Must know keyboard shortcuts so that you can throw away your mouse

Mohith Gupta
4 min readAug 30, 2021

Image of a person working on laptop

IMP NOTE: I’ve listed too many cause you need to throw away your mouse 😂, you can bookmark or save the post for future reference cause I might update the post with new ones😉

Well, I was just kidding about throwing away your mouse. But I’m sure you would need your mouse a lot lesser after you read this post. I’ve listed all the shortcuts I use often. These are almost always useful.

Know a fact: If your job requires you to be working on a computer throughout each standard 8-hour workday, then using keyboard shortcuts can save you 8 entire workdays every year. This is equal to 3.3% of your total productivity!

8 days = 8 * 24 * 60 minutes = 11520 minutes 😱→ We can use this time for a much better cause. So let’s get started on how to save those 11520 minutes with this tiny post.

These are the shortcuts that I use very frequently. They save loads of time, so I highly recommend memorizing them.

Win Key: (Sorted by order of keys on the keyboard)

Win + q (or) s = Open search bar in start
Win + w= Whiteboard
Win + e = Open File Explorer
Win + r = Run window
Win + i = Settings window
Win + a = Action Center
Win + d = Minimize all applications to show the Desktop (Use again to open them all)
Win + G = Open a very cool-looking Game Bar where you can record your game screen, access widgets, see your CPU usage, and so much more.
Win + L = Lock and Logout
Win + ; = Open Emoji selection keyboard
Win + x = Power User Menu (shortcuts to useful tools and apps found within the operating system)
→ I use these two the most often from the power user menu:
→ Win + x → then u → then u = Shutdown
→ Win + x → then u → then s = Sleep
→ Win +x → then t = Task Manager
Win + v = Clipboard

Win + Ctrl + d = New Virtual Desktop
Win + tab = Task View (you can also switch between Virtual Desktops)
Win + print screen = screenshot (No Customization)
Win + shift + s = Take a Customized Screenshot

CTRL:

→ General:
Ctrl + a = Select All
Ctrl + c = Copy
Ctrl + x = Cut
Ctrl + v = Paste
Ctrl + z = Undo
Ctrl + y = Redo
Ctrl + s = Save
Ctrl + p = Print

Ctrl + w = Close Window (File Explorer and Browser)
Ctrl + n = Open New (File Explorer and Browser)
Ctrl + r = Refresh Window (File Explorer and Browser)
Ctrl + f = Open a search option (File Explorer and Browser)

Ctrl + Shift + n = Create New Folder
Ctrl + shift + delete = Permanent delete

→ Browser specific:
Ctrl + t = Open New Tab
Ctrl + Shift + t = Open the recently closed Tab
Ctrl + h = Open History
Ctrl + j = Open Downloads
Ctrl + 3 = Go to the 3rd tab (Use any number to go that positioned tab)
Ctrl + L (OR) Alt + d = Go to search bar
Ctrl + Home / End = Go to Top / Bottom of the Webpage

Alt:

Alt + tab = Navigate through windows that are open
Alt + f4 = Close the current application

Ctrl + Alt Combo:

Ctrl + Alt + delete = Windows Security (has options like task manager, logout, change password, and more)

And that is it… Ezz right? Maybe not, if you are new to this.
The list might seem a bit overwhelming but trust me, you’ll get used to them if you continue to use them for a while.

Please consider showing your appreciation by providing feedback and suggestions in the comment section.

If you are pleased too much, you can always buy me a coffee 😉

buy me a coffee link

Thanks for reading till the end. See you in the next one. Do svidaniya!

You can read some of my other popular posts :

I coded a script to download the “download restricted” files of Google Drive
Play YouTube Videos on VLC with Just 1 Click
I Hacked the Chrome Dinosaur Game. Here’s How I Did It

For further doubts or anything else, you can find me on Twitter or ping me at mohithguptak@gmail.com

Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world.

Free

Distraction-free reading. No ads.

Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights.

Tell your story. Find your audience.

Membership

Read member-only stories

Support writers you read most

Earn money for your writing

Listen to audio narrations

Read offline with the Medium app

Mohith Gupta
Mohith Gupta

Written by Mohith Gupta

A Better Person than Yesterday, I guess? In the process of Learning

No responses yet

Write a response