You may already know the Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts for opening the Start menu, but did you know you can combine it with all kinds of other keys to open specific apps and features in Windows 11? Here are the most notable things you can do with this key.

• Windows key + A — Open the Quick Settings panel. This lets you turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplane mode, and more features on or off. You can also adjust the brightness of your screen and computer volume in this panel.
• Windows key + C — Open Copilot (in supported regions). Copilot can provide answers to questions, search the internet, generate images, and even change some Windows settings.
• Windows key + D — Show or hide the desktop. Showing the desktop means all your apps are no longer visible, and hiding it restores all your apps in their correct place.
• Windows key + E — Open File Explorer.
• Windows key + F — Open the Feedback Hub and immediately take a screenshot. This lets you more easily send feedback to Microsoft about a problem you may have encountered.
• Windows key + G — Open the Xbox Game Bar. This lets you record videos, take screenshots, and access various features while playing a game.
  • Windows key + Alt + B — Turn HDR on or off. This requires an HDR-compatible monitor and a recent version of the Xbox Game Bar app.
  • Windows key + Alt + R — Start recording a video of your app or game using the Xbox Game Bar.
• Windows key + H — Launch voice typing. This allows you to dictate text rather than write it by hand.
• Windows key + I — Open the Settings app.
  • Windows key + Pause — Open the About page in Settings. This includes information about your computer hardware and Windows itself.
• Windows key + K — Open the Cast panel. This lets you connect to wireless displays that support Miracast.
• Windows key + Alt + K – Mute your microphone in apps that support Call Mute (includes Teams for work and school, Unigram, and others).
• Windows key + L — Lock your PC. This keeps all your apps open, but requires you to unlock your PC before using them again.
• Windows key + M — Minimize all your windows.
  • Windows key + Shift + M — Restore your minimized windows. This only works if you’re still on the desktop.
• Windows key + N — Show the notification center and calendar. This is a new keyboard shortcut in Windows 11.
• Windows key + O — Lock device orientation. For tablets and convertibles, this prevents the display from rotating when you rotate your PC.
• Windows key + P — Change the display mode for multiple monitors. If you have multiple displays connected, you can choose to only have one of the screens active, duplicate the display across all screens, or use the screens to extend your display area.
• Windows key + Ctrl + Q — Open Quick Assist. This allows you to receive or provide help to another user by connecting remotely over the internet.
• Windows key + R — Open the Run dialog. This allows you to open any app on your PC, as long as you know the name of the executable file for the app.
• Windows key + S — Open Windows Search. You can search for files, apps, and search the web here.
• Windows key + Shift + S — Take a screenshot using the Snipping Tool. After pressing the key, you can still choose your preferred capture mode, including free form, rectangle, window, and full-screen (this includes all connected monitors).
• Windows key + U — Open the Accessibility Settings page.
  • Windows key + Ctrl + C — Turn color filters on or off. This feature needs to be enabled in the Accessibility settings first, and it lets you change how colors are displayed to account for various forms of color blindness.
• Windows key + V — Open your clipboard history. This allows you to see multiple items you’ve copied, including text, links, and images. Out of the box, this feature is disabled, but you can turn it on from here, too.
• Windows + Shift + V — Set focus to a notification on screen.
• Windows key + W — Open the Widgets panel. This new Windows 11 feature contains widgets for things like the weather, OneDrive photos, calendar, and more. You can also see news from topics you’re interested in here.
• Windows key + X — Open the Quick Link menu (equivalent to right-clicking the Start icon on your taskbar). This contains links to system features like Settings, File Explorer, Task Manager, and more.
• Windows key + Y (Windows Mixed Reality devices only) — Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and the desktop.
• Windows key + Z — Open the snap layouts panel. This feature, added in Windows 11, makes it easier to put multiple apps side by side on your screen.
• Windows + . (period) or ; (semi-colon) — Open the emoji panel. This lets you add emoji to any text field.
• Windows + , (comma) — Peek at the desktop. Your desktop is only visible as long as you hold one of the keys after pressing them, then your windows are restored.
• Windows key+ Ctrl + F— Search for PCs on your network. This is meant for Azure Active Directory domains.
• Windows key + Spacebar — Cycle between languages and input methods (if multiple are installed).
  • Windows key + Shift + Spacebar — Cycle backwards through the list.
  • Windows key + Ctrl + Spacebar — Switch to the last used input method.
  • Ctrl + Shift — Switch to a different keyboard layout if multiple are available (for the same language).
  • Ctrl + Spacebar — Turn the Chinese IME on or off (if the Chinese language is installed).
• Windows key + Ctrl+ Enter — Turn on Narrator. This accessibility feature reads on-screen elements to make navigation easier for those with vision impairments.
• Windows key + + (plus) — Turn on the Magnifier and zoom into the screen.
  • Windows key + – (minus) — Zoom out with the Magnifier.
  • Windows key + Esc — Close the Magnifier.
• Windows key + / (forward slash) — Begin IME reconversion.
• Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B — Wake up your PC from a blank or black screen.
• Windows key + PrtScn (Print Screen, may be represented differently on different keyboards) — Take a full-screen screenshot and automatically save it to a file. Items are saved in the Pictures library in a folder called Screenshots.
  • Windows key + Alt+ PrtScn — Take a screenshot of the active game or window and save it into a file. This feature uses the Xbox Game Bar, and files are saved in the Videos library, in a folder called Captures (by default).
  • PrtScn — Take a full-screen screenshot and copy it to the clipboard, so you can paste it somewhere else without saving it as a file. You can also go to the Settings app > Accessibility > Keyboard to set the PrtScn key to open the Snipping Tool (making it the same as Windows key + Shift + S)
• Ctrl + Esc — Open the Start menu.
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc — Open the Task Manager.

