Text editing keyboard shortcuts

Backspace Delete characters to the left of the cursor.

Ctrl + A Select all text.

Ctrl + B Apply the bold format to the selected text.

Ctrl + Backspace Delete words to the left of the cursor.

Ctrl + C Copy the selected text.

Ctrl + Insert

Ctrl + Del Delete words to the right of the cursor.

Ctrl + Down arrow Move the cursor forward to the beginning of the next paragraph.

Ctrl + End Move the cursor forward to the end of the document.

Ctrl + F Find text.

Ctrl + H Find and replace text.

Ctrl + Home Move the cursor backward to the beginning of the document.

Ctrl + I Apply the italic format to the selected text.

Ctrl + Left arrow Move the cursor backward to the beginning of the previous word.

Ctrl + Right arrow Move the cursor forward to the beginning of the next word.

Ctrl + Shift + V Paste as plain text.

Ctrl + U Apply the underline format to the selected text.

Ctrl + Up arrow Move the cursor backward to the beginning of the previous paragraph.

Ctrl + V Paste the last item from the clipboard.

Shift + Insert

Ctrl + X Cut the selected text.

Ctrl + Y Redo typing that was undone with Ctrl + Z.

Ctrl + Z Undo the last typing.

Del or Delete Delete characters to the right of the cursor.

Down arrow Move the cursor forward to the next line.

End Move the cursor forward to the end of the line.

Home Move the cursor backward to the beginning of the line.

 Left arrow Move the cursor backward to the previous character.

Page down or PgDn Move the cursor forward by one page.

Page up or PgUp Move the cursor backward by one page.

Right arrow Move the cursor forward to the next character.

Shift + Ctrl + Down Select paragraphs forward from the current cursor position.
arrow

Shift + Ctrl + End Select text between the current cursor position and the end of the document.

Shift + Ctrl + Home Select text between the current cursor position and the beginning of the
document.

Shift + Ctrl + Left Select words backward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Ctrl + Right Select words forward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Ctrl + Up Select paragraphs backward the current cursor position.

Shift + Down arrow Select lines forward from the current cursor position.

Shift + End Select text from the current cursor position to the end of the current line.

Shift + Home Select text from the current cursor position to the beginning of the current line.

Shift + Left arrow Select characters backward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Page Down Select one page of text forward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Page Up Select one page of text backward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Right arrow Select characters forward from the current cursor position.

Shift + Up arrow Select lines backward from the current cursor position.

Tab Indent the cursor one tab stop.

Up arrow Move the cursor backward to the previous line.

Desktop and other general keyboard shortcuts

Alt + A Set focus to the first icon in the Suggested actions menu.

Alt + Esc Cycle through windows in the order in which they were opened.

Alt + F4 Close the active window. If no windows are open, prompt to shutdown.
Alt + F8 Show your password on the sign-in screen.

Alt + Left Go back.

arrow

Alt + Page Move down one screen.

Down

Alt + Page Up Move up one screen.

Alt + PrtScn Capture a screenshot of the active window and copy it to the clipboard.

Alt + Right Go forward.

arrow

Alt + Shift + When a group or tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it in the specified direction.
arrow keys

Alt + Spacebar Open the context menu for the active window.

Alt + Tab Switch between open windows. To cycle through multiple windows, continue to hold the
Alt key and press Tab multiple times.

Alt + For actions in command or context menus, some windows and apps specify keyboard
underlined shortcuts by underlining a character in the action name. Press Alt and then the letter to do
letter that action.

Ctrl + A Select all items in a window.

Ctrl + Alt + Del Switch to the security screen where you can lock the desktop, switch user, sign out, change
a password, or open Task Manager.

Ctrl + Alt + Tab View a thumbnail of all open apps. Use the arrow keys to switch between open apps.

Ctrl + Esc Open the Start menu.

Ctrl + F4 In apps that are full-screen and let you have multiple documents open at the same time,
close the active document but not the entire app.

Ctrl + F5 Refresh the current window.

Ctrl + R

Ctrl + Shift When multiple keyboard layouts are available, switch the keyboard layout.

Ctrl + Shift + When a tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it into another tile to create a folder.
arrow keys

Ctrl + Shift + Open Task Manager.

Esc
 Ctrl + Enable or disable the Chinese input method editor (IME). For more information,
Spacebar see Microsoft Simplified Chinese IME and Microsoft Traditional Chinese IME.

Ctrl + Y Redo an action that was previously undone with Ctrl + Z.

Ctrl + Z Undo the previous action.

Esc or Escape Stop or leave the current task, or dismiss a dialog box.

F5 Refresh the active window.

F6 Cycle through elements in a window or on the desktop.

F10 Activate the menu bar in the active window.

PrtScn or Print Select a region of the screen to capture a screenshot to the clipboard. You can then open
Screen the Snipping Tool to share or markup the image.

Note: You can turn off this default behavior.

