
| Windows logo key +D |
Display the desktop. |
| Windows logo key +M |
Minimize all windows. |
| Windows logo key +Shift+M |
Restore minimized windows to the desktop. |
| Windows logo key +E |
Open Computer. |
| Windows logo key +F |
Search for a file or folder. |
| Ctrl+Windows logo key +F |
Search for computers (if you’re on a network). |
| Windows logo key +L |
Lock your computer or switch users. |
| Windows logo key +R |
Open the Run dialog box. |
| Windows logo key +T |
Cycle through programs on the taskbar. |
| Windows logo key +number |
Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, switch to that program. |
| Shift+Windows logo key +number |
Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Ctrl+Windows logo key +number |
Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Alt+Windows logo key +number |
Open the Jump List for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. |
| Windows logo key +Tab |
Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D. |
| Ctrl+Windows logo key +Tab |
Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D. |
| Ctrl+Windows logo key +B |
Switch to the program that displayed a message in the notification area. |
| Windows logo key +Spacebar |
Preview the desktop. |
| Windows logo key +Up Arrow |
Maximize the window. |
| Windows logo key +Left Arrow |
Maximize the window to the left side of the screen. |
| Windows logo key +Right Arrow |
Maximize the window to the right side of the screen. |
| Windows logo key +Down Arrow |
Minimize the window. |
| Windows logo key +Home |
Minimize all but the active window. |
| Windows logo key +Shift+Up Arrow |
Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen. |
| Windows logo key +Shift+Left Arrow or Right Arrow |
Move a window from one monitor to another. |
| Windows logo key +P |
Choose a presentation display mode. |
| Windows logo key +G |
Cycle through gadgets. |
| Windows logo key +U |
Open Ease of Access Center. |
| Windows logo key +X |
Open Windows Mobility Center. |
Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Windows Explorer windows or folders.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Ctrl+N |
Open a new window |
| Ctrl+W |
Close the current window |
| Ctrl+Shift+N |
Create a new folder |
| End |
Display the bottom of the active window |
| Home |
Display the top of the active window |
| F11 |
Maximize or minimize the active window |
| Ctrl+Period (.) |
Rotate a picture clockwise |
| Ctrl+Comma (,) |
Rotate a picture counter-clockwise |
| Num Lock+Asterisk (*) on numeric keypad |
Display all subfolders under the selected folder |
| Num Lock+Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad |
Display the contents of the selected folder |
| Num Lock+Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad |
Collapse the selected folder |
| Left Arrow |
Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the parent folder |
| Alt+Enter |
Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item |
| Alt+P |
Display the preview pane |
| Alt+Left Arrow |
View the previous folder |
| Backspace |
View the previous folder |
| Right Arrow |
Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder |
| Alt+Right Arrow |
View the next folder |
| Alt+Up Arrow |
View the parent folder |
| Ctrl+Shift+E |
Display all folders above the selected folder |
| Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel |
Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons |
| Alt+D |
Select the address bar |
| Ctrl+E |
Select the search box |
| Ctrl+F |
Select the search box |
Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with items on the taskbar.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Shift+Click on a taskbar button |
Open a program or quickly open another instance of a program |
| Ctrl+Shift+Click on a taskbar button |
Open a program as an administrator |
| Shift+Right-click on a taskbar button |
Show the window menu for the program |
| Shift+Right-click on a grouped taskbar button |
Show the window menu for the group |
| Ctrl+Click on a grouped taskbar button |
Cycle through the windows of the group |
Magnifier keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Magnifier.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Windows logo key + Plus Sign or Minus Sign |
Zoom in or out |
| Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar |
Preview the desktop in full-screen mode |
| Ctrl+Alt+F |
Switch to full-screen mode |
| Ctrl+Alt+L |
Switch to lens mode |
| Ctrl+Alt+D |
Switch to docked mode |
| Ctrl+Alt+I |
Invert colors |
| Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys |
Pan in the direction of the arrow keys |
| Ctrl+Alt+R |
Resize the lens |
| Windows logo key + Esc |
Exit Magnifier |
Remote Desktop Connection keyboard shortcuts
The following table contains keyboard shortcuts for working with Remote Desktop Connection.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
| Alt+Page Up |
Move between programs from left to right. |
| Alt+Page Down |
Move between programs from right to left. |
| Alt+Insert |
Cycle through programs in the order that they were started in. |
| Alt+Home |
Display the Start menu. |
| Ctrl+Alt+Break |
Switch between a window and full screen. |
| Ctrl+Alt+End |
Display the Windows Security dialog box. |
| Alt+Delete |
Display the system menu. |
| Ctrl+Alt+Minus Sign (-) on the numeric keypad |
Place a copy of the active window, within the client, on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing Alt+PrtScn on a local computer). |
| Ctrl+Alt+Plus Sign (+) on the numeric keypad |
Place a copy of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing PrtScn on a local computer). |
| Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow |
“Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program. |
| Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow |
“Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program. |