Getting around Windows 11 is a lot easier if you know a keyboard shortcut or five. You can then speed through tasks and across apps without having to fumble around for the mouse and trackpad (or even take your eyes off the screen).

These are some of my favorites that I turn to again and again on a daily basis. From helping you go between apps more quickly to navigating your system, there should be at least something here for everyone.

Get a closer look

Need to see something on-screen at a larger scale? Hold down the Win key and then tap + (the plus key) to launch the Magnifier utility. You can then tap the same shortcut again to carry on zooming in or use Win and – (the minus key) to zoom out.

See apps across desktops

Windows 11 lets you set up multiple desktops as a way of separating programs out — your personal stuff and your work stuff, for example — and the Win+Tab shortcut acts as a supercharged Alt+Tab, cycling through all of the apps on all of your desktops.

Access the clipboard history

The old Ctrl+V paste shortcut is old news now. All the cool kids have moved on to Win+V, which opens up the Windows 11 clipboard history panel. From there, you can copy any of the last 25 items that were copied or cut to the clipboard.

Show the Windows desktop

There are all kinds of reasons to quickly jump to the desktop and minimize all open windows — maybe the boss is walking past, or you’re on a secret shopping mission for your partner and they just got home. A tap of Win+D will do the job.

Refresh a webpage in Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

Checking sports scores or eBay auctions? If your keyboard comes with a row of function keys attached, you can tap F5 to refresh the webpage you’re currently looking at in any browser on Windows 11, so there’s no need to click the refresh icon in the toolbar.

If the function keys do double duty on your keyboard (for media playback and volume, for instance), you’ll also need the Fn key to make sure the function keys take priority. On some keyboards, the Fn key needs to be held down, and on others, the Fn key toggles the function keys on and off.

Bring back a tab

Don’t panic if you’ve accidentally closed a web browser tab that you actually really need because the Ctrl+Shift+T shortcut will bring it back again for you. Keep tapping it to bring back even more tabs from your browsing history.

Zoom in or out in Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

Here’s another option for zooming: hold down Ctrl+Alt and then tap the + (plus) key to zoom in or the – (minus) key to zoom out. This shortcut is useful because it works in a variety of different applications, including just about any web browser and the Windows 11 File Explorer, where it makes thumbnail icons smaller or larger.

Keep on scrolling

Once you’ve mastered Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts zooming, you can do some scrolling as well. Tapping Space will scroll down page by page in just about every web browser out there. If you want to go in the other direction, use Shift+Space.

Go full screen with your apps

Windows 11 can run apps in full-screen mode just like macOS, but it’s not obvious how to do it — the option doesn’t appear among the icons in the top-right corner of each window. F11 is the keyboard shortcut you need, letting you focus on one app at a time.

Go straight to the Start menu(s) in Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

The Start menu is the jumping-off point for everything on Windows 11, and Ctrl+Esc gets you straight there. There’s also a “secret” Start menu with links to the key areas of the operating system that you can get at with Win+X.

There’s a “secret” Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts in Start menu with links to the key areas of the operating system that you can get at with Win+X.

Snap a screenshot in Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

If you want to skip the Snipping Tool that pops up when you hit PrtSc, use Win+PrtSc. It sends a PNG of the whole screen to your Pictures folder (inside Screenshots) and copies it to the clipboard. Use Alt+PrtSc to just capture the current active window instead, and then use Ctrl-V to paste it into a document.

Skip the Recycle Bin

If you want to make sure something is truly deleted and not hanging around in the Recycle Bin for a few days before being wiped, use the Shift+Delete shortcut in File Explorer with the relevant files selected.

Use the Shift+Delete shortcut in File Explorer to bypass the Recycle Bin.

Rename one or more files

F2 is really useful for renaming files in File Explorer. If you have multiple files selected (Ctrl+click) or all the files in the folder selected (Ctrl+A), you can press F2 to give them all the same name with sequential numbers attached.

Undo an undo

Ctrl+Z to undo the last action is one of the most well-known shortcuts there is, but not everyone knows you can use Ctrl+Y to cycle back the other way — to undo the undo, or multiple undos, if that’s what’s happened. It’s very handy for the indecisive Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts.

Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts for the taskbar

Using the taskbar in Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts can also be made easier using Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts. Here are a few key combinations that can help you select taskbar items more quickly.

• Windows key + T — Cycle through apps on the taskbar (open or pinned)
• Windows key + (number) — Start the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the app is already running, switch to that app.
• Windows key + Shift + (number) — Start a new instance of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number, even if one is already open.
• Windows key + Ctrl + (number) — Switch to the last active window of the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
• Windows key + Alt + (number) — Open the Jump List for the app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
• Windows + Alt + Enter (when focus is set to taskbar) — Open taskbar settings
• Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + (number) — Open a new instance of the app located at the given position on the taskbar as an administrator.
• Shift + left mouse click — Open a new instance of the selected app.
• Ctrl + Shift + left mouse click — Open the selected app as an administrator.
• Shift + right mouse click — Open the window menu for the selected app
• Ctrl + left mouse click (on an app with multiple windows open) — Cycle through the open windows for the app
• Windows key + B — Set focus to the first icon in the taskbar corner. If no apps are displaying an icon, focus is set to the overflow menu icon.

Other general Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

There are tons of Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts for actions that can be useful in different parts of Windows 11 or in different apps. Whether you want to copy and paste text or files, refresh a page, and so on, here are some extra shortcuts you may find useful.

• Ctrl + A — Select all text or items in a document, page, or window.
• Ctrl + D — Delete the selected text or item(s).
• Ctrl + X — Cut the selected item or text.
• Ctrl + C — Copy the selected item or text.
• Ctrl + V — Paste copied or cut content from the clipboard.
• Ctrl + Z — Undo your last action.
• Ctrl + Y — Redo an undone action.
• F2 — Rename the selected file or folder.
• F5 or Ctrl + R – Refresh the active window or page (works in various apps, including web browsers).
  • Ctrl + F5 — In some web browsers, this refreshes the active window by forcing the browser to reload files even if they’ve previously been cached. This can help if changes have been made to a page but you’re unable to see them in your browser.
• F6 — Cycle through screen elements of the active window or desktop.
• F10 — Activate the menu bar in the active window or app.
• Alt + F8 — Show your password on the Windows sign-in screen
• Alt + (letter) — When menus are being displayed, select the option with the corresponding underlined letter in the text.
• Alt + Spacebar — Open the shortcut menu for the active window.
  • Shift + F10 — Open the shortcut/context menu for the selected item.
• Left arrow (in menus) — Move to the left on the menu, or close an open sub-menu.
  • Right arrow (in menus) — Move to the right on the menu, or open a selected sub-menu.
• Ctrl + F4 — Close the open document or tab in apps that allow you to open multiple documents or tabs at once, such as web browsers.
• Ctrl + E — Open search (in some apps).
• Ctrl + Right arrow — Move the text cursor to the beginning of the next word.
  • Ctrl + Left arrow — Move the text cursor to the beginning of the previous word.
• Ctrl + Up arrow — Move the text cursor up one paragraph.
  • Ctrl + Down arrow — Move the text cursor down one paragraph.
• Alt + Shift + (arrow key) — When focus is set to a pinned app in the Start menu, move the pinned app in the direction of the arrow.
• Shift + (arrow key) — In a document, select text starting from the position of the text cursor.
  • Left arrow — Select the previous character. Right arrow deselects the last selected text.
  • Right arrow — Select the next character. Left arrow deselects the last selected text.
  • Up arrow — Select the previous line. Down arrow deselects the last selected line.
  • Down arrow — Select the next line. Up arrow deselects the last selected line.
• Ctrl + Shift + (arrow key) — In a document, select a block of text starting from the position of the cursor:
  • Left arrow — Select the previous word. Right arrow deselects the last selected text.
  • Right arrow — Select the next word. Left arrow deselects the last selected text.
  • Up arrow — Select the previous paragraph. Down arrow deselects the last selected paragraph.
  • Down arrow — Select the next paragraph. Up arrow deselects the last selected paragraph.
• Esc — Stop or leave an ongoing task (use varies by app).

And those are most of the Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts you may find useful in Windows 11. All of these shortcuts give you intuitive ways to navigate certain parts of the operating system or various apps without having to use a mouse, which can break focus due to having to reposition your hands. If you want to stay on the flow, keyboard shortcuts like this can truly speed up your work. If those are too hard to remember, Microsoft’s PowerToys app includes a tool called Shortcut Guide, which lets you see the available shortcuts that use the Windows key (it doesn’t work for other shortcuts, unfortunately).

With Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts getting feature updates on an annual basis, these shortcuts can sometimes change, but most of them are the same. Keep an eye on our Windows 11 update tracker to learn more about the latest Windows 11 updates. And if you want to know what’s new before everyone else, check out our guide to the Windows 11 features currently available in preview.