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The Most Useful Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

by Suzanne Kantra on August 22, 2024

Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts make it easier to navigate your PC without reaching for the mouse. These handy key combinations allow you to zip through tasks and access features that might otherwise be buried in menus.

There are dozens of Windows shortcuts available, but there is a subset that I use all the time and that will help most people. I've shared my favorites below. Some have been around for years, but there are also newer ones that you may not be aware of, which I've found particularly helpful. For instance, I'm currently loving the shortcut that allows me to type notes with my voice. Whatever your work and work style, there are bound to be at least a few keyboard shortcuts that will save you time and effort.

Must-Know general Windows shortcuts

You can find the full set of Windows shortcuts on Microsoft.com broken out by operating system, but these are the important ones.

Shortcuts when editing documents

Ctrl + A – Select all items in a document or window

Ctrl + C – Copies selected text or item

Ctrl + X – Cuts selected text or item

Ctrl + V – Pastes text or item on clipboard to your cursor location or designated file location.

Ctrl + D – Delete selected text or item

Ctrl + Z – Undo something

Ctrl + Y – Redo something

Ctrl + B – Turn on or turn off bold

Ctrl + I – Turn on or turn off italics

Ctrl + U – Turn on or turn off underline

Shift with any arrow key – Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document

Ctrl + Shift with any arrow key – Selects blocks of text by paragraph. Keep holding down first two buttons and each time you hit the arrow key successively more paragraphs are highlighted.

Ctrl + Shift with End key – Selects all text from the cursor to the end of the document.

Ctrl + Shift with Home key – Selects all text from the cursor to the beginning of the document.

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 + either the plus (+) or minus (-) signs – Zooms in or out.

Ctrl + S – Save a document.

Ctrl + P – Print a document.

Windows key + the period (.) key – Opens the Emoji panel

Shortcuts for navigating the desktop, apps and settings

Ctrl + Shift + Esc – Opens the task manager.

Ctrl+plus (+) or Ctrl+minus (-) – Zoom in or out of a large number of items, like apps pinned to the Start screen

Alt + Tab – Switch between open apps

Windows logo key‌ +Tab – Cycle through open apps

Shift + Delete – Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first

Windows key + D – Pulls up or hides the Desktop.

Windows logo key + L – Lock your PC or switch users

Windows logo key + M – Minimize all windows

Windows logo key + Shift + M – Restore minimized windows on the desktop

Ctrl + Alt with any arrow key – Rotate entire screen in direction of arrow key. Helpful for viewing photos or videos that aren't right-side up.

Windows 11 shortcuts

Windows logo key + A – Open Quick Settings (Bluetooth, WiFi, Airplane Mode, Battery Saver, Brightness, and more)

Windows logo key + C – Open Chat from Microsoft Teams

Windows logo key + E – Open File Explorer

Windows key + H – Launch voice typing

Windows key + K – Open Cast from Quick Settings

Windows logo key + N – Open notification center and calendar

Windows logo key + P – Open Project setting when using an external display. Choose from duplicating on both displays, extending the PC screen to the second screen, or showing only the PC screen or external display.

Windows logo key + S – Search for any file or an app installed on your computer

Windows logo key + Shift + S – Opens the Snipping Tool so you can take a screenshot

Windows logo key + W – Open Widgets

Windows key + V – Opens up your clipboard so you can see and select items from your clipboard history to paste.

Windows logo key + Z – Open the snap layouts

Read more: How to Update Windows 11 to Keep Your Operating System Secure

Updated 8/22/2024 with additional Windows 11 shortcuts

[image credit: Screenshot via Techlicious, laptop mockup via Canva]

For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.

Topics

Software & Games, Computers and Software, Tips & How-Tos, Tech 101, Time Savers


Discussion loading

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From Denys on March 06, 2013 :: 11:42 am


Just got Windows8 and I’m operating on a traditional PC.  And yes it takes a little bit of getting use to.  Your list of key shortcuts just made my day!

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From Cle001 on March 06, 2013 :: 11:43 am


Do you have shortcut keys for the diacritical marks used in other languages on certain letters?

Like saute, etc.

