Your keyboard is hiding a huge productivity boost
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's
always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between
documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one
item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously
and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on
Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use
SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with
Windows, too.
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the
mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using
keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some
of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that
can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like
Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.rThis one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.
But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the
mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using
keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some
of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that
can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like
Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the
mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using
keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some
of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that
can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like
Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
4:-Windows + P
Multiple screens? No problem
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the
mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using
keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some
of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that
can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like
Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.
Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.
Most users are probably used to doing things on our PCs with the
mouse, only using the keyboard to type when necessary. But using
keyboard shortcuts can frankly be a huge boost to productivity, as some
of these shortcuts provide significantly faster ways to do things that
can eat up your time. Even if you're a more casual user, shortcuts like
Ctrl + C are hugely helpful.
There are dozens upon dozens of keyboard shortcuts in Windows, though, and no one has the time to learn them all. So I decided to round up some of the best and most useful ones that you probably didn't know about. You can thank me later.
10:-Windows + arrow keys
Resize and minimize appsn Sap assist and Snap layouts are some of the best features in Windows 11 (and 10), and while using your mouse can definitely work (plus you can resize apps more easily), using the keyboard is a great way to quickly resize apps and snap them to the position you want.
By pressing the Windows key with the side arrow keys, you can snap an app to either side of the screen, or press the up arrow to make the app take up the full screen. You can even snap apps into quarters by pressing one arrow aftert the other while holding the Windows key. You can also minimize the app by using Windows + Down. It's just another way to resize and manage your windows, and a pretty useful one at that.
9:-Ctrl + Shift + Esc Quickly access Task Manager
Task Manager is something we've all had to use at some point (who hasn't had an app freeze that they had to terminate by force?).But did you know you can launch it even faster with a keyboard shortcut? Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard and you'll be there right away. You probably knew how to get there using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, but this is way faster.8:-Windows + Shift + S
Take a screenshot with Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch in Windows 10,is one of the best tools available in Microsoft's latest operating systems.
It's a simple way to take screenshots of part or all of your screen, or a specific window, complete with annotation capabilities.In Windows 11, especially, it has kept gaining more and more features, including video recording support.
You might never have gone out of your way to open it, but the Windows + Shift + S shortcut makes it incredibly easy to launch a Snipping Tool capture so you can grab a screenshot or video of whatever you're looking at. This is an incredibly useful tool, and the only reason it's this low is that Microsoft has repurposed the Print Screen key to do the same thing as this shortcut in the most recent versions of Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, though, this is still a lifesaver of a shortcut.
7:-Ctrl + Shift + T
Oops, didn't mean to close thatYour probably already know you can open a new tab in a browser with Ctrl + T, and you might also know you can close them with Ctrl + W. But did you know that if you accidentally close a tab, you can use Ctrl + Shift + T to re-open the last closed tab? You can even press it repeatedly to re-open all the tabs you may have closed.
This shortcut has saved me form so much wasted time that it would be hard to quantify. It's not exclusive to Windows PCs, either, so whatever computer you have, keep this one in mind while using your browser.
6:-Windows + Print Screen
Take a screenshot, but faster
This one may seem similar to Windows + Shift + S, but there are a couple of crucial differences. For one thing, this shortcut is available further back in Windows history, so even in Windows 8, you can use this combination to quickly take a screenshot.But more importantly, this shortcut is absolutely no fuss. Press Windows + Print Screen and you'll see a quick flash on your screen letting you know the screenshot has been taken and saved. There's no need to select an area to be captured or edit the image afterward, just press the keys and your entire screen is captured into a screenshot. It's an even quicker alternative than using the Snipping Tool.
Another shortcut that's quite popular is Ctrl + Z for undoing changes you've made to a file or document. But sometimes you may just press those keys one too many times, so maybe you want to repeat an action you accidentally undid. That's where Ctrl + Y comes in, allowing you to redo a previously undone action in most Windows apps.
This is another big timesaver if you tend to go wild smashing the keys on your keyboard. And as a little extra tip, some apps (such as Photoshop) actually replace this shortcut with Ctrl + Alt + Z instead.Using multiple screens with your PC can often be the cause of headaches. Sometimes the screen you want to use may go black, or sometimes you may not want both screens to be the same so you don't accidentally reveal private information. But managing multiple screens doesn't have to be hard.
The Windows + P shortcut is the easiest way to quickly see and change the display mode when using multiple screens. In this panel, you can choose whether to use only the primary or secondary screen, duplicate the image across both screens, or use one as an extension of the other. For more detailed options you'll still need the Settings app, but if you're having trouble with a multi-screen setup, this is a very important one.
3:-Windows + . (or ;)
Emoji are easy to uses As common as emoji are on our smartphones, it feels like not many people go out of their way to use them on PC. And that's understandable, because you probably didn't know there was a quick way to use your favorite emoji (and even kaomoji) on Windows 11 (and 10) using a keyboard shortcut.That's right, by pressing Windows + . (period) on your keyboard, you can launch the emoji panel in Windows so you can add some flair to your messages. Emoji are searchable, and your most common ones are brought to the top, just as you'd expect. So, next time you want to express an emotion in an email or message, you know the easiest way to do it.2:-Windows + numbers Quickly launch your apps
Pinning your favorite apps to the taskbar is a great way to launch them quickly, especially if you're like me and like keeping your desktop free of icons. But to make it even faster, using a keyboard shortcut is the way to go.If you press the Windows key along with a number from 1 to 9, you can launch any app on your taskbar, with the number representing the position of that app on the taskbar (excluding Windows icons like the Start menu and Task view). The shortcut can be used to either launch a new app or switch to an existing one, but you can force it to launch a new instance of the app by pressing the Shift key in addition to the Windows and the number of your choice.
Finally, we had to cap it off with one of the best features in Windows 10 onward. Clipboard history allows Windows to remember items you've copied previously, and by pressing Windows + V you can access everything copied during the current session. Not only that, you can pin items so that they're saved across sessions, so if you copy the same bit of text frequently, this shortcut can save you a ton of time.
It's always frustrating when you're moving bits of text or images between documents, but the typical copying and pasting method can only save one item at a time and you might overwrite something you copied previously and completely forget about it. This is such a useful shortcut on Windows that everyone needs to know. And what's more, if you use SwiftKey on Android, you can even sync your Android clipboard with Windows, too.