Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts
Learn essential keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11. Navigate faster with multitasking and system commands. Boost productivity with smart shortcuts.
All Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts
Total Shortcuts:
166
Categories:
8
Application:
OS
Platform:
Windows 11
Search
System & Desktop
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ Esc
|
Open Task Manager | |
|
Win
+ N
|
Open Notification Center and Calendar | |
|
Win
+ Alt
+ B
|
Toggle HDR on/off | |
|
Win
+ C
|
Open Copilot (or Chat in older versions) | |
|
Win
+ Space
|
Switch Input Language / Keyboard | |
|
Win
+ K
|
Open Cast | |
|
Win
+ Pause
|
Open specific system properties (about) | |
|
Win
+ Shift
+ S
|
Snipping Tool (Partial Screenshot) | |
|
Win
or Ctrl
+ Esc
|
Open Start menu | |
|
Win
+ A
|
Open Quick Settings (WiFi, Audio, etc.) | |
|
Win
+ I
|
Open Settings | |
|
Win
+ S
or Win
+ Q
|
Open Search | |
|
Win
+ E
|
Open File Explorer | |
|
Win
+ R
|
Open Run dialog | |
|
Win
+ L
|
Lock Windows | |
|
Win
+ M
or Win
+ D
|
Minimize all windows | |
|
Win
+ Shift
+ M
|
Restore minimized windows | |
|
Win
+ Tab
|
Open Task View | |
|
Alt
+ Tab
|
Switch between apps | |
|
Win
+ T
|
Cycle through apps on taskbar | |
|
PrtScn
|
Capture Full Screen to Clipboard | |
|
Win
+ G
|
Open Game Bar | |
|
Win
+ W
|
Open Widgets | |
|
Win
+ .
|
Open Emoji panel | |
|
Win
+ H
|
Voice Typing | |
|
Win
+ P
|
Project to a second screen |
Window Management
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ ← / →
|
Switch between Virtual Desktops | |
|
Win
+ Z
|
Open Snap Layouts | |
|
Win
+ ←
|
Snap window left | |
|
Win
+ →
|
Snap window right | |
|
Win
+ ↑
|
Maximize window | |
|
Win
+ ↓
|
Minimize window | |
|
Win
+ ↓
or Win
+ ↑
|
Restore/minimize window | |
|
Win
+ ←/→ then ↑/↓
|
Snap window to corners | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ D
|
Create new virtual desktop | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ F4
|
Close current virtual desktop | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ ←/→
|
Switch virtual desktops | |
|
Win
+ Shift
+ ←/→
|
Move window between monitors | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ Shift
+ ←/→
|
Move window between virtual desktops | |
|
Win
+ D
|
Show desktop | |
|
Alt
+ Esc
|
Cycle through window thumbnails | |
|
Alt
+ Tab
|
Switch to next app | |
|
Alt
+ Shift
+ Tab
|
Switch to previous app | |
|
Alt
+ F4
|
Close active window |
Taskbar & Navigation
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Win
+ [1-9]
|
Open app from taskbar | |
|
Win
+ Alt
+ K
|
Toggle Microphone Mute (in supported apps like Teams) | |
|
Win
+ Shift
+ [1-9]
|
Open new instance of app | |
|
Win
+ Alt
+ [1-9]
|
Open Jump List (opens the jump list for the app pinned at that position) | |
|
Shift
+ Right-click app icon
|
Open contextual menu for app | |
|
Win
+ B
|
Cycle through taskbar notifications | |
|
Win
+ B then Enter
|
Open System Tray | |
|
Win
+ B then Tab
|
Focus first widget | |
|
Right-click desktop → View → Show desktop icons
|
Show/hide desktop icons | |
|
F5
|
Refresh desktop | |
|
Alt
+ Enter
|
Open Properties |
File Explorer
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Ctrl
+ N
|
New File Explorer window | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ N
|
New folder | |
|
Alt
+ Enter
|
Open Properties | |
|
F2
|
