Every Windows version features a number of useful shortcuts enabled by default. With each new release of Windows, Microsoft has added new keyboard shortcuts for the Win key. In this article, I would like to share a complete list of all Winkey shortcuts available in Windows 10. These keyboard sequences can help you save your time and increase your productivity. Win key shortcuts have changed in Windows 10 which is why we made an updated list. Here we go.
Win + A - Opens Action Center. You can disable this keyboard shortcut and the whole Action Center if you do not use it.
Win + B - Moves the focus to the notification area (system tray). You can use arrow keys and Enter after pressing Win+B to access various tray icons.
Win + C - Opens Cortana. If you have uninstalled Cortana by using the trick mentioned here: How to uninstall and remove Cortana in Windows 10, then Win+C will do nothing.
Win + D - Shows the Desktop. When you press Win+D again, it restores the open windows. Another way to show the desktop is to add a button on the taskbar next to Start.
Win + E - Opens Explorer. Where Explorer opens by pressing Win+E can be customized in Windows 10. See how to open This PC instead of Quick Access in Windows 10 File Explorer.
Win + Ctrl + F - Opens the Find Computers dialog (for Active Directory/domain joined PCs). Win+F used to open search in Windows 7, but does not work in Windows 10 anymore.
Win + G - If a game is open, pressing Win+G shows the Game bar. In earlier versions of Windows, Win+G used to show the Gadgets. You can still get Gadgets and Sidebar back in Windows 10 but Win+G remains assigned to the Game DVR app. If you uninstall this app, Win+G does nothing.
Win + Alt + R - Starts recording if the Games app is installed.
Win + Alt + G - Records the last 30 seconds if the Games app is installed.
Win + Alt + PrintScreen - Takes a screenshot of the game if Games app is installed.
Win + Alt + T - Shows/hides the recording timer.
Win + H - Opens the Share Charm for apps that support the Share contract.
Win + I - Opens the Settings app. There are many other possible ways to open the Settings app in Windows 10.
Win + K - Open the Connect flyout. It is useful when you need to connect quickly to some device using Miracast (for wireless displays) or using Bluetooth audio.
Win + L - Locks the PC or lets you switch users. You can of course switch users from the Start Menu too.
Win + M - Minimizes all windows. Win + Shift + M does undo minimize all. This is not the same as Win+D. See what is the difference between Win + D (Show Desktop) and Win + M (Minimize All) keyboard shortcuts in Windows.
Win + O - Locks or unlocks the orientation of the device if it's a tablet PC so if even if you rotate it, it won't rotate.
Win + P - Opens the Project flyout which allows projecting to another monitor. We covered it in detail HERE. You can also create a shortcut to open the Project flyout directly.
Win + Q - Opens Cortana ready for voice input.
Win + R - Opens the Run dialog. Run dialog can be used to launch your favorite apps with useful aliases.
Win + S - Opens Cortana ready for typed/keyboard input. You might remember that in Windows 8.1, Win+S opened the Search flyout.
Win + T - Focuses on the taskbar icons. Pressing Win+T again moves the focus to the next icon. Win+Shift+T takes the focus to the previous icon.
Win + U - Opens Ease of Access Center.
Win + V - Focuses on the Metro style toast notifications and cycles through them.
Win + X - Opens the Power Users menu in Windows 10. See how to use Win+X menu to manage tasks in Windows 10 faster. You can customize this menu using Win+X Menu Editor. You might remember that in Windows 7 and Vista, Win+X opened Windows Mobility Center. It can be opened in Windows 10 by pressing Win+X, then B.
Win + Z - Shows the commands available in an app when it is fullscreen (Tablet Mode).
Win + 1/2/3....0 - Opens or switches to the correspondingly numbered Taskbar button. If you have 7+ Taskbar Numberer installed, you can easily see these numbers so you don't have to count.
Win + Alt + 1/2/3....0 - Shows the jumplist of the correspondingly numbered Taskbar button.
Win + + - Opens Magnifier and zooms in.
Win + - - Zooms out in Magnifier.
Win + Esc - Exits Magnifier if it's running.
Win + F1 - Opens Help and Support.
Win + Pause/Break - Opens System Properties.
Win + Print screen - Takes a screenshot in Windows 10 and saves it to the This PC\Pictures\Screenshots folder. You might be interested in reading these articles:
- How to change default Screenshots location in Windows 10.
