Left hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8

January 22, 2013 16:02 / scottstgelais / Geek Tips Comments (0)

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

text

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