Left hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 scottstgelais January 22, 2013 Geek Tips Comments (0) Share Facebook X / Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email A while back, I wrote an article on left-hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows. I like to use them, so I don't have to take my right hand off the mouse. With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft added in more shortcuts, primarily for the Start screen. So here is a list of Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts for just your left hand. The desktop and laptop versions of the Windows 8 Power User command menu Left-hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8 Press To Windows shortcuts Show the Start screen. If you have the Desktop running, you can also use this key to toggle back and forth between the Start screen and the Desktop. + D Show just the Desktop (all running applications will be minimized). You can also use this combo to start the Desktop. + E Start a new instance of Windows Explorer / File Explorer. + C Open the Charms bar. When you open the Charms bar inside of a Windows RT app and select Settings, it displays the options for that app. + F Open Files in the Search charm. + Q Open Apps in the Search charm. + W Open Settings in the Search charm. + X Open the Power User command menu. There are over a dozen different apps you can run from this menu. ALT + TAB Switch between open apps using Task Switcher. Application shortcuts CTRL + A Select all CTRL + C Copy CTRL + S Save CTRL + V Paste CTRL + X Cut CTRL + Y Redo CTRL + Z Undo Check out these related articles: A complete list of Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts General Windows keyboard shortcuts