Windows 11 comes with many improvements and new features that together make the operating system more efficient and user-friendly. One of the most useful things you can do to further increase your productivity and optimize your interaction with the operating system is to become familiar with the all-important keyboard shortcuts. Here is a list of important Windows 11 shortcuts you should be familiar with:
Access to system shortcuts and general navigation
Press the Windows (Win) key to open or close the Start menu.
Press Win and A at the same time to open quick settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other settings.
Press the Win and D keys to show or hide the desktop.
To open File Explorer, press Win and E.
By pressing the Win key I open the Settings menu.
Use the Win key and the letter L to lock your computer or switch accounts.
To minimize all windows, press Win and M!
To restore a minimized window to your desktop, press Win + Shift + M.
To open the clipboard history, press Win and V. To do this, you need to enable the clipboard history in the settings.
Press Win and X to open the Quick Links menu.
You can pin windows to the sides of the screen by pressing Win and the left or right arrow key.
as well as task views and virtual desktops
Win and Tab open the Task View.
Combine Win, Ctrl and D to create a new virtual desktop.
Press Win, Ctrl, and the right arrow simultaneously to move to the next virtual desktop.
Press Win, Ctrl, and the left arrow simultaneously to switch to the previous virtual desktop.
Win + Ctrl + F4 closes the currently active virtual desktop.
Screenshots and screen recordings
You can take a screenshot by pressing Win and Print Screen (PrtScn) and then save it to a folder called ‘Screenshots’.
Press Win + Shift + S to open the Snip & Sketch tool and select the area where you want to take a screenshot.
When using the Xbox Game Bar, you can start and stop recording the active window by pressing Win + Alt + R.
Accessible shortcuts
Press Win and U to open the accessibility settings.
By pressing Win + Plus (+) or Minus (-) you can open the magnifying glass and zoom in or out.
You can enable or disable the on-screen keyboard by pressing Win + Ctrl + O.
Both search and Cortana are available.
Press Win and S to open the search.
Press Win and C (if this option is enabled in the settings) to open Cortana in listening mode.
To switch between open applications, use the Alt and Tab keys together.
To maximize or minimize the currently selected window, press Win and any arrow key.
To exit the active application or close the active project, press the Alt key and the F4 key at the same time.
You can press Win, Shift, and S at the same time to take a snapshot of part of the screen.
