Windows Keyboard shortcuts
Admittedly this document is more than a little sad. I am a self-professed keyboard shortcut junkie. Why use the mouse when the keyboard is generally a lot faster? Over time I seem to have amassed a list of pointless keyboard shortcuts in my head. They're all here, plus a few others which I found when messing about in the various applications.
However, this isn't meant to be a definitive list containing each and every shortcut ever. There are loads I have missed out, and there are probably loads here that you may never use. So that's my disclaimer, then.
The Menu
The Windows Key- Internet Explorer
- Viewing web pages
- Working with the address bar
- Favourites
- Windows Explorer
- General Keyboard Shortcuts
- General
- Menus and Dialog Boxes
- Outlook
- Word
- Excel
» Windows Key [top]
 |
Display Start menu |
|
+ D |
Minimize or restore all Windows |
|
+ E |
Display Windows Explorer |
|
+ tab |
Cycle through buttons on taskbar |
|
+ F |
Display find: all files |
|
+ CTRL+ F |
Display find: computer |
|
+ F1 |
Display Operating System Help |
|
+ R |
Display Run command |
|
+ break |
Display system properties dialog box |
» Internet Explorer Shortcuts [top]
| » Viewing and exploring Web pages [top] | |
| Space | Scroll down web page |
| Shift + Space | Scroll up web page |
| ALT + DOWN ARROW | Display a drop-down list of the values in the current column of a list. |
| F1 | Display the Internet Explorer Help, or when in a dialog box, display context help on an item |
| F11 | Toggle between Full Screen and regular view of the browser window |
| TAB | Move forward through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar |
| SHIFT + TAB | Move back through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar |
| ALT + HOME | Go to your Home page |
| ALT + right arrow | Go to the next page |
| ALT + left arrow or BACKSPACE | Go to the previous page |
| CTRL + F | Find on this page |
| F5 | Refresh the current Web page (works in Windows Explorer, Desktop etc. too) |
| ESC | Stop downloading a page |
| CTRL + O | Go to a new location |
| CTRL + N | Open a new window |
| CTRL + W | Close the current window |
| CTRL + P | Print the current page |
| CTRL + E | Open Search |
| CTRL + I | Open Favorites |
| CTRL + H | Open History |
| SHIFT + Click | Open link in new window |
| » Using the Address bar [top] | |
| ALT + D | Select the text in the Address bar |
| F4 | Display the Address bar history |
| CTRL + right arrow | When in the Address bar, move the cursor left to the next logical break (. or /) |
| CTRL + left arrow | When in the Address bar, move the cursor right to the next logical break (. or /) |
| CTRL + ENTER | Add "www." to the beginning and ".com" to the end of the text typed in the Address bar |
| » Working with Favourites [top] | |
| CTRL + D | Add the current page to your favourites |
| CTRL + B | Open the Organize Favourites dialog box |
» Windows Explorer [top]
| Delete | Deletes selected file |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently deletes selected file (does not get stored in Recycle bin) |
| F2 | Click on file and press F2 to rename file |
| F3 | Click on drive/folder and press F3 to search drive/folder |
| F5 | Refresh screen |
| Shift + Right Click any file | Displays 'Open With' option on Right-Click menu which you to open up a file with a different application to the default for that file type |
| Shift + Right Click .exe file | Displays 'Run As' option on Right-Click menu which allows you to run an application in Windows 2000 / XP as another user (if you know their login details) |
| * | Expand all folders in a folder structure |
| - | Collapse all folders in a folder structure |
| CTRL and + (plus on numeric keypad) | Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane |
| right arrow | To expand a folder at a time: highlight appropriate folder and press the right arrow cursor key |
| right arrow | To collapse a folder at a time: highlight appropriate folder and press the right arrow cursor key |
| ALT + ENTER | To view the properties of any file or folder, select the file or folder and press ALT + ENTER |
| SHIFT | To open a file with a different program (say you want to open a jpg with Microsoft Paint instead of whatever it opens up in by default), hold down the SHIFT key and right-click on the file - you will see another option in the menu, for Open With... which will allow you to choose another program. |
| If you are in a list of folders, you can navigate them by pressing the number or letter the folder begins with to jump down to that folder. |
» General [top]
A lot of the keyboard shortcuts below are generic for all windows programs (e.g Excel, PowerPoint). Some will not work with programs such as Notepad, or in other programs, such as Access, it is not possible to make text in a database sheet bold or italics. It can be a case of trial and error.