Rename selected item | |
|
Delete
|
Delete selected item | |
|
Shift
+ Delete
|
Permanently delete | |
|
Ctrl
+ A
|
Select all items | |
|
Ctrl
+ C
|
Copy selected item | |
|
Ctrl
+ X
|
Cut selected item | |
|
Ctrl
+ V
|
Paste | |
|
Ctrl
+ Z
|
Undo | |
|
Ctrl
+ Y
|
Redo | |
|
Ctrl
+ F
or F3
|
Search | |
|
Alt
+ ↑
|
Navigate up | |
|
Alt
+ ←
or Backspace
|
Navigate back | |
|
Alt
+ →
|
Navigate forward | |
|
Alt
+ ←
|
View previous folder | |
|
Alt
+ →
|
View next folder | |
|
←
|
Collapse current selection | |
|
→
|
Expand current selection | |
|
Alt
+ P
|
Toggle preview pane | |
|
Alt
+ Shift
+ P
|
Toggle details pane | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ E
|
Toggle navigation pane | |
|
Alt
+ D
or F4
|
Open address bar | |
|
Ctrl
+ L
|
Select address bar | |
|
F5
|
Refresh view | |
|
Alt
+ Enter
|
View properties |
Browser & Web
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Ctrl
+ T
|
New tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ N
|
New window | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ P
|
New InPrivate window | |
|
Ctrl
+ W
|
Close tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ W
|
Close window | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ T
|
Reopen closed tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ Tab
or Ctrl
+ PgDn
|
Next tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ Tab
or Ctrl
+ PgUp
|
Previous tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ [1-8]
|
Go to specific tab | |
|
Ctrl
+ 9
|
Go to last tab | |
|
F5
or Ctrl
+ R
|
Refresh page | |
|
Ctrl
+ F5
or Ctrl
+ Shift
+ R
|
Hard refresh | |
|
Esc
|
Stop loading | |
|
Alt
+ →
|
Go forward | |
|
Alt
+ ←
or Backspace
|
Go back | |
|
Alt
+ Home
|
Home page | |
|
Ctrl
+ F
|
Find on page | |
|
Ctrl
+ D
|
Bookmark page | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ D
|
Bookmark all tabs | |
|
Ctrl
+ J
|
View downloads | |
|
Ctrl
+ H
|
View history | |
|
Ctrl
+ I
|
View favorites | |
|
Ctrl
+or Ctrl
+ Mouse wheel up
|
Zoom in | |
|
Ctrl
+ -
or Ctrl
+ Mouse wheel down
|
Zoom out | |
|
Ctrl
+ 0
|
Reset zoom | |
|
F11
|
Full screen | |
|
F12
or Ctrl
+ Shift
+ I
|
Developer tools | |
|
Ctrl
+ U
|
View page source |
Text Editing & Input
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Win
+ V
|
Open Clipboard History | |
|
Win
+ . /;
|
Open Emoji & GIF Panel | |
|
Ctrl
+ A
|
Select all | |
|
Ctrl
+ C
|
Copy | |
|
Ctrl
+ X
|
Cut | |
|
Ctrl
+ V
|
Paste | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ V
|
Paste without formatting | |
|
Ctrl
+ Z
|
Undo | |
|
Ctrl
+ Y
or Ctrl
+ Shift
+ Z
|
Redo | |
|
Ctrl
+ B
|
Bold | |
|
Ctrl
+ I
|
Italic | |
|
Ctrl
+ U
|
Underline | |
|
Ctrl
+ F
|
Find | |
|
Ctrl
+ H
|
Find and replace | |
|
Ctrl
+ G
|
Go to | |
|
Ctrl
+ S
|
Save | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ S
or F12
|
Save As | |
|
Ctrl
+ P
|
||
|
Ctrl
+ N
|
New document | |
|
Ctrl
+ O
|
Open document | |
|
Ctrl
+ W
|
Close document | |
|
F7
|
Spell check | |
|
Shift
+ F7
|
Thesaurus | |
|
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ G
|
Word count | |
|
Ctrl
+ K
|
Insert hyperlink | |
|
Ctrl
+ L
|
Align left | |
|
Ctrl
+ E
|
Align center | |
|
Ctrl
+ R
|
Align right | |
|
Ctrl
+ J
|
Justify |
Accessibility
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Win
+ U
|
Open Accessibility settings | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ Shift
+ L
|
Turn on Live Captions | |
