Shortcut Keys For PC

11:08 PM

Basic PC shortcut keys

Below is a list of some of the most commonly
used basic shortcut keys that work with almost all IBM compatible computers and software programs. It is highly recommended that all users keep a good reference of these shortcut keys or try to memorize them. Doing so will dramatically increase your productivity.

🔆Tip: Besides the special character shortcuts listed here, some special characters are also located on the number keys (below the F1 - F12 keys). You can enter these special characters by pressing the Shift key and the number key that has the special character listed on it.

Shortcut Keys Description

Alt + F	File menu options in current program.
Alt + E	Edit options in current program
Alt + Tab	Switch between open programs
F1	Universal Help in almost every Windows program.
F2	Rename a selected file
F5	Refresh the current program window
Ctrl + N	Create a new, blank document in some software programs
Ctrl + O	Open a file in current software program
Ctrl + A	Select all text.
Ctrl + B	Change selected text to be Bold
Ctrl + I	Change selected text to be in Italics
Ctrl + U	Change selected text to be Underlined
Ctrl + F	Open find window for current document or window.
Ctrl + S	Save current document file.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected item.
Shift + Del	Cut selected item.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected item.
Ctrl + Ins	Copy selected item
Ctrl + V	Paste
Shift + Ins	Paste
Ctrl + K	Insert hyperlink for selected text
Ctrl + P	Print the current page or document.
Home	Goes to beginning of current line.
Ctrl + Home	Goes to beginning of document.
End	Goes to end of current line.
Ctrl + End	Goes to end of document.
Shift + Home	Highlights from current position to beginning of line.
Shift + End	Highlights from current position to end of line.
Ctrl + Left arrow	Moves one word to the left at a time.
Ctrl + Right arrow	Moves one word to the right at a time.
Ctrl + Esc	Opens the START menu
Ctrl + Shift + Esc	Opens Windows Task Manager
Alt + F4	Close the currently active program
Alt + Enter	Open the Properties for the selected item (file, folder, shortcut, etc.)

PC shortcut keys for Special Characters

There are many special characters that can be created using keyboard shortcuts. Below are some of the more common and popular special characters and the keyboard shortcuts to create them.

Shortcut Keys	Special Character
Alt + 0224	à
Alt + 0232	è
Alt + 0236	ì
Alt + 0242	ò
Alt + 0241	ñ
Alt + 0228	ä
Alt + 0246	ö
Alt + 0252	ü
Alt + 0248	ø
Alt + 0223	ß
Alt + 0198	Æ
Alt + 0231	ç
Alt + 0191	¿
Alt + 0176	° (degree symbol)
Alt + 0177	± (plus/minus symbol)
Alt + 0153	™
Alt + 0169	©
Alt + 0174	®
Alt + 0128	€ (Euro currency)
Alt + 0162	¢ (Cent symbol)
Alt + 0163	£ (British Pound currency)
Alt + 0165	¥ (Japanese Yen currency)

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

Alt + Tab

Switch between open applications in all versions of Windows. Reverse the direction by pressing Alt + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Ctrl + Tab

Switches between program groups, tabs, or document windows in applications that support this feature. Reverse the direction by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Tab at the same time.

Alt + double-click

Display the properties of the object you double-click on in Windows 95 and later. For example, doing this on a file would display its properties.

Alt + Print Screen

Create a screenshot only for the active program window in all versions of Windows. For example, if you opened the calculator and pressed these shortcut keys, only the calculator window would be created as a screenshot. If just the Print Screen key is pressed the whole screen will be made into a screenshot.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

Open the Windows option screen for locking computer, switching user, Task Manager, etc. in later versions of Windows. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del multiple times will reboot the computer.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Immediately bring up the Windows Task Manager in Windows 2000 and later.

Ctrl + Esc

Open the Windows Start menu in most versions of Windows. In Windows 8 this opens the Start screen and in Windows 3.x this would bring up the Task Manager.

Alt + Esc

Switch between open applications on Taskbar in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Spacebar

Drops down the window control menu for the currently open Windows program in Windows 95 and later.

Alt + Enter

Opens properties window of selected icon or program in Windows 95 and later.

Shift + Del

Will delete any file or other object without throwing it into the Recycle Bin in Windows 95 and later.

Hold down the Shift key

When putting in an audio or data CD that uses Autoplay, holding down the Shift key will prevent that CD from playing.

Windows function key shortcuts

Below is a listing of keyboard shortcuts that use the keyboard function keys. See our what are F1 through F12 keys page for a full listing of what function keys do with all other programs.

Activates help for current open application. If you're at the Windows Desktop, this will activate the help for Windows.

Renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.

Starts find or search when at the Windows Desktop in all versions of Windows.

