A couple of lesser-known Windows-key shortcuts
I’m a die-hard keyboard user, and always like to know when there’s a keyboard shortcut to accomplish something that might otherwise take a few strategic mouse clicks. The Windows key, while a bane to gamers’ existence, actually provides us with some useful functions.
I’ve known about several Windows key shortcuts for years, but there are a couple that I learned about more recently (sometime in 2007, I think), which I now use on a daily basis. The title of this post refers to these as ‘lesser-known’, but I base that purely on the fact that *I* did not know about them, not on any sort of user experience testing or published statistics.
Windows-D: Show Desktop
Hides all open windows, bringing the Windows desktop to the front. This duplicates the functionality of the ‘Show Desktop’ icon that exists in the Quick Launch toolbar by default, and the ‘Show the Desktop’ option in the context menu that appears when you right-click the taskbar. It does not actually minimize the other windows, and those windows can be re-focused via Alt-Tab or by clicking their taskbar entries.
Windows-L: Lock Computer
This duplicates the functionality of the ‘Lock Computer’ button in the Ctrl-Alt-Delete Windows Security dialog. On Windows XP systems that use Fast User Switching, it takes you back to the screen that lists user accounts.
I make it a habit of hitting Windows-L whenever I’m done using my PC at home, so that when my wife sits down to use it, she can just click her name and login (or resume her existing session). At work, it’s always a good idea to lock your computer, so I hit Windows-L whenever I get up to leave my desk.
Now, here are a few more well-known (i.e. I’ve known about them for a long time) ones:Windows-M: Minimize AllThis minimizes all open windows. Programs that hide out in the system tray when you minimize them will be sent to the system tray. Everything else will be minimized to the taskbar. This has the same effect of clicking the ‘Minimize’ icon in the top-right corner of all of your open windows.Windows-F: Search for Files and Folders
This pops up the Windows file search feature. This duplicates the functionality of clicking the Start Menu, clicking the ‘Search’ menu option, and clicking the ‘For Files or Folders…’ sub-menu option.
Windows key (by itself): Open the Start Menu
This pops up the Start Menu, just like what happens when you press Ctrl-Esc or click the start menu. I use this all the time.
Please note that I’ve still never used Windows Vista, so I am unfamiliar with any Windows-key shortcuts which may have been introduced with it. The shortcuts I’ve described, above, are valid in Windows XP Professional (and most of them were usable in previous versions of Windows as well). I did read about a change to the way the Start Menu works, in Vista, with the introduction of a smart search box.
If you know of any useful Windows-key shortcuts that I may have missed, for ANY version of Windows, please leave a reply and let me (and other readers) know!
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December 27th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Windows-B does SOMEthing. Winamp can’t reserve it in XP, but it can in 2K. Since winamp uses ZXCVB for control, I make my global hotkeys (for controlling winamp when it is not focused or minimized) Win-Z, Win-X, Win-C, Win-V, Win-B (same keys). But as of XP, I hvae to use Win-G instead. Just another thing to hate about XP!
December 27th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
And Win-V used to mute it, but Winamp let me reserve that, so I can’t test that.
You might also want to mention Control-Escape for those who end up with a keyboard without a windows key (or they pried it off).
Also, there is a program called IHateThisKey which disabled the windows key, but then you have to mess around with your damn registry to get it back. (Or at least, I did.)
December 28th, 2007 at 10:09 am
@ClintJCL:
Ah-hah! Thank you for Windows-B! It puts the cursor focus on the system tray, something I never knew was possible using only the keyboard. Sweet!
I just checked if any of those other Win-key combos that you use for your Winamp had any function on my system, and found that Windows-G pops up the Google Desktop search dialog. I prefer double-tapping Ctrl to bring that up, though. Not a Windows feature, but still falls within the scope of this post’s title, as it’s a Windows-key shortcut. :)
btw I did mention Ctrl-Esc. See the “Windows key (by itself)” paragraph.
Thanks, Clint!
December 28th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Windows-Tab does the Windows-B thing too. There was no reason for them to duplicate this functionality in XP! :)
but in 2K, windows-tab would always focus you on the FIRST taskbar task; no longer true in 2K. (It made windows-tab,enter an easy combination for guaranteed focus on the first program in your taskbar. BUt no more. Damn you XP!!)
December 29th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Actually, Windows-Tab focuses the first thing on your taskbar, and Windows-B focuses the first thing in your system tray.
So, it’s not duplicated functionality, and they’re both useful keyboard shortcuts to know.
Thanks! Keep ‘em coming. :)
December 30th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Ohhhhhhhh, good distinction. I didn’t catch that! :)
Oh, another one:
Windows-Break. Brings you to system properties. I read this many times over the years but could never remember it until 2007 when I invented this mnemonic: “If you want to break windows, hit Windows-Break.”