# A Windows keyboard shortcut discovery!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 24, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358 "2004-08-24T23:35:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/1 "2004-08-24T23:35:23Z")
Assuming you have the ‘full complement’ of keys…
Press ‘windows’ + tab, and the focus jumps to the taskbar. The cursor moves from one program to another, and the ‘context menu’ key gives you the context menu (duh)…no more right-clicking the taskbar for me!!!
(The things that entertain a geek :dubious: )
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/2 "2004-08-24T23:40:36Z")
Took me a while to work out how those two seperate things would be useful. Then my brain woke up and said ‘use them in combination’ ahh I see.
The recently learned most useful one for me is Windows Key + ‘e’. to open windows explorer.
And the most used that I’ve only known in say the last 10% of my total computing ‘career’ has been ctrl-v and ctrl-c
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### Author:  [@pervert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervert)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/3 "2004-08-24T23:41:07Z")
If you really want to be entertained in this way, try a “No Mouse Day”. I used to do that every now and then when GUIs first started to become popular. It is fun to discover that you can actually survive without your mouse.
For instance, can you shut you computer off if you monitor is disconected?
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/4 "2004-08-24T23:45:48Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> The recently learned most useful one for me is Windows Key + ‘e’. to open windows explorer.
Windows Key + D = show desktop…that one’s saved me SO much time.
Windows + R = Run…handy for the geeks.
And while typing this, I find through Google that Windows + Break gives the ‘system properties’ dialog!! I haven’t pressed a ‘break’ key in over a decade!!!
It seems there’s others too, but they’re not as much fun.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/5 "2004-08-24T23:47:50Z")
> [@pervert](#):
>
> If you really want to be entertained in this way, try a “No Mouse Day”. I used to do that every now and then when GUIs first started to become popular. It is fun to discover that you can actually survive without your mouse.
>
> For instance, can you shut you computer off if you monitor is disconected?
Fffft, what are we, babies? 😛
I use shortcuts as much as possible, simply because I have a family history of carpal tunnel syndrome. I also switch between mouse and trackball constantly for the same reason.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/6 "2004-08-24T23:48:41Z")
I find myself using alt-f4 a lot at work, where the majority of the mice are kind of trapped on the right hand side. Me being left-handed.
(it closes the current window, the equivalent of pressing x)
Also tab and shift-tab. (moves between controls. Shift-tab goes backwards)
I googled ‘useful keyboard combinations’ and found an interesting site. I am learnign a few things from it…
what ‘non breaking space’ means. It means the two words either side of a space are forced to stay on the same line.
ctrl-f4, like alt-f4 but for document windows (closes an open document, but not the application)
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/7 "2004-08-24T23:51:29Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> ctrl-f4, like alt-f4 but for document windows (closes an open document, but not the application)
…or tabs, in Mozilla 🙂
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/8 "2004-08-24T23:51:40Z")
damn. three posts while I was typing mine.
> [@](#):
>
> Windows + R = Run…handy for the geeks.
that one’s new to me!
I was told ctrl-a to select all text by an it colleague but I quickly forgot it.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/9 "2004-08-24T23:54:03Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#):
>
> …or tabs, in Mozilla 🙂
I’ve heard people raving about ‘tabbed browsing’. What is it?
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/10 "2004-08-24T23:54:24Z")
Something else that seems to be a secret one…in Word, triple-clicking text selects a whole paragraph.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/11 "2004-08-25T00:02:45Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> I’ve heard people raving about ‘tabbed browsing’. What is it?
Rather having several windows open on different sites, they are in tabs that run along the top of the main window.
One neat thing in Firefox using tabs: you pull down your favorites menu and if you have a folder of sites that you visit every day, click on “Open in Tabs” and all the sites will open at the same time!
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/12 "2004-08-25T00:06:57Z")
Thanks **Mr. Blue Sky**.
re: the no mouse day idea… How easy is it to browse a message board without using the mouse. I’d imagine ‘not’.
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### Author:  [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/13 "2004-08-25T00:07:23Z")
I’ve found the quickest way to power off in Windows is Win, U, Enter. And it’s certainly the easiest way to explain to people new at Windows how to do it, especially over the phone.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/14 "2004-08-25T00:10:38Z")
huh? win-u? that turned on the synthesized narrator.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/15 "2004-08-25T00:11:22Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> How easy is it to browse a message board without using the mouse. I’d imagine ‘not’.
It certainly should be possible…at least using _gasp_ IE. Microsoft’s “designed for windows” requirements for software include that it can be operated through keyboard commands alone. (My guess is that this is to do with compatibility with everything from voice recognition through to paraplegics using an attachment on their forehead to press keys)
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/16 "2004-08-25T00:12:36Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> huh? win-u? that turned on the synthesized narrator.
Win (let go) U (let go) enter
🙂
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/17 "2004-08-25T00:15:32Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#):
>
> Win (let go) U (let go) enter
>
> 🙂
ahhhhhhh! I see!
I have never encountered a combination that required no holding of keys before!
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/18 "2004-08-25T00:18:07Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> ahhhhhhh! I see!
>
> I have never encountered a combination that required no holding of keys before!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEeeeeeeeeee nnnnneeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiittttthhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/19 "2004-08-25T00:26:19Z")
Font on the screen too small? In Firefox, CTRL and the + button will make it bigger. As will CTRL and scrolling the mouse button which enlarges/decreases in smaller increments.
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### Author:  [@pervert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervert)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-windows-keyboard-shortcut-discovery/261358/20 "2004-08-25T02:00:27Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> re: the no mouse day idea… How easy is it to browse a message board without using the mouse. I’d imagine ‘not’.
Its not really hard. The tab key moves you from one link to another. Shift-Enter is the equivilant of clicking on the link.
I’m sure we all know that the alt key by itself takes you to the menu of the current window.
Everything else is just typing, no?
Lot’s of great ideas in here.
Am I old because I prefer ctrl-e to the windows key? I’m not sure why. Just do.
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