Select Start > Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard , and set Use the Print Screen button to
open screen snipping to Off.

Windows key keyboard shortcuts

Windows key Open or close the Start menu.

Windows key + Open the Windows 11 action center.

A

Windows key + Turn high dynamic range (HDR) on or off. For more information, see What is HDR in
Alt + B Windows?.

Windows key + Display and hide the date and time on the desktop.
Alt + D

Windows key + Snap the active window to the bottom half of the screen.
Alt + Down
arrow

Windows key + When voice typing is open, set the focus to the keyboard.
Alt + H

Windows key + Mute or unmute the microphone in supported apps.

Alt + K

Windows key + Snap the active window to the top half of the screen.
Alt + Up arrow

Windows key + Temporarily peek at the desktop.

comma (,)
Windows key + If turned on in settings, enable or disable color filters.
Ctrl + C
Open the Settings app

Windows key + Open Narrator.

Ctrl + Enter

Windows key + Search for devices on a network.

Ctrl + F

Windows key + Open Quick Assist.

Ctrl + Q

Windows key + Wake up the device when the screen is blank or black.
Ctrl + Shift + B

Windows key + Change to a previously selected input option.

Ctrl + Spacebar

Windows key + Open the sound output page of quick settings, which includes settings for the output
Ctrl + V device, spatial sound, and the volume mixer.

Windows key + Display and hide the desktop.

D

Windows key + Minimize the active window.

Down arrow

Windows key + Open File Explorer.

E

Windows key + Close Magnifier.

Esc

Windows key + Open Feedback Hub.

F

Windows key + Start input method editor (IME) reconversion.

forward slash (/)

Windows key + Open the Game Bar. For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts for Game Bar.
G

Windows key + Open voice dictation.

H

Windows key + Minimize or restore all windows except the active window.
Home

Windows key + Open Settings.

I

Windows key + Set focus to a Windows tip when one is available.

J

When a Windows tip appears, bring focus to the tip. Press the keys again to bring focus to
the element on the screen to which the Windows tip is anchored.

Windows key + Open Cast from Quick Settings to connect to a display. For more information, see Screen
K mirroring and projecting to your PC or wireless display.

Windows key + Lock the computer.

L

Windows key + Snap the window to the left side of the screen.
Left arrow

Windows key + Minimize all windows.

M

Windows key + Zoom out in Magnifier.

Minus (-)

Windows key + Open notification center and calendar.

N

Windows key + Lock the device orientation.

O

Windows key + Open project settings to choose a presentation display mode.

P

Windows key + Opens the Settings app to the System > About page.
Pause

Windows key + Open the emoji panel.

Period (.)
Windows key +
Semicolon (;)

Windows key + Zoom in with the Magnifier.

Plus (+)

Windows key + Capture a full screen screenshot and save it to a file in the Screenshots subfolder of the
PrtScn Pictures folder.

Windows key + Open search.

Q

Windows key + Open the Run dialog box.

R

Windows key + Snap the window to the right side of the screen.
Right arrow

Windows key + Open search.

S

Windows key + If a window is snapped or maximized, restore it.

Shift + Down
arrow

Windows key + If the active window is a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, make it full screen.
Shift + Enter

Windows key + Move the active window to the monitor on the left.
Shift + Left
arrow

Windows key + Restore minimized windows.

Shift + M

Windows key + Select a region of the screen to record a video. It then opens the screen recording in
Shift + R the Snipping Tool. By default, this screen recording is automatically saved as an MP4 file
in the Screen Recordings subfolder of your Videos folder.

Windows key + Move the active window to the monitor on the right.
Shift + Right
arrow

Windows key + Select a region of the screen to capture a screenshot to the clipboard. You can then open
Shift + S the Snipping Tool to share or markup the image.

Windows key + Switch backward through input languages and keyboard layouts.
Shift + Spacebar

Windows key + Stretch the desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Shift + Up arrow

Windows key + Cycle through notifications.

Shift + V

Windows key + Switch forward through input languages and keyboard layouts.
Spacebar

Windows key + Open Task View.

Tab

Windows key + Open the Settings app to the Accessibility section.

U

Windows key + Maximize the active window.

Up arrow

Windows key + Open the clipboard history.

V
Note: Clipboard history isn't turned on by default. To turn it on, use this keyboard
shortcut and then select the prompt to turn on history. You can also turn it on in
 the Settings app > System > Clipboard , and set Clipboard history to On.

Command prompt keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl + C Copy the selected text.
Ctrl + Insert

Ctrl + V Paste the selected text.

Shift + Insert

Ctrl + M Enter Mark mode.

Alt + selection key Begin selection in block mode.

Arrow keys Move the cursor in the direction specified.

Page up Move the cursor by one page up.

Page down Move the cursor by one page down.

Ctrl + Home (Mark Move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer.
mode)

Ctrl + End (Mark Move the cursor to the end of the buffer.
mode)

Ctrl + Up arrow Move up one line in the output history.

