List of Windows 8 keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft officially launched Windows 8 and the report says it’s a huge success. Windows 8 was clearly designed for multi-touch interfaces but there are keyboard shortcuts for those of us who aren’t using a touch device.

Whenever you make the switch – from iOS to Android, or Windows to Mac, for example, things can seem a little daunting at first, and although elements may look rather similar in places, they don’t always function in the manner in which you are used to. While the changes in Windows 8 aren’t necessarily as different from previous versions of Windows than they are to, say, OS X, current Windows XP / Vista / Windows  7 users still might feel as though they’ve been dropped into unchartered territory, and might find Windows 8 a little tricky to get to grips with.

Anticipating this, Microsoft has prepared a relatively lengthy list of your everyday keyboard shortcuts to help you become acquainted with the new operating system. It doesn’t list every single shortcut available, but for your day-to-day needs, it does include most of the important ones

Complete list of Windows 8 key board shortcuts

• Windows key: Switch between Modern Desktop Start screen and the last accessed application
• Windows key + C: Access the charms bar
• Windows key + Tab: Access the Modern Desktop Taskbar
• Windows key + I: Access the Settings charm
• Windows key + H: Access the Share charm
• Windows key + K: Access the Devices charm
• Windows key + Q: Access the Apps Search screen
• Windows key + F: Access the Files Search screen
• Windows key + W: Access the Settings Search screen
• Windows key + P: Access the Second Screen bar
• Windows key + Z: Brings up the App Bar when you have a Modern Desktop App running
• Windows key + X: Access the Windows Tools Menu
• Windows key + O: Lock screen orientation
• Windows key + . : Move the screen split to the right
• Windows key + Shift + . : Move the screen split to the left
• Windows key + V: View all active Toasts/Notifications
• Windows key + Shift + V: View all active Toasts/Notifications in reverse order
• Windows key + PrtScn: Takes a screenshot of the screen and automatically saves it in the Pictures folder as Screenshot
• Windows key + Enter: Launch Narrator      
• Windows key + E: Open Computer
• Windows key + R: Open the Run dialog box
• Windows key + U: Open Ease of Access Center
• Windows key + Ctrl + F: Open Find Computers dialog box
• Windows key + Pause/Break: Open the System page
• Windows key + 1..10: Launch a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number
• Windows key + Shift + 1..10: Launch a new instance of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number
• Windows key + Ctrl + 1..10: Access the last active instance of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number
• Windows key + Alt + 1..10: Access the Jump List of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number
• Windows key + B: Select the first item in the Notification Area and then use the arrow keys to cycle through the items Press Enter to open the selected item
• Windows key + Ctrl + B: Access the program that is displaying a message in the Notification Area
• Windows key + T: Cycle through the items on the Taskbar
• Windows key + M: Minimize all windows
• Windows key + Shift + M: Restore all minimized windows
• Windows key + D: Show/Hide Desktop (minimize/restore all windows)
• Windows key + L: Lock computer
• Windows key + Up Arrow: Maximize current window
• Windows key + Down Arrow: Minimize/restore current window
• Windows key + Home: Minimize all but the current window
• Windows key + Left Arrow: Tile window on the left side of the screen
• Windows key + Right Arrow: Tile window on the right side of the screen
• Windows key + Shift + Up Arrow: Extend current window from the top to the bottom of the screen
• Windows key + Shift + Left/Right Arrow: Move the current window from one monitor to the next
• Windows key + F1: Launch Windows Help and Support

• PageUp: Scroll forward on the Modern Desktop Start screen
• PageDown: Scroll backward on the Modern Desktop Start screen
• Esc: Close  a charm
• Ctrl + Esc: Switch between Modern Desktop Start screen and the last accessed application
• Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Activate the Semantic Zoom on the Modern Desktop screen

• Alt: Display a hidden Menu Bar
• Alt + D: Select the Address Bar
• Alt + P: Display the Preview Pane in Windows Explorer
• Alt + Tab: Cycle forward through open windows
• Alt + Shift + Tab: Cycle backward through open windows
• Alt + F: Close the current window Open the Shut Down Windows dialog box from the Desktop
• Alt + Spacebar: Access the Shortcut menu for current window
• Alt + Esc: Cycle between open programs in the order that they were opened
• Alt + F4: Close Application

