Our Windows 10 Information and Education Series continues on this week with a helpful list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10. Use these to save precious seconds and impress your friends.
Read all of our articles in the Windows 10 Series here!
Windows Snap Shortcuts
For multitaskers, the Windows Snap feature introduced in Windows 7 came in extremely handy. With Windows 10, Microsoft introduced the capability of snapping windows vertically, as well as 2×2 and these keyboard shortcuts to go along with it:
- Windows Key + Left – Snap current window to the left side of the screen.
- Windows Key + Right – Snap current window the the right side of the screen.
- Windows Key + Up – Snap current window to the top of the screen.
- Windows Key + Down – Snap current window to the bottom of the screen.
Task View Shortcuts
The traditional task view has been re-envisioned for Windows 10. To access, you can click the taskbar icon, or for the super hip, use these shortcuts:
- Windows Key + Tab – This opens, and keeps open, the new Windows 10 Task View. Displayed here will be your current open windows on your current virtual desktop. Click the + in the bottom right corner to create a new virtual desktop for even more fun.
- Alt + Tab – Press and hold these keys for the Windows task manager you’re used to.
Virtual Desktops
The addition of Virtual Desktops is one of the cool new Windows 10 features we wrote about in an earlier article. To manage them:
- Windows Key + Ctrl + D – Create a new virtual desktop and switch to it
- Windows Key + Ctrl + F4 – Close the current virtual desktop.
- Windows Key + Ctrl + Left / Right – Switch to the virtual desktop on the left or right.
Command Prompt
For you Command Prompt geeks out there, Windows 10 has added much needed keyboard shortcut functionality to the interface to make your life easier. The following old standbys now work in the Command Prompt:
- Shift+Left — highlight text to the left of the cursor.
- Shift+Right — highlight text to the left of the cursor.
- Ctrl+Shift+Left (or Right) — highlight blocks of text instead of just characters at a time.
- Ctrl+C — copy selected text to the Windows clipboard.
- Ctrl+V — paste text from the Windows clipboard into command prompt.
- Ctrl+A — select all text after the prompt.
- Ctrl + M – Enter “mark mode,” which helps for selecting text.
- Ctrl + F – Opens a Find dialog for searching the Command Prompt’s output.
Display
With some of the cool new visual aspects of Windows 10 comes keyboard shortcuts to go along with them.
- Windows Key+PrtScr — take a screenshot saved to your Pictures folder.
- Windows Key+G — open the Game DVR recorder (if supported by your graphics card).
- Windows Key+Alt+G — start recording activity in the current window.
- Windows Key+Alt+R — stop recording in the Game DVR.
- Windows Key+P — switch between display modes (with a secondary display connected).
- Windows Key+plus — zoom in using the Magnifier utility.
- Windows Key+minus — zoom out using the Magnifier utility.
The Classics
Windows 10 has also integrated all of classic Windows keyboard shortcuts you’ve come to know and love alongside these hip new ones. Here are some of our faves:
- Windows Key+, — temporarily hide apps to briefly show the desktop.
- Windows Key+D — minimize all apps to go straight to the desktop.
- Ctrl+Shift+M — restore all minimized windows to full-size.
- Windows Key+Home — minimize all windows except the one you’re actively using.
- Windows Key+L — lock your PC.
- Windows Key+E — launch Windows Explorer.
- Alt+F4 — close the current window.
- Windows Key+Shift+Left (or Right) — move a window to your next monitor.
- Windows Key+T — cycle through taskbar items (hit Enter to launch).
- Windows Key+Any Number Key — open the app pinned to the taskbar in the numbered position.
Josh Covington
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How do you lock the function keys on? I use them in my software.
I tried in Bios but I did not see a config sys action key disable