Ctrl + Down arrow Move down one line in the output history.

Ctrl + Home (History If the command line is empty, move the viewport to the top of the buffer.
navigation) Otherwise, delete all the characters to the left of the cursor in the command line.

Ctrl + End (History If the command line is empty, move the viewport to the command line. Otherwise,
navigation) delete all the characters to the right of the cursor in the command line.

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

F4 Display the items in the active list.

Ctrl + Tab Move forward through tabs.

Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move back through tabs.

Ctrl + 1, 2, 3,... Move to that tab number.

Tab Move forward through options.

Shift + Tab Move back through options.

 Alt + underlined letter Perform the command (or select the option) that is used with that letter.

Spacebar Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.

Backspace Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.

Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.

File explorer keyboard shortcuts

Alt + D Select the address bar.

Alt + Enter Display properties for the selected item.

Alt + Left arrow Navigate to the previous folder.

Backspace

Alt + mouse drag a file When you drop the file, create a shortcut to the original file in that
location.

Alt + P Show or hide the preview pane.

Alt + Right arrow View the next folder.

Alt + Shift + P Show or hide the details pane.

Alt + Up arrow Move up a level in the folder path.

Ctrl + Arrow key (to move to an item) Select multiple individual items.
+ Spacebar

Ctrl + D Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin.
Delete

Ctrl + E Select the search box.

Ctrl + F

Ctrl + L Focus on the address bar.

Ctrl + mouse drag a file When you drop the file, create a copy in that location.

Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons.

Ctrl + N Open a new window.

Ctrl + Number (1-9) Move to that tab number.

Ctrl + Plus (+) Resize all columns to fit text.

Note: This shortcut requires using a numeric keypad.

Ctrl + Shift + E Expands all folders from the tree in the navigation pane.

Ctrl + Shift + N Create a new folder.

Ctrl + Shift + Number (1-9) Change the view style. For example, 2 is Large icons and 6 is Details.

Ctrl + Shift + Tab Move to the previous tab.

Ctrl + T Open a new tab and switch to it.

Ctrl + W Closes the active tab. Closes the window if there's only one tab open.

Ctrl + Tab Move to the next tab.

End Scroll to the bottom of the active window.

F2 Rename the selected item.

F3 Search for a file or folder.

F4 Select the address bar to change the current path.

F5 Refresh the window.

F6 Cycle through elements in the window.

F11 Maximize or minimize the active window.

Home Scroll to the top of the active window.

Left arrow Collapse the current selection (if it's expanded), or select the folder
that the folder was in.

Right arrow Display the current selection (if it's collapsed), or select the first
subfolder.

Shift + Arrow keys Select multiple items.

Shift + Delete Permanently delete the selected item without moving it to the
Recycle Bin.

Shift + F10 Display the context menu for the selected item.

Shift + mouse drag a file When you drop the file, move it to that location.

Shift + mouse right-click Display the Show more options context menu for the selected item.

Windows key + E Open File Explorer.

Multiple desktop keyboard shortcut
Windows key + Tab Open Task view.

Windows key + Ctrl + D Create another desktop.

Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow Switch between other desktops you've created on the right.

Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow Switch between other desktops you've created on the left.

Windows key + Ctrl + F4 Close the desktop you're using.

Taskbar keyboard shortcut

Alt + Shift + Arrow When an app icon is in focus, move it's position in the direction of the arrow.

Ctrl + select a grouped app When multiple windows for the same app are grouped on the taskbar, press
icon on the taskbar Ctrl as you select the taskbar icon to shift focus through the windows in the
app group.

Ctrl + Shift + select an app Open the app as an administrator.

icon on the taskbar

Shift + right-click an app Show the window menu for the app.
icon on the taskbar

Shift + right-click a grouped Show the window menu for the group.
taskbar button

Shift + select an app icon Open another instance of the app.

on the taskbar

Windows key + Alt + Open taskbar settings.

Enter (on taskbar item
focus)

Windows key + Alt + Open the jump list for the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated
number (0-9) by the number.

Windows key + B Set the focus to the first icon in the notification area of the taskbar.

Windows key + Ctrl + Switch to the last active window of the app pinned to the taskbar in the
number (0-9) position indicated by the number.

Windows key + Ctrl + Shift Open as an administrator a new instance of the app located at the given
+ number (0-9) position on the taskbar.

Windows key + number Open the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If
(0-9) the app is already running, switch to that app.

Windows key + Shift + Start a new instance of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated
 Number (0-9) by the number.

Windows key + T Cycle through apps in the taskbar.

Settings keyboard shortcuts

Arrow keys Move focus through the currently selected region.

Scroll the page.

Backspace Navigate backwards.

Enter Select the current item in focus.

Spacebar

Shift + Tab Cycle backward through regions.

Tab Cycle forward through regions.

Windows key + I Open the Settings app.