In Windows 95 and later, this opens the drive selection or address bar when browsing files in Windows Explorer.

Pressing Alt + F4 closes the current open program window without a prompt in all versions of Windows.
Pressing Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows. This only works in programs that support multiple windows or tabs in the same program window.

While in Windows Explorer, this will move the cursor to different Windows Explorer pane or in Windows 7 browse available drives.

Pressing F8 over and over as the computer is booting will start the computer in Safe Mode.

F10

Activates the File menu bar in all versions of Windows.

Simulates a right-click on selected item. This is useful if right-click is difficult or impossible using the mouse.

Windows keyboard key shortcuts

Below is a listing of Windows keys that can be used on computers running a Microsoft Windows 95 or later and using a keyboard with a Windows key. In the below list of shortcuts, the Windows key is represented by "WINKEY." Because not all these shortcuts will work in every version of Windows, we've mentioned which versions of Windows support each shortcut key combination.

All versions of Windows

WINKEY

Pressing the Windows key alone opens or hides the Windows Start menu. In Windows 8, this opens or hides the Start screen.

WINKEY + F1

Open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.

WINKEY + Pause / Break key

Open the System Properties window.

WINKEY + D

Opens the Desktop to the top of all other windows.

WINKEY + E

Open Microsoft Windows Explorer.

WINKEY + F

Display the Windows Search or Find feature.

WINKEY + Ctrl + F

Display the search for computers window.

WINKEY + L

Lock the computer and switch users if needed (Windows XP and above only).

WINKEY + M

Minimizes all windows.

WINKEY + Shift + M

Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.

WINKEY + R

Open the run window.

WINKEY + U

Open Utility Manager or the Ease of Access Center.

Windows XP only

WINKEY + Tab

Cycle through open programs through the Taskbar.

Windows 7 and 8 only

WINKEY + 1-0

Pressing the Windows key and any of the top row number keys from 1 to 0 opens the program corresponding to the number of icon on the Taskbar. For example, if the first icon on the Taskbar was Internet Explorer, pressing WINKEY + 1 would open that program or switch to it if already open.

WINKEY + (Plus (+) or Minus (-))

Open Windows Magnifier and zoom in with the plus symbol (+) and zoom out with the minus symbol (-).

Press the WINKEY + ESC to close the Magnifier

WINKEY + Home

Minimize all windows except the active window.

WINKEY + P

Change between the monitor and projection display types or how second screen displays computer screen.

WINKEY + T

Set the focus on the Taskbar icons

WINKEY + Left arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the left side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Right arrow

Shrinks the window to 1/2 screen on the right side for side by side viewing.

WINKEY + Up arrow

When in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to full size.

WINKEY + Down arrow

Minimizes the screen. Also, when in the side by side viewing mode, this shortcut takes the screen back to a minimized size.

Windows 8 only

WINKEY + ,

Peek at the Windows Desktop.

WINKEY + .

Snap a Windows App to the sides of the screen. Pressing it multiple times will switch between the right and left-hand side of the screen or unsnap the app.

WINKEY + Enter

Open Windows Narrator

WINKEY + C

Open the Charms.

Cycle through Desktop gadgets.

WINKEY + H

Open Share in Charms.

WINKEY + I

Open the Settings in Charms.

WINKEY + J

Switch between snapped apps.

WINKEY + K

Open Devices in Charms.

WINKEY + O

Lock the screen orientation.

WINKEY + X

Open the power user menu, which gives you access to many of the features most power users would want to use such as Device Manager, Control Panel, Event Viewer, Command Prompt, and much more.

Microsoft Excel shortcut keys

Shortcut	Description
F2	Edit the selected cell.
F3	After a name has been created, F3 will paste names.
F4	Repeat last action. For example, if you changed the color of text in another cell, pressing F4 will change the text in cell to the same color.
F5	Go to a specific cell. For example, C6.
F7	Spell check selected text or document.
F11	Create chart from selected data.
Ctrl + Shift + ;	Enter the current time.
Ctrl + ;	Enter the current date.
Alt + Shift + F1	Insert New Worksheet.
Alt + Enter	While typing text in a cell, pressing Alt + Enter will move to the next line, allowing for multiple lines of text in one cell.
Shift + F3	Open the Excel formula window.
Shift + F5	Bring up search box.
Ctrl + 1	Open the Format Cells window.
Ctrl + A	Select all contents of the worksheet.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K	Insert link.
Ctrl + S	Save the open worksheet.
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + 1	Change the format of selected cells.
Ctrl + 5	Strikethrough highlighted selection.
Ctrl + P	Bring up the print dialog box to begin the printing process.
Ctrl + Z	Undo last action.
Ctrl + F3	Open Excel Name Manager.
Ctrl + F9	Minimize current window.
Ctrl + F10	Maximize currently selected window.
Ctrl + F6	Switch between open workbooks or windows.
Ctrl + Page up	Move between work sheets in the same document.
Ctrl + Page down	Move between work sheets in the same document.
Ctrl + Tab	Move between Two or more open Excel files.
Alt + =	Create a formula to sum all of the above cells.
Ctrl + '	Insert the value of the above cell into the cell currently selected.
Ctrl + Shift + 1	Format number in comma format.
Ctrl + Shift + 4	Format number in currency format.
Ctrl + Shift + 3	Format number in date format.
Ctrl + Shift + 5	Format number in percentage format.
Ctrl + Shift + 6	Format number in scientific format.
Ctrl + Shift + 2	Format number in time format.
Ctrl + Arrow key	Move to next section of text.
Ctrl + Space	Select entire column.
Shift + Space	Select entire row.
Ctrl + -	Delete the selected column or row.
Ctrl + Shift + =	Insert a new column or row.
Ctrl + Home	Move to cell A1.
Ctrl + ~	Switch between showing Excel formulas or their values in cells.