• Alt + Enter: Open the Properties dialog box of the selected item
• Alt + PrtScn: Take a screen shot of the active Window and place it in the clipboard
• Alt + Up Arrow: Move up one folder level in Windows Explorer (Like the Up Arrow in XP)
• Alt + Left Arrow: Display the previous folder
• Alt + Right Arrow: Display the next folder
• Shift + Insert: CD/DVD Load CD/DVD without triggering Autoplay or Autorun
• Shift + Delete: Permanently delete the item (rather than sending it to the Recycle Bin)
• Shift + F6: Cycle backward through elements in a window or dialog box
• Shift + F10: Access the context menu for the selected item
• Shift + Tab: Cycle backward through elements in a window or dialog box
• Shift + Click: Select a consecutive group of items
• Shift + Click on a Taskbar button: Launch a new instance of a program
• Shift + Right-click on a Taskbar button: Access the context menu for the selected item
• Ctrl + A: Select all items
• Ctrl + C: Copy the selected item
• Ctrl + X: Cut the selected item
• Ctrl + V: Paste the selected item
• Ctrl + D: Delete selected item
• Ctrl + Z: Undo an action
• Ctrl + Y: Redo an action
• Ctrl + N: Open a new window in Windows Explorer
• Ctrl + W: Close current window in Windows Explorer
• Ctrl + E: Select the Search box in the upper right corner of a window
• Ctrl + Shift + N: Create new folder
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open the Windows Task Manager
• Ctrl + Alt + Tab: Use arrow keys to cycle through open windows
• Ctrl + Alt + Delete: Access the Windows Security screen
• Ctrl + Click: Select multiple individual items
• Ctrl + Click and drag an item: Copies that item in the same folder
• Ctrl + Shift + Click and drag an item: Creates a shortcut for that item in the same folder
• Ctrl + Tab:  Move forward through tabs
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Move backward through tabs
• Ctrl + Shift + Click on a Taskbar button: Launch a new instance of a program as an Administrator
• Ctrl + Click on a grouped Taskbar button: Cycle through the instances of a program in the group
• F1: Display Help
• F2: Rename a file
• F3: Open Search
• F4: Display the Address Bar list
• F5: Refresh display
• F6: Cycle forward through elements in a window or dialog box
• F7: Display command history in a Command Prompt
• F10: Display hidden Menu Bar
• F11: Toggle full screen display
• Tab: Cycle forward through elements in a window or dialog box
• PrtScn: Take a screen shot of the entire screen and place it in the clipboard
• Home: Move to the top of the active window
• End: Move to the bottom of the active window
• Delete: Delete the selected item
• Backspace: Display the previous folder in Windows Explorer  Move up one folder level in Open or Save dialog box
• Esc: Close a dialog box
• Num Lock Enabled + Plus (+): Display the contents of the selected folder
• Num Lock Enabled + Minus (-): Collapse the selected folder
• Num Lock Enabled + Asterisk (*): Expand all subfolders under the selected folder  

• Press Shift 5 times Turn StickyKeys on or off
• Hold down right Shift for 8 seconds Turn FilterKeys on or off
• Hold down Num Lock for 5 seconds Turn ToggleKeys on or off
  
  
  And to think, that’s only a fraction of the total number of keyboard shortcuts available on Windows 8!
  
  At this point in time, it’s pretty difficult to gauge the reception of Windows 8. Us tech fans welcomed Microsoft’s latest and greatest, but techies account for a small portion of the total eventual number of Windows 8 users. When news PCs, notebooks and tablets begin arriving with Windows 8 and the "general" consumers begin using, it will be then that the OS is really put to the test, and although its tablet credentials aren’t really in question, one has to wonder how they’ll take to the tiled look and feel when using a traditional setup.
  
  If i have missed and shortcuts let me know in the comments below.