Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows 11 has added some new keyboard shortcut keys along with familiar Windows shortcuts to help you work faster and more efficiently. Nearly all of the Windows 10 shortcuts still work on Windows 11, and there are more shortcuts for the new features introduced in Windows 11.

From navigating in Settings, running commands on a command prompt, switching between snap layouts, and responding to dialog boxes, there are tons of shortcuts for almost every command in Windows 11. In this post, we’re going to list the important keyboard shortcut keys (also known as Windows hotkeys) for Windows 11 that every Windows user should learn.

Shortcut Keys or Windows Hotkeys for Windows 11

Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time and help you to do things faster. Plus, it is more convenient to do tasks with a single press of one or multiple keys than endless clicks and scrolls.

Although memorizing all of the below shortcuts can be daunting, you don’t need to learn every hotkey on Windows 11. You can choose to learn only the shortcuts for the tasks you do more frequently to make you faster and more efficient.

By learning these universal shortcuts, you can navigate both Windows 10 and Windows 11 easily.

New Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 11

Windows 11 brings a few Keyboard Shortcuts for accessing its cool new features such as widgets, snap layouts, action center, and quick settings.

Also Read: How To Debloat Windows 11

FYI, Win the key is the Windows Logo key on your keyboard.

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Open up the Widgets pane. It supplies you with the weather forecast, local traffic, news, and even your calendar.	Win + W
Toggle up the Quick Settings. It controls the Volume, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Brightness sliders, Focus Assist, and other settings.	Win + A
Bring up the Notification Center and Calendar. It shows all your notifications in the OS.	Win + N
Open the Snap Layouts flyout. It helps you organize apps and windows for multitasking.	Win + Z
Open the Teams Chat app from Taskbar. It helps you quickly select a chat thread directly from the Taskbar.	Win + C
Snap an active window to the top half of your display.	Win + Up Arrow
Snap an active window to the bottom half of your display.	Win + Down Arrow
Open Quick Cast settings.	Win + K
Launch Voice Typing	Win + H

General and Popular Shortcuts for Windows 11

Here are the most frequently used and essential keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11.

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Open the Start menu.	Win or Ctrl + Esc
Select all contents	Ctrl + A
Copy the selected items	Ctrl + C
Cut the selected items	Ctrl + X
Paste the copied or cut items	Ctrl + V
Undo an action	Ctrl + Z
Redo an action	Ctrl + Y
Italicize selected text	Ctrl + I
Underline selected text	Ctrl + U
Bolden selected text	Ctrl + B
Opens new window/document	Ctrl + N
Switch between the running applications	Alt + Tab
Open Task View	Win + Tab
Close the active app or If you are on a Desktop, open the Shutdown box to shut down, restart, log out or put your PC to sleep.	Alt + F4
Lock your screen or computer.	Win + L
Display and hide the desktop.	Win + D
Stop or leave the current task	Esc
Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin.	Ctrl + Delete
Delete the selected item permanently.	Shift + Delete
Capture part of the screen with Snip & Sketch.	Win + Shift + S
Open the Start button context menu.	Windows + X
Rename the selected item.	F2
Refresh the active window.	F5
Open the Menu bar for the current app.	F10
Open the charms menu.	Win + Shift + C
Go back.	Alt + Left arrow
Go forward.	Alt + Left arrow
Move up one screen	Alt +Page Up
Move down one screen	Alt + Page Down
Open Task Manager.	Ctrl + Shift + Esc
Project a screen.	Win + P
Print the current page.	Ctrl + P
Select more than one item.	Shift + Arrow keys
Save the current file.	Ctrl + S
Save As	Ctrl + Shift + S
Open a file in the current app.	Ctrl + O
Cycle through the apps on the taskbar in the order they were opened.	Alt + Esc
Display your password on the login screen	Alt + F8
Open the shortcut menu for the current window	Alt + Spacebar
Open properties for the selected item.	Alt + Enter
Open the classic/full context menu (right-click menu) for the selected item.	Shift + F10
Select multiple items between two mouse clicks.	Shift + Select with the mouse
When a group or tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it in the direction specified.	Alt + Shift + Arrow keys
When a tile is in focus on the Start menu, move it into another tile to create a folder.	Ctrl + Shift + arrow keys
Open Run command.	Win + R
Open a new program window of the current app	Ctrl + N
Take a screen clipping	Win + Shift + S
Open Windows 11 settings	Win + I
Go back to the Settings home page	Backspace
Stop or close the current task	Esc
Enter/Exit the full-screen mode	F11
Launch Emoji keyboard	Win + period (.) or Win + semicolon (;)
Request Remote Assistance	Windows + Ctrl + Q
Delete the last entered word	Ctrl+ Backspace
Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word.	Ctrl + Right arrow
Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word.	Ctrl + Left arrow
Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph.	Ctrl + Down arrow
Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph.	Ctrl + Up arrow
Select multiple individual items in a window or desktop	Ctrl + Arrow Keys + Space
Open Search box	Ctrl + F
Launch Microsoft Office Apps	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win
Open OneNote desktop or web app	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + N
Open a new File Explorer window with OneDrive selected	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + D
Open the Outlook inbox	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + O
Open a new slide on PowerPoint	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + P
Open Microsoft Teams	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + T
Open a blank Word document	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + W
Open a blank Excel spreadsheet	Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Win + X
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.	Left Arrow
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.	Right Arrow
Set focus to a Windows tip when one is available.	Win + J
Open “how to get help in windows” Bing search in the default browser.	Win + F1
Search settings.	Type on any page with a search box

Keyboard Shortcuts For Taking Screenshots in Windows 11

ACTION	SHORTCUT KEYS
Capture a full screenshot and saves it in the clipboard or Open the screen snipping tool.	PrtScn or Print
Captures and saves a screenshot of the whole screen in the ‘Screen Captures’ folder	Windows + Print
Screenshot function for the selected area	Windows + Shift + S

Task Manager Shortcuts for Windows 11

ACTION	SHORTCUT KEYS
End the selected process	Alt + E
Open the Create new task dialog to run a new task.	Alt + N
Turn Efficiency Mode on or off.	Alt + V
Cycle through the tabs in the navigation area	Ctrl + Tab
Cycle through the tabs in the navigation area in reverse.	Ctrl + Shift + Tab

Desktop and Virtual Desktops Shortcuts for Windows 11

These simple shortcuts will help you navigate your desktop, virtual desktops, and Azure Virtual Desktop more smoothly.

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Open Start menu	Window logo key (Win)
Switch keyboard layout	Ctrl + Shift
View all open apps	Alt + Tab
Select more than one item on the desktop	Ctrl + Arrow keys + Spacebar
Minimize all open windows	Win + M
Maximize all minimized windows on the desktop.	Win + Shift + M
Minimize or maximize all but the active window	Win + Home
Snap the current app or window to the Left half of your display	Win + Left Arrow Key
Snap the current app or window to the Right half of your display.	Win + Right Arrow Key
Stretch the active window to the top and bottom of the screen.	Win + Shift + Up arrow key
Restore or minimize active desktop windows vertically, maintaining width.	Win + Shift + Down arrow key
Open Desktop view	Win + Tab
Add a new virtual desktop	Win + Ctrl + D
Close the active virtual desktop.	Win + Ctrl + F4
Toggle or switch to the virtual desktops you’ve created on the Right	Win + Ctrl + Right arrow
Toggle or switch to the virtual desktops you’ve created on the Left	Win + Ctrl + Left arrow
Create a shortcut	CTRL + SHIFT while dragging an icon or file
Open Windows Search	Win +S or Win + Q
Take a peek look at the desktop until you release the WINDOWS key.	Win + Comma (,)
Activate the connection bar in a remote desktop section.	Ctrl + Alt + Home
Switch the client between full-screen and window mode in Remote Desktop	Ctrl + Alt + Break
Switch between programs from left to right.	Alt + Page Up
Switch between programs from right to left.	Alt + Page Down
Cycle through the programs in the order they were started.	Alt + Insert
Store a snapshot of the active window, within the client, on the clipboard	Ctrl + Alt + Minus Sign (-)
Store a snapshot of the entire client windows area, within the client, on the clipboard	Ctrl + Alt + Plus Sign (+)

Taskbar Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 11

You can use below keyboard shortcuts to take control of your taskbar:

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Run an app as administrator from the taskbar	Ctrl + Shift + Left Click app button or icon
Open the app in the first position on your taskbar.	Win + 1
Open the app in the number position from the taskbar.	Win + Number (0 - 9)
Cycle through apps in the taskbar.	Win + T
View the Date and Time from the taskbar	Win + Alt + D
Open another instance of an app from the taskbar.	Shift + Left Click app button
Show the window menu for the app from the taskbar.	Shift + Right-click grouped app icon
Highlight the first item in the Notification Area and use the Arrow key to switch between the item	Win + B
Open the application’s menu on the taskbar	Alt + Windows key + number keys
Show the hidden icons in Taskbar Corner Overflow/System tray	Win + B and hit Enter