Microsoft Word shortcut keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + 0	Toggles 6pts of spacing before a paragraph.
Ctrl + A	Select all contents of the page.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text.
Ctrl + D	Open the font preferences window.
Ctrl + E	Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.
Ctrl + F	Open find box.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + J	Aligns the selected text or line to justify the screen.
Ctrl + K	Insert a hyperlink.
Ctrl + L	Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen.
Ctrl + M	Indent the paragraph.
Ctrl + N	Opens new, blank document window.
Ctrl + O	Opens the dialog box or page for selecting a file to open.
Ctrl + P	Open the print window.
Ctrl + R	Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.
Ctrl + S	Save the open document. Just like Shift + F12.
Ctrl + T	Create a hanging indent.
Ctrl + U	Underline the selected text.
Ctrl + V	Paste.
Ctrl + W	Close the currently open document.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected text.
Ctrl + Y	Redo the last action performed.
Ctrl + Z	Undo last action.
Ctrl + Shift + L	Quickly create a bullet point.
Ctrl + Shift + F	Change the font.
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increase selected font +1pts up to 12pt and then increase font +2pts.
Ctrl + ]	Increase selected font +1pts.
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decrease selected font -1pts if 12pt or lower; if above 12, decreases font by +2pt.
Ctrl + [	Decrease selected font -1pts.
Ctrl + / + c	Insert a cent sign (¢).
Ctrl + ' + <char>	Insert a character with an accent (grave) mark, where <char> is the character you want. For example, if you wanted an accented è you would use Ctrl + ' + e as your shortcut key. To reverse the accent mark use the opposite accent mark, often on the tilde key.
Ctrl + Shift + *	View or hide non printing characters.
Ctrl + <left arrow>	Moves one word to the left.
Ctrl + <right arrow>	Moves one word to the right.
Ctrl + <up arrow>	Moves to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
Ctrl + <down arrow>	Moves to the end of the paragraph.
Ctrl + Del	Deletes word to right of cursor.
Ctrl + Backspace	Deletes word to left of cursor.
Ctrl + End	Moves the cursor to the end of the document.
Ctrl + Home	Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.
Ctrl + Spacebar	Reset highlighted text to the default font.
Ctrl + 1	Single-space lines.
Ctrl + 2	Double-space lines.
Ctrl + 5	1.5-line spacing.
Ctrl + Alt + 1	Changes text to heading 1.
Ctrl + Alt + 2	Changes text to heading 2.
Ctrl + Alt + 3	Changes text to heading 3.
Alt + Ctrl + F2	Open new document.
Ctrl + F1	Open the Task Pane.
Ctrl + F2	Display the print preview.
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increases the selected text size by one.
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decreases the selected text size by one.
Ctrl + Shift + F6	Switches to another open Microsoft Word document.
Ctrl + Shift + F12	Prints the document.
F1	Open Help.
F4	Repeat the last action performed (Word 2000+)
F5	Open the Find, Replace, and Go To window in Microsoft Word.
F7	Spellcheck and grammar check selected text or document.
F12	Save As.
Shift + F3	Change the text in Microsoft Word from uppercase to lowercase or a capital letter at the beginning of every word.
Shift + F7	Runs a Thesaurus check on the selected word.
Shift + F12	Save the open document. Just like Ctrl + S.
Shift + Enter	Create a soft break instead of a new paragraph.
Shift + Insert	Paste.
Shift + Alt + D	Insert the current date.
Shift + Alt + T	Insert the current time.

You can also utilize the mouse to perform some common actions. The following section contains examples of mouse shortcuts.

Mouse shortcuts	Description
Click, hold, and drag	Selects text from where you click and hold to the point you drag and let go.
Double-click	If double-clicking a word, selects the complete word.
Double-click	Double-clicking on the left, center, or right of a blank line makes the alignment of the text left, center, or right aligned.
Double-click	Double-clicking anywhere after text on a line will set a tab stop.
Triple-click	Selects the line or paragraph of the text that the mouse triple-clicked on.
Ctrl + Mouse wheel	Zooms in and out of document.

Internet Explorer shortcut keys

Shortcut Keys	Description
Alt + Left Arrow	Back a page.
Backspace	Back a page.
Alt + Right Arrow	Forward a page.
F5	Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11	Display the current website in fullscreen mode. Pressing F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc	Stop page or download from loading.
Ctrl + (- or +)	Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and '+' will increase.
Ctrl + Enter	Quickly complete an address. For example, type computerhope in the address bar and press CTRL + ENTER to get http://www.computerhope.com.
Ctrl + D	Add a Favorite for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + I	Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + N	Open New browser window.
Ctrl + P	Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4	Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves through each of the open tabs.
Spacebar	Moves down a page at a time.
Shift + Spacebar	Moves up a page at a time.
Alt + Down arrow	Display all previous text entered in a text box or available options on drop-down menu.
Alt + D	Highlights the text in the address bar

Microsoft FrontPage shortcut keys

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected text.
Ctrl + P	Paste selected text.
Ctrl + K	Create a hyperlink.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + L	Left align the text.
Ctrl + R	Right align the text.
Ctrl + E	Center the text.
Ctrl + /	Turn on or off the display of HTML tags.
Ctrl + S	Save document.
Ctrl + Tab	Switch between open web pages.
Ctrl + Ins	Enter Line break.
Ctrl + Enter	Move cursor above or below a table.
Ctrl + Shift + B	Preview in web browser window.
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decrease font size.
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increase font size.
Ctrl + Del	Deletes word to right of cursor.
Ctrl + Backspace	Deletes word to left of cursor.
Alt + mouse double-click	View the properties of a selected item. For example, doing this on a table cell would display the properties for that cell.

Microsoft Outlook shortcut keys

Shortcut	Description
Alt + S	Send the e-mail
Ctrl + Enter	Send the e-mail you're composing.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected text.
Ctrl + P	Print selected text.
Ctrl + K	Complete the name or e-mail being typed in the e-mail address bar.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection
Ctrl + M	Send and receive all
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection
Ctrl + R	Reply to an e-mail.
Ctrl + F	Forward an e-mail.
Ctrl + N	Create a new e-mail.
Ctrl + Y	Go to folder.
Ctrl + Shift + A	Create a new appointment to your calendar.
Ctrl + Shift + O	Open the Outbox.
Ctrl + Shift + I	Open the Inbox.
Ctrl + Shift + K	Add a new task.
Ctrl + Shift + C	Create a new contact.
Ctrl + Shift + J	Create a new journal entry.
Ctrl + Shift + V	Move folder.

Mozilla Firefox shortcut keys

Shortcut Keys	Description
F5	Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11	Display the current website in fullscreen mode. Pressing F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc	Stop page or download from loading.
Spacebar	Moves down a page at a time.
Alt + Home	Open your home page.
Alt + Down arrow	Display all previous text entered in a text box and available options on drop-down menu.
Alt + Left Arrow	Back a page.
Alt + Right Arrow	Forward a page.
Ctrl + (- or +)	Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and '+' will increase. Ctrl + 0 will reset back to default.
Ctrl + D	Add a bookmark for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + F	Access the Find option, to search for any text on the currently open web page.
Ctrl + H	View browsing history.
Ctrl + I	Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + J	Display the download window.
Ctrl + K or Ctrl + E	Move the cursor to the search box.
Ctrl + L	Move cursor to address box.
Ctrl + N	Open New browser window.
Ctrl + O	Access the Open File window to open a file in Firefox.
Ctrl + P	Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4 or Ctrl + W	Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + F5	Refresh the page, ignoring the Internet cache (force full refresh).
Ctrl + Enter	Quickly complete an address. For example, type computerhope in the address bar and press CTRL + ENTER to get http://www.computerhope.com.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves through each of the open tabs.
Ctrl + Shift + Del	Open the Clear Data window to quickly clear private data.
Ctrl + Shift + B	Open the Bookmarks window, to view all bookmarks in Firefox.
Ctrl + Shift + J	Open the Browser Console to troubleshoot an unresponsive script error.
Ctrl + Shift + P	Open a new Private Browsing window.
Ctrl + Shift + T	Undo the close of a window.
Ctrl + Shift + W	Close the Firefox browser window.
Shift + Spacebar	Moves up a page at a time.

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Shortcut Keys For PC

Basic PC shortcut keys

PC shortcut keys for Special Characters

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

Windows function key shortcuts