- How to create a shortcut to take a screenshot in Windows 10 using built-in screenshot feature.
- How to reset screenshot index number in Windows 10.
Win + Home - Same as Aero Shake (minimizes all windows except the foreground window).
Win + Left arrow key - Snaps a window to the left.
Win + Right arrow key - Snaps a window to the right.
Win + Up arrow key - Maximizes a window.
Win + Down arrow key - Restores a maximized window. Pressing Win+Down on a non-maximized window minimizes it. If you have AquaSnap installed, you can customize these hotkeys for snapping.
Win + Enter - Starts Narrator.
Win + Space - Switches the input language. See how to get the old language indicator and language bar in Windows 10.
Win + Comma (,) - does an Aero Peek. See how to enable Aero Peek in Windows 10. In Windows 7, this was Win+Space.
Win + Tab - opens Task View.
Win + Ctrl + D - creates a new virtual desktop.
Win + Ctrl + → and Win + Ctrl + ← - switches between virtual desktops you created.
Win + Ctrl + F4 - closes current virtual desktop.
Win + Shift + Left arrow - move a window to your left monitor.
Win + Shift + Right arrow - move a window to your right monitor.
Win + Shift + Up arrow - maximizes a window vertically You can disable vertical maximizing if you want .
Let us know if we missed any Win key shortcuts and tell us if you discovered any new ones from this article.
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For me, Win+Q opens cortana normally and Win+C opens ready for voice input.
I have no idea if these tips are useful to anyone not using build 10240 but hell with it:
first – how to make Windows 10 Color Control Tool http://rammichael.com/getting-brighter-colors-in-windows-10 to always select intense colors (e.g. always keep active color balance at 100% if you check in Aero Glass Configurator http://i.imgur.com/ZLKr1W4.jpg). When you run a command “control color” and manually select maximum color intensity, and then use Windows 10 Color Control Tool to select other color, color intensity will be lowered. Default Windows algorithm of picking colors from the wallpaper changes color intensity for different wallpaper in the slideshow.
To make Windows 10 Color Control Tool always select intense colors you should first run “control color”, select maximum intensity, click save and optionally run Aero Glass Configurator to check if Active Color Balance is at 100%, then go into Control Panel’s Personalization section and save the Unsaved Theme, then select any other theme and back to the just saved theme – now Windows 10 Color Control Tool will always select 100% intense colors.
second tip – How to force (at least old) Radeon GPU to always run in “high performance mode” with highest core and memory clocks (temperatures at idle won’t be a problem as they still depend on the workload). My GPU is Radeon HD 3650 and it belongs to Radeon HD 2000-4000 series called by AMD as Legacy products. Catalyst and drivers are not updating for my GPU so this might not work with latest GPUs. There is no perceivable performance increase or hardware instability so use at your own need. High performance mode is reset on reboot so this should be performed at every time after restarts. Use Hardware Monitor Pro to check on current voltage, clocks used by the GPU.
So you need to disable AMD services running in the background, then start any fullscreen game, after closing it go into Task Manager and end CCC.exe and MOM.exe. It should be done immediately after the game or Catalyst will eventually change clocks to default automatic mode.
The first tip is already covered here.
See: https://winaero.com/blog/how-to-set-the-taskbar-to-a-lighter-color-in-windows-10/
Windows 7 provided a function key combination “WIN KEY + SPACE + RIGHT ARROW”, which allowed the cursor to move from one monitor to a second monitor. In Windows 10 the same function key combination moves the Window to the second monitor. Is it possible to import the Windows 7 macro, change the function key combination to lets say “CTRL + $” to allow it to execute in Windows 10? Or has anyone developed a macro that allow you to move your cursor (not the pointer arrow) from Monitor One to Monitor Two at the same relative location? This Windows 7 shortcut was an excellent productivity tool especially if you are doing program development. Now a days, people developing programs, gamer’s and in many business areas (stockbrokers, etc) use two or more monitors to perform their tasks. There is no doubt, eliminating this shortcut will impact their productivity as it is in mine. Does anyone know of an alternate solution?
Please update this article with Shift+Win+Enter :)
Do you/would you have the same shortcuts available in the French langauge.
Please.
What about emoji Win+;
look at the article date.