|
Win
+or Win
+ -
|
Turn Magnifier on/off | |
|
Win
+ Ctrl
+ Enter
|
Toggle Narrator | |
|
Left Alt
+ Left Shift
+ PrtScn
|
Toggle High Contrast | |
|
Shift 5 times
|
Toggle Sticky Keys | |
|
Right Shift for 8 seconds
|
Toggle Filter Keys | |
|
Left Alt
+ Left Shift
+ Num Lock
|
Toggle Mouse Keys | |
|
Win
+ U
|
Open Ease of Access Center | |
|
Win
+ P
|
Project to a second screen |
Command Prompt & PowerShell
| Shortcut | Description | Actions |
|---|---|---|
|
Win
+ R then type 'cmd'
|
Open Command Prompt | |
|
Win
+ X
|
Open Quick Link Menu (Start button right-click menu) | |
|
Win
+ `
|
Open Windows Terminal | |
|
Ctrl
+ C
|
Copy selected text | |
|
Ctrl
+ V
or Right-click
|
Paste | |
|
Ctrl
+ A
|
Select all | |
|
Ctrl
+ F
|
Find | |
|
Ctrl
+ M
|
Mark mode | |
|
Ctrl
+ ↑/↓
|
Scroll | |
|
Ctrl
+ L
|
Clear screen | |
|
Ctrl
+ C
|
Break/stop command | |
|
exit
or Ctrl
+ D
|
Exit | |
|
F7
|
Command history | |
|
↑
|
Previous command | |
|
↓
|
Next command | |
|
Tab
|
Autocomplete | |
|
Esc
|
Clear line |
Why Windows 11 Shortcuts Matter
Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts are designed to enhance productivity and streamline your workflow. By mastering these shortcuts, you can navigate your computer faster, manage windows more efficiently, and access system features without reaching for your mouse. Power users who utilize keyboard shortcuts report up to 40% time savings on common tasks.
Enhanced Productivity
Access system features and apps 3-4x faster than mouse navigation.
Window Management
Snap, maximize, and organize windows instantly with keyboard controls.
Virtual Desktops
Create and switch between workspaces seamlessly for organized workflows.
Accessibility
Quick access to accessibility features like Magnifier and Narrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
To customize keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11:
- Open Settings (Win + I)
- Go to Accessibility → Keyboard
- Click on "Keyboard shortcuts"
- Toggle individual shortcuts on/off
- For advanced customization, use third-party tools like AutoHotkey
Note: Some system shortcuts cannot be modified without registry edits.
Windows 11 introduces several new shortcuts:
- Win + W - Opens Widgets panel (new feature)
- Win + Z - Snap layouts (enhanced window management)
- Win + A - Quick Settings (replaces Action Center)
- Win + N - Notification Center
- Improved virtual desktop shortcuts
Yes! Windows 11 has excellent multi-monitor shortcuts:
- Win + Shift + ←/→ - Move window between monitors
- Win + Ctrl + ←/→ - Switch virtual desktops
- Win + Shift + Ctrl + ←/→ - Move window to different desktop
- Win + P - Project to different screens
If a Windows 11 shortcut isn't working:
- Check if the feature is enabled in Settings
- Restart your computer (some shortcuts need reboot)
- Update Windows to latest version
- Check for conflicting software (gaming software often captures keys)
- Run System File Checker: Open Command Prompt as admin and type
sfc /scannow - Check keyboard language settings
Some shortcuts may be disabled by group policies in workplace environments.
Windows 11 has extensive accessibility shortcuts:
- Win + Ctrl + Enter - Toggle Narrator
- Win + +/- - Turn Magnifier on/off
- Left Alt + Left Shift + PrtScn - High Contrast
- Press Shift 5 times - Sticky Keys
- Hold Right Shift for 8 seconds - Filter Keys
- Win + Ctrl + O - On-screen keyboard