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Long List of Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts

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- Second section is Macintosh -

List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP

Article ID : 301583
Last Review : January 15, 2006
Revision : 4.2
This article was previously published under Q301583

SUMMARY

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP.

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MORE INFORMATION

General keyboard shortcuts

CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
F5 key (Update the active window)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
ESC (Cancel the current task)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)

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Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

If you press SHIFT+F8 in extended selection list boxes, you enable extended selection mode. In this mode, you can use an arrow key to move a cursor without changing the selection. You can press CTRL+SPACEBAR or SHIFT+SPACEBAR to adjust the selection. To cancel extended selection mode, press SHIFT+F8 again. Extended selection mode cancels itself when you move the focus to another control.
CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
TAB (Move forward through the options)
SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
F1 key (Display Help)
F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

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Microsoft natural keyboard shortcuts

Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

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Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

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Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

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Shortcut keys for Character Map

After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
UP ARROW (Move up one row)
DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
END (Move to the end of the line)
CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

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Microsoft Management Console (MMC) main window keyboard shortcuts

CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
CTRL+N (Open a new console)
CTRL+S (Save the open console)
CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
CTRL+W (Open a new window)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
ALT+F4 (Close the console)
ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
ALT+V (Display the View menu)
ALT+F (Display the File menu)
ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

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MMC console window keyboard shortcuts

CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

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Remote desktop connection navigation

CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

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Microsoft Internet Explorer navigation

CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
CTRL+W (Close the current window)

Macintosh

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts

Learn about common Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts.

Startup
Keystroke Description
Press X during startup Force Mac OS X startup
Press Option-Command-Shift-Delete
during startup
Bypass primary startup volume and seek a different startup volume (such as a CD or external disk)
Press C during startup Start up from a CD that has a system folder
Press N during startup Attempt to start up from a compatible network server (NetBoot)
Press T during startup Start up in FireWire Target Disk mode
Press Shift during startup start up in Safe Boot mode and temporarily disable login items and non-essential kernel extension files (Mac OS X 10.2 and later)
Press Command-V during startup Start up in Verbose mode.
Press Command-S during startup Start up in Single-User mode

Finder window
Keyboard shortcut Description
Command-W Close Window
Option-Command-W Close all Windows
Command-Right Arrow Expand folder (list view)
Option-Command-Right Arrow Expand folder and nested subfolders (list view)
Command-Left Arrow Collapse Folder (list view)
Option-Command-Up Arrow Open parent folder and close current window

 

Menu commands
Keyboard shortcut Description
Shift-Command-Q Apple Menu
     Log out
Shift-Option-Command-Q Apple Menu
     Log out immediately
Shift-Command-Delete Finder Menu
     Empty Trash
Option-Shift-Command-Delete Finder Menu
     Empty Trash without dialog
Command-H Finder Menu
     Hide Finder
Option-Command-H Finder Menu
     Hide Others
Command-N File Menu
     New Finder window
Shift-Command-N File Menu
     New Folder
Command-O File Menu
     Open
Command-S File Menu
     Save
Shift-Command-S File Menu
     Save as
Command-P File Menu
     Print
Command-W File Menu
     Close Window
Option-Command-W File Menu
     Close all Windows
Command-I File Menu
     Get Info
Option-Command-I File Menu
     Show Attributes Inspector
Command-D File Menu
     Duplicate
Command-L File Menu
     Make Alias
Command-R File Menu
     Show original
Command-T File Menu
     Add to Favorites (Mac OS X 10.2.8 or earlier), Add to Sidebar (Mac OS X 10.3 or later—use Shift-Command-T for Add to Favorites)
Command-Delete File Menu
     Move to Trash
Command-E File Menu
     Eject
Command-F File Menu
     Find
Command-Z Edit Menu
     Undo
Command-X Edit Menu
     Cut
Command-C Edit Menu
     Copy
Command-V Edit Menu
     Paste
Command-A Edit Menu
     Select All
Command-1 View Menu
     View as Icons
Command-2 View Menu
     View as List
Command-3 View Menu
     View as Columns
Command-B View Menu
     Hide Toolbar
Command-J View Menu
     Show View Options
Command - [ Go Menu
     Back
Command - ] Go Menu
     Forward
Shift-Command-C Go Menu
     Computer
Shift-Command-H Go Menu
     Home
Shift-Command-I Go Menu
     iDisk
Shift-Command-A Go Menu
     Applications
Shift-Command-F Go Menu
     Favorites
Shift-Command-G Go Menu
     Goto Folder
Command-K Go Menu
     Connect to Server
Command-M Window Menu
     Minimize Window
Option-Command-M Window Menu
     Minimize All Windows
Command-? Help Menu
     Open Mac Help
Command-Space Open Spotlight (Mac OS X 10.4 or later)
Command-esc Front Row
     Activates Front Row for certain Apple computers

 

Universal Access and VoiceOver
Keyboard shortcut Description
Option-Command-8 Turn on Zoom
Option-Command-+ (plus) Zoom in
Option-Command-- (minus) Zoom out
Control-Option-Command-8 Switch to White on Black
Control-F1 Turn on Full Keyboard Access
When Full Keyboard Access is turned on, you can use the key combinations listed in the table below from the Finder.
Control-F2 Full Keyboard Access
     Highlight Menu
Control-F3 Full Keyboard Access
     Highlight Dock
Control-F4 Full Keyboard Access
     Highlight Window (active) or next window behind it
Control-F5 Full Keyboard Access
     Highlight Toolbar
Control-F6 Full Keyboard Access
     Highlight Utility window (palette)
Command-F5 or fn-Command-F5 Turn VoiceOver on or off (Mac OS X 10.4 or later)
Control-Option-F8 or fn-Control-Option-F8 Open VoiceOver Utility (Mac OS X 10.4 or later)
Control-Option-F7 or fn-Control-option-F7 Display VoiceOver menu (Mac OS X 10.4 or later)
Control-Option-;
or fn-Control-option-;
Enable/disable VoiceOver Control-Option lock (Mac OS X 10.4 or later)

 

The Universal Access preference pane allows you to turn on Mouse Keys. When Mouse Keys is on, you can use the numeric keypad to move the mouse. If your computer doesn't have a numeric keypad, use the Fn (function) key.

Mouse Keys
Keystroke Description
8 Move Up
2 Move Down
4 Move Left
6 Move Right
1, 3, 7, and 9 Move Diagonally
5 Press Mouse Button
0 Hold Mouse Button
. (period on keypad) Release Mouse Button (use after pressing 0)

 

Other Commands
Keystroke Description
Option-Command-D Show/Hide Dock
Command-Tab Switch application
tab Highlight next item
Command-Up Arrow Move up one directory
Command-Down Arrow Move down one directory
Page Up or Control-Up Arrow Move up one page
Page Down or Control-Down Arrow Move down one page
Option-Drag Copy to new location
Option-Command-Drag Make alias in new location
Command-Drag Move to new location without copying
Shift-Command-C Show Colors palette in application
Command-T Show Font palette in application
Command-Shift-3 Take a picture of the screen
Command-Shift-4 Take a picture of the selection
Command-Shift-4, then press Control while selecting Take a picture of the screen, place in Clipboard
Command-Shift-4, then Spacebar Take a picture of the selected window
Option-Command-esc Force Quit
Control-Eject Restart, Sleep, Shutdown dialog box
Control-Command-Eject Quit all applications and restart
Option-Command-Eject or
Option-Command-Power
Sleep
Command-click window toolbar button (upper right corner) Cycle through available views for the window's toolbar (dependant on the nature of the Finder or application window)
Command-` Cycle through windows in application or Finder (if more than one window is open)
Function-Delete (portables only--PowerBook, iBook, MacBook, MacBook Pro) Forward Delete (delete the character to the right of your cursor)