| Key | Action |
| F1 | Start Help (supported in most applications) |
| F2 | Rename selected icon or file in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop |
| F3 | Open a Search window (in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop only) |
| F4 | Open a drop-down list (supported in many dialog boxes) ”for example, press F4 in a File Open dialog to drop down the Look In list |
| F5 | Refresh the view in Windows Explorer, on the Desktop, in the Registry Editor, and in some other applications |
| F6 | Move focus between panes in Windows Explorer |
| F10 | Send focus to the current application's menu |
| |
| Arrow keys | Basic navigation: move through menus , reposition the text cursor (insertion point), change the file selection, and so on |
| Backspace | Move up one level in folder hierarchy (Windows Explorer only) |
| Delete | Delete selected item(s) or selected text |
| Down Arrow | Open a drop-down listbox |
| End | Go to end of line when editing text, or end of file list |
| Enter | Activate highlighted choice in menu or dialog box, or insert a carriage return when editing text |
| Esc | Close dialog box, message window, or menu without activating any choice (usually the same as clicking Cancel) |
| Home | Go to beginning of line (when editing text), or beginning of file list |
| Page Down | Scroll down one screen |
| Page Up | Scroll up one screen |
| PrintScreen | Copy entire screen as a bitmap to the clipboard |
| Spacebar | Toggle a checkbox that is selected in a dialog box, activate the command button with the focus, or toggle the selection of files when selecting multiple files with Ctrl |
| Tab | Move focus to next control in a dialog box or window (hold Shift to go backwards ) |
| |
| Alt (by itself) | Send focus to the menu (same as F10) |
| Alt-x | Activate menu or dialog control, where letter x is underlined |
| Alt-double-click (on icon) | Display Properties sheet |
| Alt-Enter | Display Properties sheet for selected icon in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop; also switches command prompt between windowed and full screen display |
| Alt-Esc | Drop active window to bottom of pile, which, in effect, activates next open window |
| Alt-F4 | Close current window; if Taskbar or Desktop has the focus, exit Windows |
| Alt-hyphen | Open the current document's system menu in an MDI (multiple document interface) application |
| Alt- numbers | When used with the numbers on the numeric keypad only, inserts special characters corresponding to their ASCII codes into many applications; for example, type Alt-0169 for the copyright symbol (see Character Map in Chapter 3) |
| Alt-PrintScreen | Copy active window as a bitmap to the clipboard |
| Alt-Shift-Tab | Same as Alt-Tab, but in the opposite direction |
| Alt-Spacebar | Open the current window's system menu |
| Alt-Tab, Tab | Switch to the next running application ”hold Shift while pressing Tab to cycle through running applications |
| Alt-M | When the Taskbar has the focus, minimize all windows and move focus to the Desktop |
| Alt-S | When the Taskbar has the focus, open the Start Menu |
| |
| Ctrl-A | Select all; in Windows Explorer, selects all files in the current folder; in word processors, selects all text in the current document |
| Ctrl-Alt-x | User -defined accelerator for a shortcut, where x is any key (discussed at the beginning of this chapter) |
| Ctrl-Alt-Del | Show the logon dialog when no user is currently logged on; otherwise , switch to the Windows Security dialog, which provides access to Task Manager and Shut Down, as well as allows you to change your password or lock the computer; use Ctrl-Alt-Del to access Task Manager when Explorer crashes or your computer becomes unresponsive |
| Ctrl-arrow key | Scroll without moving selection |
| Ctrl-click | Used to select multiple, noncontiguous items in a list or in Windows Explorer |
| Ctrl-drag | Copy a file (discussed earlier in this chapter) |
| Ctrl-End | Move to the end of a document (in many applications) |
| Ctrl-Esc | Open the Start Menu; press Esc and then Tab to then move focus to the Taskbar, or Tab again to move focus to the Desktop |
| Ctrl-F4 | Close a document window in an MDI application |
| Ctrl-F6 | Switch between multiple documents in an MDI (multiple document interface) application; similar to Ctrl-Tab; hold Shift to go in reverse |