| » General stuff [top] | |
| F1 | Displays Help for active application |
| F10 | Activates the menu bar in the active program |
| F12 | Opens Save As dialog |
| Home | For lists (e.g. files in Win Explorer / emails in Outlook), jumps to top of list |
| End | For lists (e.g. files in Win Explorer / emails in Outlook), jumps to bottom of list |
| PRINT SCREEN | Copy screen to clipboard |
| ALT + PRINT SCREEN | Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard. |
| ALT + F4 | Close program |
| CTRL + F4 | Close active document in programs which allow you to open multiple documents at the same time |
| ALT + Hyphen (-) | Display System Menu for active document in programs which allow you to open multiple documents at the same time |
| CTRL + C | Copy |
| CTRL + X | Cut |
| CTRL + V | Paste |
| CTRL + S | Save |
| CTRL + O | Open |
| CTRL + N | New |
| CTRL + A | Select All |
| CTRL + B | Convert selected text to bold |
| CTRL + I | Convert selected text to italics |
| CTRL + U | Convert selected text to underlined |
| CTRL + O | Open file |
| CTRL + N | New file |
| SHIFT + File... then Close All |
Closes all open documents at the same time |
| CTRL + W | Close file |
| CTRL + P | Print document |
| CTRL + F | Find text in page |
| CTRL + H | Replace text in page |
| CTRL + K | Inserts hyperlink into selected text |
| ALT + DOWN ARROW | Display a drop-down list of the values in the current column of a list. |
| CTRL + ESC | Displays windows Start Menu |
| ALT + Space | Emaulates Right Clicking title of active window This allows you to then press CTRL + Space followed by any of the following to allow quick control of the window Restore - app returns to whatever size you have it set up as Move - you can now user the cursor keys to move the window Size - you can now user the cursor keys to resize the window (press enter to complete) Minimmize - minimise application Maximize - app maximises Close - closes app |
| CTRL + SHIFT + ESC | Starts up Task Manager (Win NT / 2k / XP) |
| CTRL + Z | Undo last action |
| CTRL + Y | Redo last action |
| CTRL + G | Go to place in document (e.g. Page Number) |
| » Working with menus / dialog boxes[top] | |
| CTRL + TAB | Move forward through tabs |
| CTRL + SHIFT TAB | Move backwards through tabs |
| TAB | Cycle forward through options |
| SHIFT + TAB | Cycle backwards through options |
| ALT + Underlined Letter | Select corresponding command on menu |
| CTRL + Drag Item | Get menu allowing you to copy / move / add shortcut to item (depends on which app you're using). |
» Outlook [top]
| » In main programme [top] | |
| CTRL + SHIFT + B | Opens Address Book |
| CTRL + SHIFT + I | Jump to Inbox |
| CTRL + SHIFT + O | Jump to Outboxk |
| CTRL + E | Opens Search options |
| CTRL + SHIFT + B | Opens Address Book |
| CTRL + N | Opens new item depending on which area of Outlook you are in (Inbox = new message, Tasks = new task etc.) |
| Delete | Deletes selected item |
| Shift + Delete | Permanently deletes selected item (does not get stored in Recycle bin) |
| » In an email [top] | |
| CTRL + ENTER | Send email |
| CTRL + F | Forward email (when reading someone else's email) |
| CTRL + R | Reply to email (when reading someone else's email) |
| CTRL + SHIFT + R | Reply to all users email orginally addresses to (when reading someone else's email) |
» Microsoft Word [top]
| ALT + SHIFT + D | Insert Date |
| ALT + SHIFT + T | Insert Time |
| F7 | Spell Check Document (or selected text) |
| Shift + F7 | Check selected word in Thesaurus |
| CTRL + D | Format font |
| CTRL + SHIFT + P | Format size of selected text |
| CTRL + SHIFT + F | Change font of selected text |
| CTRL + M | Indent selected text to the right |
| CTRL + SHIFT + M | Indent selected text to the left |
| CTRL + ENTER | Start a new page |
| CTRL + left arrow OR CTRL + right arrow |
Move cursor left or right a word at a time |
| CTRL + SHIFT + left arrow OR CTRL + right arrow |
Select text a word at a time |
| CTRL + SHIFT + up arrow OR CTRL + down arrow |
Select text a paragraph at a time |
| SHIFT + END | Select text a line at a time |
| End | Move to the end of a line |
| Home | Move to the start of a line |
| CTRL + Home | Jump to start of document |
| CTRL + End | Jump to end of document |
| CTRL + SHIFT + Home | Selects text from cursor to start of document |
| CTRL + SHIFT+ End | Selects text from cursor to end of document |
| ALT + Left Click + Drag | Selects any text in document, without constraining selection to paragraphs, lines etc. |
| CTRL + Z | Undo last action |
| CTRL + Y | Redo last action |
| CTRL + J | Justifies selected text |
| CTRL + G | Go to page 'x' of document |
| CTRL + R | Right align selected text |
| CTRL + L | Left align selected text |
| CTRL + E | Centres selected text |
| CTRL + ] | Increases size of selected text by one point |
| CTRL + [ | Reduces size of selected text by one point |
| CTRL + SHIFT + A | Convert selected text to CAPS |
| CTRL + SHIFT + G | Counts words in selected text |
» Microsoft Excel [top]
| CTRL + ; | Inserts current date into a cell |
| CTRL + SHIFT + : (colon) | Inserts current time into a cell |
| CTRL + ' | Copies data from cell above |
| F2 | On entering a cell the text is auotmatically hilighted - by pressing F2 you can start to edit the data in the cell. |
| CTRL + - | Deletes selected row or column |
| CTRL + SHIFT + '+' | With either row or column hilighted, will insert either a row or a column |
| CTRL + Page Up | Move to the next sheet in the workbook. |
| CTRL + Page Down | Move to the previous sheet in the workbook. |
| Home | Move to start of the row |
| CTRL + Home | Move to the beginning of the worksheet. |
| CTRL + End | Move to the last cell on the worksheet, in the bottom-most used row of the rightmost used column. |
| ALT + PAGE DOWN | Move one screen to the right. |
| ALT + PAGE UP | Move one screen to the left. |
| END + ENTER | Move to the rightmost nonblank cell in the current row |
| CTRL + SPACEBAR | Select entire column |
| SHIFT + SPACEBAR | Select entire row |