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From Charles Heineke on February 06, 2015 :: 1:08 am


Here’s a good resource for Diacritical Marks as well as special symbols you can get by using the Alt key plus tapping in numbers from the numeric key pad, like Alt+0169 for the Copyright symbol (©). Hold down the Alt key while you’re tapping the four digit number, and then release the Alt key to get your new character. Another one you may need some time is Alt+0162 to create the cent sign (¢). The numbers must be entered on the numeric keypad with Num Lock turned on.

http://www.shortcutworld.com/en/win/ALT-Digits-Symbol-Codes.html

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From Ernesto Colina on March 06, 2013 :: 11:52 am


With a little effort, you can create your own “Key Shortcuts” and even override the ones defined in Windows with AutoHotKey, which BTW is free.

http://www.autohotkey.com/

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From Andy on March 06, 2013 :: 1:17 pm


Opens the Apps Page in Miniature Icons. Also lists your installed programs. Also shows a search panel on the right hand side for Apps.

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From Cary Gordon on March 06, 2013 :: 3:34 pm


I use Windows Key + R quite a lot to bring up Windows’ RUN dialog.
Also Windows Key + D to show the Desktop.

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From Wes R on March 07, 2013 :: 7:47 am


One of my favorites. Use the down arrow to take a window out of maximized (restore), again to minimize it. Up will maximize the window.
Use left and right to cover only half the screen. Then do the opposite arrow for another window to have them side-by-side
For multiple monitors, Windows Key + Shift + Left/Right will move a window from one monitor to the other.

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From Bevin Kacon on February 14, 2017 :: 9:20 pm


You just saved my life.

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From Farrah on November 03, 2014 :: 4:15 am


Hello,

I have a new HP with Windows 8. I am getting used to everything (albeit slowly) and stopped hating all the changes EXCEPT one. On my old computer (windows vista) the End Key would go to the end of the line. On this new computer it moves one space to the right. I know that if I hit CTRL + End it will go to the end of the WORD, but I don’t want that. I want home to go to the beginning of the line and End to end of line. Can someone out there help?

Thanks!

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From Andy Prakken on November 03, 2014 :: 11:50 am


Check out this link, it may have what you are looking for.  I did not check the whole list.

http://www.shortcutworld.com/en/win/Eclipse.html

Hope this will be of use.  If not, go to Google and type in End of Line Shortcuts, There are quite a few listed there. Andy

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From Farrah on November 03, 2014 :: 5:43 pm


Thank you! The keys I need are FN + END, which is not what I’m used to, but better than nothing.

Is there any way of going into the computer and changing the key functions to make the END key go to the end of the line?

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From Charles Heineke on February 06, 2015 :: 1:01 am


Windows Logo Key + Pause/Break Key brings up Device Manager or system information.

In Windows 7, you can tile two applications vertically, side by side, so you can easily compare two documents, copy and paste info from one to the other, etc. To use, click somewhere in the application you want on the left half of the screen and press Windows Logo Key + Left Arrow Key. Then click somewhere in the application you want on the right half of the screen and press Windows Logo Key + Right Arrow Key. It will dock on the right half of the screen.

You can maximize either window or resize either or both to leave the tiled look.

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From Michael Maul on June 16, 2019 :: 9:30 am


A quicker way to have side by side or stacked vertically applications is right click on the task bar and choose side by side or stacked.  Does this with 2 or more selected windows.

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From Charles Heineke on April 11, 2016 :: 10:53 pm


Your Key in the list above: “Ctrl + Shift with Start key — Selects all text from the cursor to the beginning of the document.” should have been Ctrl + Shift + Home key. Its opposite, which you have correctly, is Ctrl + Shift + End key.

I’ve been using these two shortcuts for decades.

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From Hal on June 17, 2019 :: 7:56 am


Most of those shortcuts go back to original MS DOS which I used back in the early 80s prior to the very first windows version. Most have been carried forward for years and years.

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From Josh Kirschner on June 17, 2019 :: 1:24 pm


Even people who have been using computers since the 80s (as I have, too) often find a couple of really useful gems they didn’t know about.

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From Joseph Doakes on January 13, 2021 :: 4:28 pm


A past employee had a shortcut he used. By holding down one key on his laptop, it would provide his email address (or any other word or phrase) that he used often. How can I do this?

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From Josh Kirschner on January 14, 2021 :: 11:53 am


There are a number of third-party tools that let you create and assign custom keyboard shortcuts. This article has a few of them: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3171768/3-windows-text-expanders-that-take-the-tedium-out-of-typing.html

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