| Ctrl-Home | Move to the beginning of a document (in many applications) |
| Ctrl-Spacebar | Select or deselect multiple, non-contiguous items in a listbox or in Windows Explorer |
| Ctrl-Tab | Switch between tabs in a tabbed dialog, or between multiple documents in an MDI application (similar to Ctrl-F6, except that Ctrl-Tab doesn't work in most word processors); hold Shift to go in reverse |
| Ctrl-C | Copy the selected item or selected text to the clipboard (also interrupts some command-prompt applications) |
| Ctrl-F | Open a Search window (in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop only) |
| Ctrl-V | Paste the contents of the clipboard |
| Ctrl-X | Cut the selected item or selected text to the clipboard |
| Ctrl-Z | Undo; for example, erases text just entered and repeats the last file operation in Windows Explorer |
| |
| Shift | While inserting a CD, hold to disable AutoPlay. |
| Shift-arrow keys | Select text or select multiple items in a listbox or in Windows Explorer |
| Shift-click | Select all items between currently selected item and item on which you're clicking; also works when selecting text |
| Shift-click Close button | Close current folder and all parent folders (Windows Explorer in single-folder view only) |
| Shift-Alt-Tab | Same as Alt-Tab, but in reverse |
| Shift-Ctrl-Tab | Same as Ctrl-Tab, but in reverse |
| Shift-Ctrl-Esc | Open Task Manager (see Chapter 3) |
| Shift-Del | Delete a file without putting it in the Recycle Bin |
| Shift-double-click | Open folder in two-pane Explorer view |
| Shift-Tab | Same as Tab, but in reverse |
| |
|  | Open the Start Menu |
| -F1 | Start Help and Support Services |
| -Tab | Cycle through taskbar buttons without activating the applications (Alt-Tab is more convenient , though) |
| -Pause/Break | Display System Properties dialog |
| -B, Spacebar | Open Date and Time Properties (see Chapter 3) |
| -D | Minimize all windows and move focus to Desktop ( buggy on some systems; if your Desktop turns gray, use the Task Manager to close Explorer.exe ) |
| Shift- -D | Undo minimize all |
| -E | Start Windows Explorer |
| -F | Search for Files or Folders |
| Ctrl- -F | Search for a computer on your network |
| -L | Lock computer, requiring password to regain access (you can also lock your computer by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del and clicking Lock Computer) |
| -M | Minimize current window |
| Shift- -M | Undo minimize current window |
| -R | Display Run dialog (same as Start  Run) |
| -U | Open the Utility Manager (see Chapter 3) |
| Left/Right arrow | Move cursor back/forward one character |
| Ctrl-Left/Right arrow | Move cursor back/forward one word |
| Home/End | Move cursor to beginning/end of line |
| Up/Down arrow | Scroll up (and back) through list of stored commands (called the command buffer or history). Each press of the Up key recalls the previous command and displays it on the command line |
| Page Up/Down | Recall oldest/most recent command in buffer |
| Insert | Toggle insert/overtype mode (block cursor implies overtype mode) |
| Esc | Erase current line |
| F1 | Repeat text typed in previous line, one character at a time |
| F2-key | Repeat text typed in previous line, up to first character matching key |
| F3 | Repeat text typed in previous line |
| F4-key | Delete characters from present character position up to (but not including) key (does not work reliably in Windows XP) |
| F5 | Change the template for F1, F2, and F3 (described above) so that earlier commands are used as the template; press F5 repeatedly to cycle through the entire command buffer |
| F6 | Place an end-of-file character (^Z) at current position of command line |
| F7 | Show all entries in command buffer (history) |
| Alt-F7 | Clear all entries in command buffer (history) |
| chars-F8 | Entering one or more characters chars followed by F8 will display the most recent entry in the command buffer beginning with chars . Pressing F8 again will display the next most recent matching command, and so on. If no characters are specified, F8 simply cycles through existing commands in buffer. |
| F9-command# | Display designated command on command line; use F7 to obtain numbers |
| Ctrl-C | Interrupt the output of most command prompt applications |
