This post has been updated. It was originally published on 09/26/19.
Compared to reaching for the mouse or navigating a menu, a single Windows keyboard shortcut shaves a moment off your task. This might not seem like much, but add up all those saved moments over a week or a month, and you’re gaining a substantial chunk of time.
Shift+Left arrow key, Shift+Right arrow key, Shift+Up arrow key, Shift+Down arrow key, Shift+Home, or Shift+End. Not all debugging shortcuts are implemented with a simple combination of buttons—some are found by utilizing multi-button sequences, initiated after entering a special EC state called “debug mode”. To enter debug mode, press Volume-Up + Volume-Down for 10 seconds. Helps you remember. It's easy to forget shortcuts since there's so many for each program. Button acts as your digital post-it note and jogs your memory until the shortcuts become ingrained into your muscle memory. True experts work fast without sacrificing quality.
That’s why it’s important to know as many shortcuts as possible for your operating system. Try a keyboard command a few times, and you’ll find out just how useful it can be. Here are 20 of the most indispensable keyboard shortcuts for a Microsoft Windows computer.
Basic Windows keyboard shortcuts
Ctrl+Z: Undo
No matter what program you’re running, Ctrl+Z will roll back your last action. Whether you’ve just overwritten an entire paragraph in Microsoft Word or deleted a file you didn’t mean to, this one is an absolute lifesaver.
Ctrl+W: Close
Another shortcut that works just about everywhere, Ctrl+W will close down whatever you’re viewing. Shut that File Explorer window, browser tab, or open image file without bothering to hone in on the close button.
[Related: Four hidden tweaks that will speed up Windows]
Ctrl+A: Select all
This command lets you highlight all the text in a document or select all the files in a folder. Hitting Ctrl+A can save you time you’d otherwise spend clicking and dragging your mouse.
Alt+Tab: Switch apps
This baby is one of the classic Windows shortcuts, and it can be hugely useful when you’re running multiple applications. Just press Alt+Tab and you’ll be able to quickly flick through all your open windows.
Alt+F4: Close apps
Another old-school shortcut, Alt+F4 shuts down active apps so you can skip the process of hunting down their on-screen menus. Don’t worry about losing unsaved work with this command—it will prompt you to save your documents before closing them.
Windows shortcuts for navigation
Win+D: Show or hide the desktop
This keyboard combo minimizes all your open windows, bringing your home screen into view. If you store rows and rows of files and shortcuts on your desktop, Win+D will let you access them in moments.
Win+left arrow or Win+right arrow: Snap windows
Snapping a window simply opens it on one side of the screen (left or right, depending on which arrow you hit). This allows you to compare two windows side-by-side and keeps your workspace organized.
[Related: How to completely customize the way you control Windows]
Win+Tab: Open the Task view
Like Alt+Tab, this shortcut lets you switch apps, but it does so by opening an updated Windows application switcher. The latest version shows thumbnails of all your open programs on the screen.
Tab and Shift+Tab: Move backward and forward through options
When you open a dialog box, these commands move you forward (Tab) or backward (Shift+Tab) through the available options, saving you a click. If you’re dealing with a dialog box with multiple tabs, or a very busy browsing session, hit Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+Shift+Tab to navigate through them.
Ctrl+Esc: Open the Start menu
If you’re using a keyboard that doesn’t have a Windows key, this shortcut will open the Start menu. Otherwise, a quick tap of the Windows key will do the same thing. From there, you can stay on the keyboard and navigate the Start menu with the cursor keys, Tab, and Shift+Tab.
Advanced Windows hotkeys
F2: Rename
Simply highlight a file and hit F2 to give it a new name. This command also lets you edit text in other programs—tap F2 in Microsoft Excel, for example, and you’ll be able to edit the contents of the cell you’re in.
F5: Refresh
While you’re exploring the function key row, take a look at F5. This key will refresh a page—a good trick when you’re using File Explorer or your web browser. After the refresh, you’ll see the latest version of the page you’re viewing.
Win+L: Lock your computer
Keep your computer safe from any prying eyes by using this keyboard combo right before you step away. Win+L locks the machine and returns you to the login screen, so any snoops will need your user account password to regain access.
Win+I: Open Settings
Any time you want to configure the way Windows works, hit this keyboard shortcut to bring up the Settings dialog. Alternatively, use Win+A to open up the Action Center panel, which shows notifications and provides quick access to certain settings.
Win+S: Search Windows
The Windows taskbar has a handy search box that lets you quiz Cortana or sift through your applications and saved files. Jump straight to it with this keyboard shortcut, then type in your search terms.
Win+PrtScn: Save a screenshot
No need to open a dedicated screenshot tool: Win+PrtScn grabs the whole screen and saves it as a PNG file in a Screenshots folder inside your Pictures folder. At the same time, Windows will also copy the image to the clipboard. If you don’t want to snap the whole screen, the Alt+PrtScn combination will take a screenshot of just the active window, but it will only copy this image to the clipboard, so you won’t get a saved file.
[Related: Small, game-changing utilities for Windows and macOS]
Ctrl+Shift+Esc: Open the Task Manager
The Task Manager is your window into everything running on your Windows system, from the open programs to the background processes. This shortcut will call up the Task Manager, no matter what application you’re using.
Win+C: Start talking to Cortana
This shortcut puts Cortana in listening mode, but you must activate it before you can give it a whirl. To do so, open Cortana from the taskbar search box, click the cog icon, and turn on the keyboard shortcut. Once you’ve enabled the shortcut, hit the Win+C whenever you want to talk to the digital assistant. You can do this instead of, or in addition to, saying, “Hey Cortana.”
Win+Ctrl+D: Add a new virtual desktop
Virtual desktops create secondary screens where you can stash some of your open applications and windows, giving you extra workspace. This shortcut lets you create one. Once you have, click the Task View button to the right of the taskbar search box to switch from one desktop to another. Or stick with shortcuts: Win+Ctrl+arrow will cycle through your open desktops, and Win+Ctrl+F4 will close whichever one you’re currently viewing and shift your open windows and apps to the next available virtual desktop.
Win+X: Open the hidden menu
Windows has a hidden Start menu, called the Quick Link menu, that allows you to access all the key areas of the system. From here, you can jump straight to Device Manager to review and configure any hardware, such as printers or keyboards, that are currently attached to the system. Or you can quickly bring up the PowerShell command prompt window to access advanced Windows commands.
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Table of Contents
- Mouse
- Keyboard
Mouse
General Buttons
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| LButton | The left mouse button when used with Send, but the primary mouse button when used with hotkeys. In other words, if the user has swapped the buttons via system settings, LButton:: is physically activated by clicking the right mouse button, but Send {LButton} performs the same as physically clicking the left button. To always perform a logical left click, use Click Left or Send {Click Left}. |
| RButton | The right mouse button when used with Send, but the secondary mouse button when used with hotkeys. In other words, if the user has swapped the buttons via system settings, RButton:: is physically activated by clicking the left mouse button, but Send {RButton} performs the same as physically clicking the right button. To always perform a logical right click, use Click Right or Send {Click Right}. |
| MButton | Middle or wheel mouse button |
Advanced Buttons
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| XButton1 | 4th mouse button. Typically performs the same function as Browser_Back. |
| XButton2 | 5th mouse button. Typically performs the same function as Browser_Forward. |
Wheel
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| WheelDown | Turn the wheel downward (toward you). |
| WheelUp | Turn the wheel upward (away from you). |
| WheelLeft WheelRight | [v1.0.48+]: Scroll to the left or right. Requires Windows Vista or later. These can be used as hotkeys with some (but not all) mice which have a second wheel or support tilting the wheel to either side. In some cases, software bundled with the mouse must instead be used to control this feature. Regardless of the particular mouse, Send and Click can be used to scroll horizontally in programs which support it. |
Keyboard
Note: The names of the letter and number keys are the same as that single letter or digit. For example: b is B and 5 is 5.
Although any single character can be used as a key name, its meaning (scan code or virtual keycode) depends on the current keyboard layout. Additionally, some special characters may need to be escaped or enclosed in braces, depending on the context. [v1.1.27+]: The letters a-z or A-Z can be used to refer to the corresponding virtual keycodes (usually vk41-vk5A) even if they are not included in the current keyboard layout.
General Keys
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| CapsLock | CapsLock (caps lock key) Note: Windows IME may interfere with the detection and functionality of CapsLock; see CapsLock and IME for details. |
| Space | Space (space bar) |
| Tab | Tab (tabulator key) |
| Enter | Enter |
| Return | Deprecated: Use the synonym Enter instead to reduce ambiguity. |
| Escape (or Esc) | Esc |
| Backspace (or BS) | Backspace |
Cursor Control Keys
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| ScrollLock | ScrollLock (scroll lock key). While Ctrl is held down, ScrollLock produces the key code of CtrlBreak, but can be differentiated from Pause by scan code. |
| Delete (or Del) | Del |
| Insert (or Ins) | Ins |
| Home | Home |
| End | End |
| PgUp | PgUp (page up key) |
| PgDn | PgDn (page down key) |
| Up | ↑ (up arrow key) |
| Down | ↓ (down arrow key) |
| Left | ← (left arrow key) |
| Right | → (right arrow key) |
Numpad Keys
Due to system behavior, the following keys separated by a slash are identified differently depending on whether NumLock is ON or OFF. If NumLock is OFF but Shift is pressed, the system temporarily releases Shift and acts as though NumLock is ON.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Numpad0 / NumpadIns | 0 / Ins |
| Numpad1 / NumpadEnd | 1 / End |
| Numpad2 / NumpadDown | 2 / ↓ |
| Numpad3 / NumpadPgDn | 3 / PgDn |
| Numpad4 / NumpadLeft | 4 / ← |
| Numpad5 / NumpadClear | 5 / typically does nothing |
| Numpad6 / NumpadRight | 6 / → |
| Numpad7 / NumpadHome | 7 / Home |
| Numpad8 / NumpadUp | 8 / ↑ |
| Numpad9 / NumpadPgUp | 9 / PgUp |
| NumpadDot / NumpadDel | . / Del |
| NumLock | NumLock (number lock key). While Ctrl is held down, NumLock produces the key code of Pause, so use ^Pause in hotkeys instead of ^NumLock. |
| NumpadDiv | / (division) |
| NumpadMult | * (multiplication) |
| NumpadAdd | + (addition) |
| NumpadSub | - (subtraction) |
| NumpadEnter | Enter |
Function Keys
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| F1 - F24 | The 12 or more function keys at the top of most keyboards. |
Modifier Keys
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| LWin | Left Win. Corresponds to the <# hotkey prefix. |
| RWin | Right Win. Corresponds to the Note: Unlike Ctrl/Alt/Shift, there is no generic/neutral 'Win' key because the OS does not support it. However, hotkeys with the |
| Control (or Ctrl) | Ctrl. As a hotkey (Control::) it fires upon release unless it has the tilde prefix. Corresponds to the ^ hotkey prefix. |
| Alt | Alt. As a hotkey (Alt::) it fires upon release unless it has the tilde prefix. Corresponds to the ! hotkey prefix. |
| Shift | Shift. As a hotkey (Shift::) it fires upon release unless it has the tilde prefix. Corresponds to the + hotkey prefix. |
| LControl (or LCtrl) | Left Ctrl. Corresponds to the <^ hotkey prefix. |
| RControl (or RCtrl) | Right Ctrl. Corresponds to the >^ hotkey prefix. |
| LShift | Left Shift. Corresponds to the <+ hotkey prefix. |
| RShift | Right Shift. Corresponds to the >+ hotkey prefix. |
| LAlt | Left Alt. Corresponds to the <! hotkey prefix. |
| RAlt | Right Alt. Corresponds to the Note: If your keyboard layout has AltGr instead of RAlt, you can probably use it as a hotkey prefix via |
Multimedia Keys
The function assigned to each of the keys listed below can be overridden by modifying the Windows registry. This table shows the default function of each key on most versions of Windows.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Browser_Back | Back |
| Browser_Forward | Forward |
| Browser_Refresh | Refresh |
| Browser_Stop | Stop |
| Browser_Search | Search |
| Browser_Favorites | Favorites |
| Browser_Home | Homepage |
| Volume_Mute | Mute the volume |
| Volume_Down | Lower the volume |
| Volume_Up | Increase the volume |
| Media_Next | Next Track |
| Media_Prev | Previous Track |
| Media_Stop | Stop |
| Media_Play_Pause | Play/Pause |
| Launch_Mail | Launch default e-mail program |
| Launch_Media | Launch default media player |
| Launch_App1 | Launch My Computer |
| Launch_App2 | Launch Calculator |
Other Keys
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| AppsKey | Menu. This is the key that invokes the right-click context menu. |
| PrintScreen | PrtSc (print screen key) |
| CtrlBreak | Ctrl+Pause or Ctrl+ScrollLock |
| Pause | Pause or Ctrl+NumLock. While Ctrl is held down, Pause produces the key code of CtrlBreak and NumLock produces Pause, so use ^CtrlBreak in hotkeys instead of ^Pause. |
| Break | Deprecated: Use the synonym Pause instead. |
| Help | Help. This probably doesn't exist on most keyboards. It's usually not the same as F1. |
| Sleep | Sleep. Note that the sleep key on some keyboards might not work with this. |
| SCnnn | Specify for nnn the scan code of a key. Recognizes unusual keys not mentioned above. See Special Keys for details. |
| VKnn | Specify for nn the hexadecimal virtual key code of a key. This rarely-used method also prevents certain types of hotkeys from requiring the keyboard hook. For example, the following hotkey does not use the keyboard hook, but as a side-effect it is triggered by pressing eitherHome or NumpadHome: Known limitation: VK hotkeys that are forced to use the keyboard hook, such as Warning: Only Send, GetKeyName(), GetKeyVK(), GetKeySC() and #MenuMaskKey support combining VKnn and SCnnn. [v1.1.27+]: The presence of an invalid suffix prevents VKnn from being recognized. For example, |
Joystick
Joy1 through Joy32: The buttons of the joystick. To help determine the button numbers for your joystick, use this test script. Note that hotkey prefix symbols such as ^ (control) and + (shift) are not supported (though GetKeyState() can be used as a substitute). Also note that the pressing of joystick buttons always 'passes through' to the active window if that window is designed to detect the pressing of joystick buttons.
Although the following Joystick control names cannot be used as hotkeys, they can be used with GetKeyState():
- JoyX, JoyY, and JoyZ: The X (horizontal), Y (vertical), and Z (altitude/depth) axes of the joystick.
- JoyR: The rudder or 4th axis of the joystick.
- JoyU and JoyV: The 5th and 6th axes of the joystick.
- JoyPOV: The point-of-view (hat) control.
- JoyName: The name of the joystick or its driver.
- JoyButtons: The number of buttons supported by the joystick (not always accurate).
- JoyAxes: The number of axes supported by the joystick.
- JoyInfo: Provides a string consisting of zero or more of the following letters to indicate the joystick's capabilities: Z (has Z axis), R (has R axis), U (has U axis), V (has V axis), P (has POV control), D (the POV control has a limited number of discrete/distinct settings), C (the POV control is continuous/fine). Example string: ZRUVPD
Multiple Joysticks: If the computer has more than one joystick and you want to use one beyond the first, include the joystick number (max 16) in front of the control name. For example, 2joy1 is the second joystick's first button.
Note: If you have trouble getting a script to recognize your joystick, one person reported needing to specify a joystick number other than 1 even though only a single joystick was present. It is unclear how this situation arises or whether it is normal, but experimenting with the joystick number in the joystick test script can help determine if this applies to your system.
Mouse Keys Windows 10 Key Commands
See Also:
- Joystick remapping: Methods of sending keystrokes and mouse clicks with a joystick.
- Joystick-To-Mouse script: Using a joystick as a mouse.
Hand-held Remote Controls
Respond to signals from hand-held remote controls via the WinLIRC client script.
Special Keys
If your keyboard or mouse has a key not listed above, you might still be able to make it a hotkey by using the following steps:
- Ensure that at least one script is running that is using the keyboard hook. You can tell if a script has the keyboard hook by opening its main window and selecting 'View->Key history' from the menu bar.
- Double-click that script's tray icon to open its main window.
- Press one of the 'mystery keys' on your keyboard.
- Select the menu item 'View->Key history'
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Somewhere near the bottom are the key-down and key-up events for your key. NOTE: Some keys do not generate events and thus will not be visible here. If this is the case, you cannot directly make that particular key a hotkey because your keyboard driver or hardware handles it at a level too low for AutoHotkey to access. For possible solutions, see further below.
- If your key is detectable, make a note of the 3-digit hexadecimal value in the second column of the list (e.g. 159).
- To define this key as a hotkey, follow this example:
Reverse direction: To remap some other key to become a 'mystery key', follow this example:
Alternate solutions: If your key or mouse button is not detectable by the Key History screen, one of the following might help:
Reconfigure the software that came with your mouse or keyboard (sometimes accessible in the Control Panel or Start Menu) to have the 'mystery key' send some other keystroke. Such a keystroke can then be defined as a hotkey in a script. For example, if you configure a mystery key to send Ctrl+F1, you can then indirectly make that key as a hotkey by using
^F1::in a script.Try AHKHID. You can also try searching the forum for a keywords like
RawInput*,USB HIDorAHKHID.The following is a last resort and generally should be attempted only in desperation. This is because the chance of success is low and it may cause unwanted side-effects that are difficult to undo:
Disable or remove any extra software that came with your keyboard or mouse or change its driver to a more standard one such as the one built into the OS. This assumes there is such a driver for your particular keyboard or mouse and that you can live without the features provided by its custom driver and software.
CapsLock and IME
Some configurations of Windows IME (such as Japanese input with English keyboard) use CapsLock to toggle between modes. In such cases, CapsLock is suppressed by the IME and cannot be detected by AutoHotkey. However, the Alt+CapsLock, Ctrl+CapsLock and Shift+CapsLock shortcuts can be disabled with a workaround. Specifically, send a key-up to modify the state of the IME, but prevent any other effects by signalling the keyboard hook to suppress the event. The following function can be used for this purpose:
Windows Button Shortcuts
After copying the function into a script or saving it as SendSuppressedKeyUp.ahk in a function library, it can be used as follows: