Windows 7 Shortcut Keys



  1. Printable Keyboard Shortcuts Windows 10
  2. Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Enable
  3. Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Pdf
  4. Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Sleep
  5. Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Multiple Monitors
  • Windows 7 logo key Keyboard Shortcuts: Windows logo key: Open or close the Start menu. Windows logo key +Pause: Display the System Properties dialog box. Windows logo key +D: Display the desktop. Windows logo key +M: Minimize all windows. Windows logo key +Shift+M: Restore minimized windows to the desktop. Windows logo key +E: Open Computer.
  • Most of us are well familiar with Windows 7 General Keyboard Shortcuts because we have been habituated to use these Keyboard Shortcuts on Windows 7 PC. In case, you spend your lots of time in browsing internet or your work is related to using several web pages and you want to do your work quickly then you will have to use Windows explorer keyboard shortcuts.

Windows logo key +F: Search for a file or folder. Ctrl+Windows logo key +F: Search for computers (if you're on a network). Windows logo key +L: Lock your computer or switch users. Windows logo key +R: Open the Run dialog box. Windows logo key +T: Cycle through programs on the taskbar. Windows logo key. Windows 10 Windows 8.1 & Windows 8.1 RT Windows 7 Keyboard shortcuts are keys or combinations of keys that provide an alternative way to do something that you’d typically do with a mouse. Click an option below, and it'll open to display a table of related shortcuts.

One of my personal favorites among the new features that Windows 7 came with was the introduction of some awesome and long awaited keyboard shortcuts. I personally use them as much as I can to save time, and I recommend the practice of using keyboard shortcuts to others too.

This article talks about 15 really cool keyboards shortcuts that are specific to Windows 7. I can bet that you don’t know all of them. Check them out, some of them will surprise you for sure.

1. Ctrl+Shift+N to Create a New Folder

Creating a new folder in Windows explorer is something we all need to do on a frequent basis. And until now, there was no default shortcut key available for this task. But Windows 7 changed that.

Windows

You could now use Ctrl+Shift+N to quickly create a new folder in Windows or anywhere on your computer where a folder can be created.

2. Ctrl+Shift+Click to Open a Program As Administrator

There are many instances when just clicking on the icon of the application and opening it doesn’t solve your purpose. You need to right click on it and click on “Run as Administrator” so that you can make the required changes to the app.

In Windows 7, this can be done with a keyboard shortcut. You just need to point your mouse cursor on that program and then click on it while pressing Ctrl+Shift keys to open it as administrator.

3. Shift+Right-Click Enhances Send to Menu

The above screenshot shows the default send to menu that I get when I simply right click on a program.

Now, if I press the Shift key, and while having it pressed, I right click on the icon, I get an enhanced send to menu. See the screenshot below to check how it looks.

Nice, isn’t it?

Also check 2 Useful Tools To Add Items & Customize the Windows Right Click Menu.

4. Shift+Right-Click on a Folder to Open Command Prompt

If you do Shift+right-click on a folder, you’ll find an option that says “Open command windows here.” If you love working with the command prompt, this option should come in handy.

5. Win+Space to Quickly Show Desktop

Remember our quick tip on hiding open windows in windows 7 ? Well, this is the keyboard shortcut version of that mouse cursor trick. Pressing the Win key and the space bar simultaneously shows you the desktop immediately.

6. Win+Up/Down/Left/Right for Moving the Active Window

If you intend to quickly move the active window to make space for other apps, you could do that by using the Win key and one of the arrow keys. Each arrow key would move the window in the direction it is meant to.

7. For Dual Monitors: Win+Shift+Left Arrow Key to Move Active Window to Left Monitor

If you are on a dual monitor setup using Windows 7 then you could press the Win+Shift+Left arrow key combination to move the active application window to the left monitor.

8. For Dual Monitors: Win+Shift+Right Arrow Key to Move Active Window to Right Monitor

Printable Keyboard Shortcuts Windows 10

Similarly, if you need to move the current window to the right monitor screen, just press Win+Shift+right arrow key.

9. Win+T to Get to Taskbar Items

You could use the key combination Win+T to toggle through the applications pinned on the taskbar in Windows 7.

10. Shift+Click on a Taskbar App to Open a New Instance of the App

Let’s say you’ve got a bunch of Chrome windows open. And you need to quickly open a new blank window of the browser. Here’s the way – point your cursor to the chrome icon on the taskbar, hit Shift and click on it. There you go!

11. Win+B to Move Focus to the System Tray

In a previous article, we talked about a technique to add more clocks to the default Windows clock in the system tray. Now, if you need to get there without using your mouse cursor, how’d you do that?

Answer – Win+B. That would move the focus on the system tray, and then you could use the arrow keys to cycle through the items, including the Windows clock.

12. Win+P for Quickly Connecting Your Laptop to a Projector

Windows 7 has a nifty projection menu feature which enables you to quickly connect your laptop to a projector or an extended monitor. Win+P is the keyboard shortcut for that purpose.

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Enable

13. Win+1, Win+2..so on for Opening Taskbar Programs

Want to quickly open a program that’s pinned to your Windows 7 taskbar? You can press the Win key and the number corresponding to the location of the app on the taskbar.

14. Win+Pause helps you check System Properties

Need to take a quick look at what’s the processor model you are using, or may be check the device manager, or advanced system settings? You could use Win+pause key combination to open the system properties window.

15. Ctrl+Shift+Esc Can Quickly Open Windows Task Manager

I think this was in Vista too, I am not sure. But it’s a cool shortcut nevertheless. Just press the Ctrl key, Shift key and the ESC key simultaneously and you have the task manager pop up right in front!

So that was about the amazing Windows 7 keyboard shortcuts. I hope you find them useful. In fact, learn them if you are on Windows 7. That’s what I did and it has helped a great deal. If I’ve missed a cool shortcut, do share that in the comments.

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Pdf

Now, if you are on Windows XP, and would love to get some these shortcuts that are relevant to XP, we’ll have you covered tomorrow. We will tell you how you could get some of the above shortcuts working on XP. Stay tuned!


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If you spend a lot of time using a computer to fulfill all your requirements, you might already know about the most common hotkeys aka. shortcut keys to make your everyday tasks a lot easier. There are several universal hotkeys that work, no matter which platform you are on, and the application that you might be using. If Windows is your weapon, there are several shortcut keys that are available only for the platform, and you can use them to ramp up your productivity while working at home or office. It is not possible and it is not important to know all the shortcut keys for Windows, but you should at least know the few that are important, apart from the most usual ones.

The Windows key on a regular keyboard is not just a single button to open the start menu from anywhere, and from within a program running in full-screen mode. You can use the Windows key along with a number of keys on the keyboard to carry out a number of important tasks, and you should know them all, as almost all the hotkeys that are a combination of Windows key and any other key on the keyboard is useful for all types of users. Apart from the hotkeys in combination with the Windows key, there are several other shortcuts that I will be discussing here in this story. Keep this cheat sheet bookmarked, or you can even print it out, and stick it on the board if you forget them often.

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Sleep

So, without any further delay, let’s get started with the shortcut keys for Windows that you should never miss.

List of Windows key Shortcut combinations

Let’s get started with the Windows aka. Win key combinations for Windows 10 at first. I will keep the shortcuts in order to follow the sequence of the QWERTY keyboard.

  • Win + Q/S: Both open up the search option in the Start menu to search across apps, documents, photos, videos, files, settings, emails, and more.
  • Win + W: Open the pop-up to launch ‘Whiteboard’ or ‘Fullscreen snip’ on the below-right corner of the screen. You can switch between the two options with the ‘Tab’ key, and hit the return key to launch one.
  • Win + E: Opens Windows Explorer to ‘Quick access’. Here you can get access to the ‘Frequent folders’ and ‘Recent files’. You can later navigate to the folder that you are looking for.
  • Win + R: Opens ‘Run’. Here you can open programs, like Calculator, MS Word, MSConfig, etc., webpages, or execute several commands. Most users already know about the ‘Run’ program.
  • Win + T: Selects the taskbar on Windows to cycle between open programs, and also open programs in the taskbar. In the case of grouped entries, you can switch to the single elements in a group with the ‘up’ navigation key, then cycle between them with the left and right navigation keys, and return key to open the selected item.
  • Win + U: Opens up ‘Ease of Access’ on Windows 10, and you will be landed on the display settings associated with the ‘Ease of Access’ settings.
  • Win + I: Opens up ‘System Settings’ on Windows 10.
  • Win + P: Opens up the ‘Project’ menu on the right side of the current display. You can switch between ‘PC screen only’, ‘Duplicate’ to see the same output on the second monitor, Extend’ to use the second monitor for and additional display, the ‘Second screen only’ to only use the second screen, with the up and down navigation keys. This is useful if you want to present something, enjoy a movie with your family by connecting a projector.
  • Win + A: Opens up the notification panel on the right side of the current display. You can also access the ‘Action Center’ tiles to enable, disable, and configure several system settings.
  • Win + D: Shows and hides the desktop. It hides all the open programs, widgets, and everything else to just show you the desktop. However, certain elements like Rainmeter widgets will still be there.
  • Win + F: Opens up the ‘Feedback Hub’ to send feedback to Microsoft. You can send error reports, suggest a feature in the Feedback Hub.
  • Win + G: Quickly opens the ‘Game bar’. You can quickly capture screenshots, record your gaming sessions, and do everything related to that from within the Game bar.
  • Win + H: Opens up the ‘Dictation Bar’. Here, you can use voice commands to carry out certain activities, and also dictate to write documents, and carry out similar other voice-related tasks.
  • Win + K: Open up the ‘Connect’ panel on the right side of the display to connect wireless display and audio devices with just a single click.
  • Win + L: Locks the current user account, and you will have to use the PIN, password, or any other login method to log in again.
  • Win + X: Opens up the ‘Quick Link’ menu, or the context menu corresponding to the Start menu. You can launch the Windows PowerShell, Device Manager, and other useful system utilities from here.
  • Win + V: Opens up the Clipboard to give you an option to paste elements copied earlier. But, you will have to enable the clipboard history feature before you can paste elements copied before the last element.
  • Win + B: Selects the system tray. You can use the left and right navigation keys to switch between the icons in the system tray, and hit the enter key to open the app or menu corresponding to the selected item.
  • Win + M: Minimize all the open windows, and show you the desktop. This is not a hotkey to toggle minimizing and restoring the windows. You can only minimize the windows with this hotkey.
  • Win +, (Comma): Peek or have a look at the desktop temporarily. By releasing the hotkey, you will come back to where you were.
  • Win +. (Period) / ;(Semi-colon): Both open up the Emoji bar to type in emojis within the current and selected textbox.
  • Win + + (Plus) / – (Minus): Opens up the Magnifier, and you magnify and demagnify with the Plus and Minus buttons respectively.
  • Win + 1,2,3,…9: Opens up the program in the taskbar corresponding to the number. For example, Win + 1 opens the first program on the taskbar, and Win + 9 opens up the 9th program in the taskbar.
  • Win + (Left/Right/Up/Down): Snap the current window to the left or right with Win + Left and Win + Right respectively. Win + Down restores or minimizes the current window if it is maximized and restored respectively. Win + Up restores the selected window if it is minimized, and maximizes it if it is in restored mode.
  • Win + PrntSc: This will capture a screenshot, and it will be saved in the default ‘Pictures’ folder on your system.
  • Win + Tab: You can see a preview of all the tasks that are currently running. You can also access the files that were recently opened, and you can switch between them with the navigation keys.
  • Win + Ctrl + D: Adds a new virtual desktop.
  • Win + Ctrl + Left/Right: Switch to the previous or the next virtual desktop with the left and right navigation keys respectively.
  • Win + Ctrl + F4: Closes the current virtual desktop, and switch to the previous desktop.
  • All the shortcut keys will work regardless of which program you are using, as long as the system is working properly.
  • Other useful shortcut keys
  • Alt + Tab: Switch between the open programs.
  • Alt + P: Toggle the ‘Preview pane’ on or off within Windows Explorer.
  • Alt + F4: Closes the current window. It also brings the ‘Shut down’ menu when there is no open program.
  • Alt + Enter: Opens the ‘Properties’ window for the selected item.
  • Alt + F8: Shows the password or pin in the Windows logon screen.
  • Shift + F10: Opens the context menu corresponding to the selected item.
  • Ctrl + N: Opens a new Windows Explorer window in the same location as the present one.
  • Ctrl + W: Closes the current or selected window.
  • Ctrl + Shift + N: Creates a new folder within the current directory on Windows Explorer.

Apart from all the shortcut keys that I have mentioned here, there are hundreds of other useful shortcut keys specific to certain programs and tools on Windows. There are several other shortcut keys that are useful for certain users, but I didn’t keep them on the list. I also kept away the most common shortcut keys that most users already know about.

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys Multiple Monitors

So that was my list of top shortcut keys for Windows that you should start using today. Do you know any other great shortcut keys for Windows computers? Feel free to comment on the same below.