File Explorer (with Tabs) Shortcuts for Windows 11

These keyboard shortcuts can help you navigate your Windows filesystem more quickly than ever:

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Open the File Explorer.	Win + E
Open New Tab	Ctrl + T
Switch to the next tab (or Cycle through tabs from left to right)	Ctrl + Tab
Switch to the previous tab (or Cycle through tabs from right to left)	Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Jump to one of the first nine tabs from left to right	Ctrl + 1 to 9
Close the active tab	Ctrl + W
Open the search in most apps including file explorer.	Ctrl + E or F3
Open the current window in a new window.	Ctrl + N
Close the active window.	Ctrl + W
Start the mark mode	Ctrl + M
Change the file and folder view.	Ctrl + Mouse Scroll
Cycle through screen elements in a window or desktop	F6
Create a new folder.	Ctrl + Shift + N
Expand all subfolders in the navigation pane on the left.	Ctrl + Shift + E
Select the address bar of File Explorer.	Alt + D
Changes folder view.	Ctrl + Shift + Number key(1-8)
Display the preview panel.	Alt + P
Open the Properties settings for the selected item.	Alt + Enter
Expand the selected drive or folder	Num Lock + plus (+)
Collapse the selected drive or folder.	Num Lock + minus (-)
Expand all the subfolders under the selected drive or folder.	Num Lock + asterisk (*)
Go to the next folder.	Alt + Right arrow
Go to the previous folder	Alt + Left arrow (or Backspace)
Go to the parent folder the folder was in.	Alt + Up arrow
Switch focus to the address bar.	F4
Refresh the active window	F5
Expand the current folder tree or select the first subfolder (if it’s expanded) in the left pane.	Right Arrow key
Collapse the current folder tree or select the parent folder (if it’s collapsed) in the left pane.	Left Arrow Key
Move to the top of the active window.	Home
Move to the bottom of the active window.	End
Go back to the previous folder	BackSpace

Command Prompt Shortcuts for Windows 11

If you are a Command Prompt user, then these shortcuts will come in handy:

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Scroll to the top of the Command Prompt (cmd).	Ctrl + Home
Scroll to the bottom of the cmd.	Ctrl + End
Select everything on the current line	Ctrl + A
Move the cursor up a page	Page Up
Move the cursor down a page	Page Down
Enter Mark mode.	Ctrl + M
Clear everything you have typed at once.	Esc
Move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer.	Ctrl + Home (in Mark mode)
Move the cursor to the end of the buffer.	Ctrl + End (in Mark mode)
Cycle through the command history of the active session	Up or Down arrow keys
Move the cursor left or right in the current command line.	Left or Right arrow keys
Move your cursor to the start of the current line	Shift + Home
Move your cursor to the end of the current line	Shift + End
Move the cursor up one screen and select text.	Shift + Page Up
Move the cursor down one screen and select text.	Shift + Page Down
Move the screen up one line in the output history.	Ctrl + Up arrow
Move the screen down one line in the output history.	Ctrl + Down arrow
Move the cursor up one line and select the text.	Shift + Up
Move the cursor down one line and select the text.	Shift + Down
Move the cursor one word at a time.	Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys
Begin selection in block mode	Alt + selection key
Open search for Command Prompt.	Ctrl + F

Dialog box Shortcuts for Windows 11

Use the following Windows hotkeys to navigate the Dialog box of any application easily:

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Move forward through tabs.	Ctrl + Tab
Move back through tabs.	Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Switch or Jump to the nth tab.	Ctrl + number key 1–9
Show the items in the active list.	F4
Move forward through the options of the dialog box	Tab
Move back through the options of the dialog box	Shift + Tab
Execute the command (or select the option) that is used with the underlined letter.	Alt + underlined letter
Check or Uncheck the check box if the active option is a check box.	Spacebar
Select or move to a button in a group of active buttons.	Arrow keys
Open the parent folder if a folder is selected in the Open or Save As dialog box.	Backspace

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 11

Windows 11 provides these keyboard shortcuts to make your computer more accessible and easier to use for everyone:

ACTION	SHORTCUTS KEYS
Open Ease of Access Centre	Win + U
Turn on Magnifier and Zoom in	Win + plus (+)
Zoom out using Magnifier	Win + minus (-)
Exit Magnifier	Win + Esc
Switch to the docked mode in Magnifier	Ctrl + Alt + D
Switch to full-screen mode in Magnifier	Ctrl + Alt + F
Switch to lens mode in Magnifier	Ctrl + Alt + L
Invert colors in Magnifier	Ctrl + Alt + I
Cycle through views in Magnifier	Ctrl + Alt + M
Resize the lens with the mouse in Magnifier.	Ctrl + Alt + R
Pan in the direction of the arrow keys in Magnifier.	Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys
Zoom in or out using the mouse	Ctrl + Alt + mouse scroll
Open Narrator	Win + Enter
Open on-screen keyboard	Win + Ctrl + O
Turn Filter Keys on and off	Press Right Shift for eight seconds
Turn High Contrast on or off	Left Alt + left Shift + PrtSc
Turn Mouse Keys on or off	Left Alt + left Shift + Num Lock
Turn Sticky Keys on or off	Press Shift five times
Turn Toggle Keys on or off	Press Num Lock for five seconds
Open Action Center	Win + A
Turn Color Filters On/Off	Win + Ctrl + C

Xbox Game Bar Shortcuts for Windows 11

Here are some keyboard shortcuts for the Xbox Game Bar overlay in Windows 11 that can help you perform in-game tasks like capturing game clips, taking screenshots, and more.

Also Read: How To Update Drivers In Windows 11

ACTION	SHORTCUT KEYS
Open Game bar	Win + G
Record the last 30 seconds of the active game	Win + Alt + G
Start or stop recording the active game	Win + Alt + R
Take a screenshot of the active game	Win + Alt + PrtSc
Show/hide the recording timer of the game	Win + Alt + T
Turn Microphone recording on/off	Win + Alt + M
Turn HDR on or off	Win + Alt + B

Browser Shortcuts for Windows 11

You can use these shortcuts to navigate and use browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, etc.

ACTION	SHORTCUT KEYS
Find anything on the page	Ctrl + F
Open a new tab and switch to it	Ctrl + T
Close the active tab	Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4
Select the URL in the address bar to edit	Alt + D
Open History	Ctrl + H
Open Downloads in a new tab	Ctrl + J
Open a new window	Ctrl + N
Close the active window	Ctrl + Shift + W
Print the current page	Ctrl + P
Reload the current page	Ctrl + R

Other Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 11

ACTION	SHORTCUT KEYS
Start IME reconversion	Win + forward slash (/)
Open Feedback Hub	Win + F
Open the Connect quick setting	Win + K
Lock your device orientation	Win + O
Display the System Properties Page	Win + Pause
Search for PCs (if you’re on a network)	Win + Ctrl + F
Move an app or window from one monitor to another	Win + Shift + Left or Right arrow key
Switch input language and keyboard layout	Win + Spacebar
Open Clipboard History	Win + V
Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and your desktop.	Win + Y
Launch Cortana app	Win + C
Open another instance of the app pinned to the taskbar in the number position.	Win + Shift + Number key (0-9)
Switch to the last active window of the app pinned to the taskbar in the number position.	Win + Ctrl + Number key (0-9)
Open the right-click menu for the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar.	Win + Alt + Number key (0-9)
Open another instance as an administrator of the app pinned to the taskbar in the number position.	Win + Ctrl + Shift + Number key (0-9)

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Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts for Any App

Not every app or program has shortcut keys to open it in Windows 11. In such cases, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts or keybinding to launch an application in Windows 11. Here’s how you can create custom keyboard shortcuts for an app in Windows 11:

Also Read: Why You Need A Music Keyboard For Your Instruments Collection

First, open the Start menu and search for the app you want to create a keyboard shortcut for. Then, right-click the app from the search results and select ‘Open file location’ from the context menu.

This will open the Programs folder in the user files where you can see the desktop shortcuts for the app. Now right-click the desired shortcut icon and select ‘Properties’ from the context menu.

In the program Properties dialog box, switch to the ‘Shortcut’ tab and press the key combination you want for the shortcut in the ‘Shortcut key’ field. Then, click on ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.

If an app doesn’t have a desktop shortcut, create one and add keyboard shortcuts to it. To do that, navigate to the folder where the app was installed and right-click on the application (.exe), and select ‘Show more options.

In the full context menu, hover over ‘Send to’ and select ‘Desktop (create shortcut)’.

Then, go to the desktop and right-click the shortcut you just created, and select ‘Properties’.

In the Properties dialog, specify the shortcut in the ‘Shortcut key’ and click ‘Apply’ then ‘OK’.

Have fun doing things quicker and more efficiently with the above-mentioned keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11.

 

References And Further Reading

Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts