Windows general keyboard shortcuts
| Press |
To |
| CTRL + C |
Copy. |
| CTRL + X |
Cut. |
| CTRL + V |
Paste. |
| CTRL + Z |
Undo. |
| DELETE |
Delete. |
| SHIFT + DELETE |
Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. |
| CTRL while dragging an item |
Copy selected item. |
| CTRL + SHIFT while dragging an item |
Create a shortcut to the selected item. |
| F2 |
Rename selected item. |
| CTRL + RIGHT ARROW |
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. |
| CTRL + LEFT ARROW |
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. |
| CTRL + DOWN ARROW |
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. |
| CTRL + UP ARROW |
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. |
| CTRL + SHIFT with any of the arrow keys |
Highlight a block of text. |
| SHIFT with any of the arrow keys |
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. |
| CTRL + A |
Select all. |
| F3 |
Search for a file or folder. |
| ALT + ENTER |
View properties for the selected item. |
| ALT + F4 |
Close the active item, or quit the active program. |
| ALT + Enter |
Displays the properties of the selected object. |
| ALT + SPACEBAR |
Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. |
| CTRL + F4 |
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. |
| ALT + TAB |
Switch between open items. |
| ALT + ESC |
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. |
| F6 |
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. |
| F4 |
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. |
| SHIFT + F10 |
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. |
| ALT + SPACEBAR |
Display the System menu for the active window. |
| CTRL + ESC |
Display the Start menu. |
| ALT + Underlined letter in a menu name |
Display the corresponding menu. |
| Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu |
Carry out the corresponding command. |
| F10 |
Activate the menu bar in the active program. |
| RIGHT ARROW |
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. |
| LEFT ARROW |
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. |
| F5 |
Refresh the active window. |
| BACKSPACE |
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. |
| ESC |
Cancel the current task. |
| SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive |
Prevent the CD from automatically playing. |