Keyboard shortcuts are effectivity’s biggest secret weapon. Sure, they’ll take a bit to study and sure, generally you’ve bought to—gasp!—take your hand off your mouse to succeed in all of the keys.
However man, oh man, when you’ve mastered the very best ones, you’ll surprise the way you ever lived with out them.
If you wish to navigate Home windows 11 quicker, work smarter, and reduce pointless clicks, these are the ten shortcuts value memorizing.
Alt + Tab: Swap Between Open Apps
So far as most shortcut consultants are involved, that is the Home windows shortcut to rule all shortcuts.
This venerable traditional permits you to cycle by way of open functions with ease. Maintain Alt and faucet Tab to leap between the home windows you’ve bought open. It’s excellent for multitasking with out dropping momentum.
Win + E: Open File Explorer Immediately
No extra trying to find the File Explorer icon: simply press Win + E, and all of your information are proper there. Whether or not you’re accessing paperwork, downloads, or exterior drives, this shortcut is a must-learn.
Win + D: Present the Desktop
I’m not ashamed to confess that generally I’ve so many tasks going without delay that I get overwhelmed by my very own mess of home windows, apps, and settings.
Generally you simply want a clear slate, you understand? Press Win + D, and all of your open home windows will reduce, revealing the desktop immediately. Take a breath, after which faucet it once more to revive every part proper the place you left it.
Win + V: Entry Clipboard Historical past
One thing of a darkish horse within the useful shortcuts competitors: Ever copied one thing solely to lose it moments later?
Win + V saves the day by opening the Clipboard historical past, permitting you to retrieve textual content or photos you’ve copied earlier.
Alt + Spacebar: Open Copilot
Now for a relative newcomer. For fast help, solutions, and inventive concepts, Alt + Spacebar launches a bit Copilot search field, making it straightforward to get assist instantly inside Home windows.

Use it to look stuff up on the internet, launch applications, or open folders, all with a fast keyboard combo.
Win + I: Open Settings
Uninterested in digging by way of menus simply to get to Settings? Why did they bury it so deep?!

Press Win + I to open Settings immediately, letting you tweak stuff way more shortly than navigating there by mouse.
Win + Shift + S: Take a Screenshot
When it is advisable seize one thing in your display screen, the wonderful Snipping Instrument is your finest buddy.
Win + Shift + S opens it, letting you choose and save any a part of your show.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Activity Supervisor
Gradual? Laggy? Chugging alongside? Hold tabs in your system efficiency by urgent Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

This shortcut opens Activity Supervisor instantly, letting you handle RAM-hogging apps and CPU-taxing processes with ease.
Win + L: Lock Your Pc
This one’s particularly useful for these of you who’ve been summoned again to the workplace.
Whenever you step away out of your desk, urgent Win + L locks your display screen immediately, securing your work and preserving prying eyes out.
Win + Interval (.) or Win + Semicolon (;): Open Emoji Panel
Right here’s one for the youths on the market. Boost your messages with emojis and GIFs.

Press Win + . or Win + ; to open the emoji panel and add some aptitude to your messages.