Windows 7 Keyboard Tricks
Originally published on Tech Cores in 2009. Kept for posterity, so some details are likely out of date.
Windows 7 came out not too long ago, and with every brand new product, comes brand new features. Windows 7 comes with a variety of keyboard shortcuts to make your life a lot easier. The thing is, if you know a lot of these main keyboard shortcuts, your life will be a lot easier and it'll be significantly easier to manage your windows; hence why they named Windows the way they did.
Common Shortcuts:
- Win + Left
- Moves a window to the left-hand side of the screen and takes up half of the screen width
- Win + Right
- Moves a window to the right-hand side of the screen and takes up half of the screen width
- Win + Up
- Maximizes a window
- Win + Down
- Minimizes or restores a window
- Win + Space
- Allows you to look at your desktop without switching over to it
- Win + G
- Brings all your gadgets to the front for easy view
- Win + P
- Allows you to view and change the options for your external monitor, that is, if you have one connected
- Win + X
- Opens up the Windows Mobility Center where you can customize your mobile needs
- Win + (+ or -)
- Ability to zoom in (+) and out (-) using just keyboard shortcuts
Explorer Shortcuts:
- Alt + P
- Allows you to hide/show the preview panel in the explorer window
Taskbar Shortcuts:
- Win + (number corresponding to the location on the taskbar)
- Every program and pinned item in your taskbar has a number assigned to it from left to right in chronological order; with this key combination, you're able to switch between windows easily with the keyboard
- Shift + Left Click on a Program
- Opens a new instance of the program you've clicked on
- Shift + Right Click on a Program
- Shows the typical window menu
- Ctrl + A click on a grouped program
- Allows you to switch between the grouped programs