I put together this list for my brother when Windows 7 launched. I got the information from a variety of sources, thereby living up to the old adage that "Copying from one person is plagiarism, copying from a hundred people is research." Some of these are new to Windows 7, while others have been around a little while. In any event, here are some notes that explain how to interpret the keystrokes:
- A plus symbol (+) between keys means to press the keys at the same time, whereas a comma (,) between keys means to press the keys one after another.
- [Right] text stands for the right cursor key, [Left] for the left cursor key, etc.
Taskbar Modifiers
| Shift+Click |
Open a new instance of the program |
| Ctrl+Click |
Cycle between windows in a group |
| Middle Click |
Open a new instance of the program |
| Ctrl+Shift+Click |
Open a new instance of the program as Administrator |
| Shift+Right-Click |
Show window menu |
Managing Windows
| Alt+F4 |
Close the active window |
| Alt+Tab |
Switch to previous active window |
| Alt+Esc |
Cycle through all open windows |
| Win+Tab |
Flip 3D |
| Ctrl+Win+Tab |
Persistent Flip 3D |
| Win+T |
Cycle through applications on taskbar (showing its live preview) |
| Win+M |
Minimize all open windows |
| Win+Shift+M |
Undo all window minimization |
| Win+D |
Toggle showing the desktop |
| Win+P |
Open the projection menu (generally used for laptops connected to projectors) |
| Win+[Up] |
Maximize the current window |
| Win+[Down] |
If the current window is maximized, restore it; if the current window is restored, minimize it |
| Win+[Left] |
Dock the current window to the left half of the screen
• If it is already docked left, it is moved to the right half of the screen
• If it is already docked right, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+[Right] |
Dock the current window to the right half of the screen
• If it is already docked right, it is moved to the left half of the screen
• If it is already docked left, it is restored to its original size |
| Win+Shift+[Left] |
Move current window to the left monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Shift+[Right] |
Move current window to the right monitor (with dual monitors) |
| Win+Home |
Minimize all but the current window |
| Win+Space |
Peek at the desktop |
| Win+[Plus sign] |
Zoom in |
| Win+[Minus sign] |
Zoom out |
Starting Programs
| Win+1 |
Open the first program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+2 |
Open the second program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+n |
Open the nth program on your Quick Launch bar |
| Win+U |
Open the ease of access center |
| Win+F |
Open the search window |
| Win+X |
Open the Mobility Center |
| Win+E |
Open Explorer |
| Win+R |
Open the Run window |
| Win+B |
Move focus to notification tray (the right-most portion of the taskbar) |
| Win+Pause |
Open the System Properties portion from the Control Panel |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc |
Open Windows Task Manager |
Logging In And Out
| Win, [Right], Enter |
Shutdown |
| Win, [Right], [Right], R |
Restart |
| Win, [Right], [Right], S |
Sleep |
| Win, [Right], [Right], H |
Hibernate |
| Win, [Right], [Right], W |
Switch Users |
| Win+L |
Locks computer |
Viewing Folders With Explorer
| Alt+[Left] |
Go back |
| Alt+[Right] |
Go forward |
| Alt+[Up] |
Go up a directory |
| Alt+D |
Move focus to address bar |
| Alt+D, Tab |
Move focus to search bar |
| Alt+Enter |
Open the Properties window of the current selection |
| Ctrl+Mousewheel |
Change the view type (extra large, small, list view, detail, etc.) |
| Alt+P |
Show/hide the preview pane |