Windows 11 Shortcuts: Windows Key Combinations in One List
Windows 11’s Windows key shortcuts, grouped by task: snap windows, take screenshots, switch desktops, open settings, and what to check if one does nothing.
In every table below, Win means the key with the Windows logo. The list follows Microsoft’s Keyboard shortcuts in Windows support page, which covers Windows 11 and Windows 10, plus Microsoft’s Snap guide for window layouts.
The 12 Windows key shortcuts to learn first
If you only learn a handful, learn these. They cover most of what people reach for the mouse to do.
| Shortcut | What it does | When you will use it |
|---|---|---|
| Win + D | Show or hide the desktop | A quick look at your desktop, then press again |
| Win + E | Open File Explorer | Faster than hunting for the folder icon |
| Win + L | Lock the computer | Whenever you step away from your desk |
| Win + I | Open Settings | Skips the Start menu |
| Win + R | Open the Run dialog box | Launch a tool by typing its name |
| Win + X | Open the Quick Link menu | Same menu you get by right-clicking the Start button |
| Win + V | Open clipboard history | Paste something you copied earlier (needs a one-time setup, see below) |
| Win + . or Win + ; | Open the emoji panel | Emoji in any text box |
| Win + Shift + S | Capture part of the screen to the clipboard | A cropped screenshot you can paste right away |
| Win + Tab | Open Task View | See all open windows and your desktops |
| Win + Left arrow or Win + Right arrow | Snap the window to the left or right side | Two windows side by side |
| Win + Ctrl + D | Create another desktop | Separate work and personal windows |
Move, snap and resize windows
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win + Left arrow | Snap the window to the left side of the screen |
| Win + Right arrow | Snap the window to the right side of the screen |
| Win + Up arrow | Maximize the active window |
| Win + Down arrow | Minimize the active window |
| Win + Alt + Up arrow | Snap the active window to the top half of the screen |
| Win + Alt + Down arrow | Snap the active window to the bottom half of the screen |
| Win + Shift + Up arrow | Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen |
| Win + Shift + Down arrow | Restore a window that is snapped or maximized |
| Win + Shift + Left arrow | Move the active window to the monitor on the left |
| Win + Shift + Right arrow | Move the active window to the monitor on the right |
| Win + Z | Open the snap layouts box |
| Win + Home | Minimize or restore every window except the active one |
| Win + M | Minimize all windows |
| Win + Shift + M | Restore minimized windows |
| Win + , | Temporarily peek at the desktop |
| Win + Shift + Enter | Make the active window full screen, if it is a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app |
Tip: You do not have to release the Windows key between moves. According to Microsoft’s Snap guide, you can hold Win, keep tapping the arrow keys to change the snap position, and let go when the window is where you want it. After you snap one window, Snap Assist shows thumbnails of your other open windows so you can pick one for the empty space.
Snap layouts have their own switches under Settings > System > Multitasking. Check them if the layouts box does not show up.
Screenshots and screen recording
Five shortcuts capture the screen, and they save the result in different places. Pick the row that matches where you want the image to end up.
| Shortcut | What it captures | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Win + Shift + S | A region you select | The clipboard |
| Win + PrtScn | The full screen | A file in the Screenshots folder inside Pictures |
| Alt + PrtScn | The active window | The clipboard |
| PrtScn | A region you select (default behavior) | The clipboard |
| Win + Shift + R | A video of a region you select | Opens in the Snipping Tool. By default it is saved as an MP4 in the Screen Recordings folder inside Videos |
After a clipboard capture, you can open the Snipping Tool to share or mark up the image. If PrtScn does not open region selection on your PC, go to Start > Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and check the setting Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping. Microsoft says you can turn this default behavior off there.
Virtual desktops and the taskbar
Switch between desktops
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win + Tab | Open Task View |
| Win + Ctrl + D | Create another desktop |
| Win + Ctrl + Right arrow | Switch to the next desktop on the right |
| Win + Ctrl + Left arrow | Switch to the next desktop on the left |
| Win + Ctrl + F4 | Close the desktop you are using |
Open taskbar apps by number
The number is the app’s position on the taskbar. Pin your four or five most-used apps first and the numbers stay easy to remember.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win + number key (0–9) | Open the app at that taskbar position. If it is already running, switch to it |
| Win + Shift + number key (0–9) | Start a new instance of the app at that position |
| Win + Ctrl + number key (0–9) | Switch to the last active window of the app at that position |
| Win + Alt + number key (0–9) | Open the jump list for the app at that position |
| Win + Ctrl + Shift + number key (0–9) | Open a new instance of the app at that position as an administrator |
| Win + T | Cycle through the apps on the taskbar |
| Win + Shift + T | Go back to the previous app on the taskbar |
| Win + Alt + Enter | Open taskbar settings, when a taskbar item has focus |
| Win + B | Move focus to the first icon in the notification area |
Windows key plus a letter, A to Z
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win + A | Open the Windows 11 action center |
| Win + Shift + A | Set focus to a Windows tip when one is available |
| Win + Alt + B | Turn high dynamic range (HDR) on or off |
| Win + B | Set focus to the first icon in the taskbar notification area |
| Win + C | Open Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot (see the table of settings-dependent shortcuts) |
| Win + Alt + D | Show or hide the date and time on the desktop |
| Win + D | Show or hide the desktop |
| Win + E | Open File Explorer |
| Win + F | Open Feedback Hub |
| Win + G | Open the Game Bar |
| Win + H | Open voice dictation |
| Win + I | Open Settings |
| Win + J | Open Recall, on devices that meet the minimum system requirements |
| Win + K | Open Cast in Quick Settings to connect to a display |
| Win + L | Lock the computer |
| Win + M | Minimize all windows |
| Win + N | Open the notification center and calendar |
| Win + O | Lock the device orientation |
| Win + P | Choose a presentation display mode (project settings) |
| Win + Q | Open search |
| Win + R | Open the Run dialog box |
| Win + S | Open search |
| Win + Shift + S | Capture a region of the screen to the clipboard |
| Win + T | Cycle through apps on the taskbar |
| Win + U | Open Settings at the Accessibility section |
| Win + V | Open clipboard history |
| Win + Shift + V | Cycle through notifications |
| Win + W | Open Widgets |
| Win + X | Open the Quick Link menu |
| Win + Y | Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and your desktop |
| Win + Z | Open the snap layouts box |
Win + Q and Win + S do the same thing, so you only need to remember one of them.
Windows key plus other keys
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Win | Open or close the Start menu |
| Win + . or Win + ; | Open the emoji panel |
| Win + + | Zoom in with Magnifier |
| Win + - | Zoom out in Magnifier |
| Win + Esc | Close Magnifier |
| Win + Pause | Open Settings at the System > About page |
| Win + Space | Switch forward through input languages and keyboard layouts |
| Win + Shift + Space | Switch backward through input languages and keyboard layouts |
| Win + Ctrl + Space | Change to the previously selected input option |
| Win + / | Start input method editor (IME) reconversion |
| Win + Ctrl + Enter | Open Narrator |
| Win + Ctrl + C | Turn color filters on or off, if you enabled the shortcut in settings |
| Win + Ctrl + F | Search for devices on a network |
| Win + Ctrl + Q | Open Quick Assist |
| Win + Ctrl + V | Open the sound output page of quick settings (output device, spatial sound, volume mixer) |
| Win + Ctrl + Shift + B | Wake up the device when the screen is blank or black |
| Win + Alt + K | Mute or unmute the microphone in supported apps |
| Win + Alt + H | When voice typing is open, set the focus to the keyboard |
Shortcuts that depend on a setting or your PC
For these, the shortcut itself is fine. Something else has to be on first.
| Shortcut | What has to be true |
|---|---|
| Win + V | Clipboard history is not turned on by default. Press the shortcut once and select the prompt to turn it on. You can also turn it on in Settings > System > Clipboard. |
| Win + C | Opens Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot. When Copilot is not available or is disabled, it opens or closes Windows search instead. You can change what it does in Settings > Personalization > Text input > Customize Copilot key on keyboard. |
| Win + J | Opens Recall, which is available only on devices that meet the minimum system requirements. |
| PrtScn | Opens region selection by default. This can be turned off in Start > Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. |
| Win + Ctrl + C | Works only if you turned the color filter shortcut on in settings. |
| Win + Alt + K | Mutes the microphone only in apps that support it. |
| Win + Shift + Enter | Full screen works only when the active window is a UWP app. |
When a Windows key shortcut does nothing
- Check the table above first. Clipboard history, Copilot, Recall, color filters and the Print Screen key all depend on a setting or on your device.
- Try another app. Microsoft notes that some applications change the behavior of some shortcuts, and its list shows only the default Windows behavior. The same note says Ctrl + Shift + V for plain-text paste may not work in every app.
- Check the Snap settings. Snap and its layouts can be switched on or off under Settings > System > Multitasking.
- Black screen? Try Win + Ctrl + Shift + B. Microsoft lists it as the way to wake the device when the screen is blank or black.