Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

Most of the design effort for Windows 8 has been focused around its touch screen interface, but there are keyboard shortcuts in place for those of us who aren’t using a touch device or who want the productivity boost of keeping hands on the keyboard. Here are the ten most useful keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8.

We haven’t listed familiar keyboard shortcuts such as Control-V for paste here. The focus is on the new or revamped keyboard shortcut options in Windows 8, especially as they apply to Metro apps. (We have a parallel list for Windows 7 as well.)

These keyboard shortcuts all work in the Windows 8 Release Preview, and there’s no reason to assume they won’t be supported in the final release. Virtually all of them use the Windows key in combination with another key.

1. Windows key (on its own)

Hitting the Windows key on its own brings up the Metro desktop. However, if you then start typing Windows will begin searching (just as it used to on the old Start menu), finding apps, files and settings. You can also switch to searching other Metro apps from within the interface. You can navigate the results with the arrow keys and Enter, so you don’t need to use a mouse at all.

2. Windows-I: Settings

This is a speedy route to system-wide PC settings. It’s also where you’ll find the Power button if you want to shut down your machine entirely (by default, Windows 8 favours putting your system to sleep rather than a complete shutdown.)

3. Windows-D: Desktop

If you’re not using Metro apps and want a more familiar Windows interface, Windows-D opens up the desktop.

4. Windows-Tab: Switch apps

The familiar Alt-Tab keyboard shortcut still cycles through open applications in the centre of the screen. If you only want to cycle through newer Metro applications, Windows-Tab is your friend, and switches in a list down the left-hand side.

5. Windows-fullstop: Snap

This snaps a Metro app to the right, placing it in a narrow column so you can see crucial information (such as a Twitter feed) while working in another app. (By default, Metro apps take up the entire screen, which makes sense on tablets but can be annoying on large screens.) Repeating the key combination snaps to the left; repeating a third time maximises. To snap immediately to the left, use Windows-> (which is, in effect, Shift-Windows-fullstop).

6. Windows-H: Share charm

Similarly, while you can access the Share charm (used to share information via email or to other apps) through the main charms list, this shortcut saves time getting there.

7. Windows-Q: Search charm

This launches search options for any Windows application: if you’re in the store, for example, you need the Search charm to actually look for apps. Search is also accessible from charms (Windows-C), but using Windows-Q saves you extra clicking or arrowing around.

8. Windows-Z: App bar

The app bar is essentially the equivalent of right-clicking: use it to access additional options in Metro applications.

9. Windows-C: Charms

Think of charms as a kind of super-sized options setting: you can use individual charms to share with other apps, search for information, change settings, or send something to a connected device such as a printer or drive.

10. Windows-PrtSc: Screen capture

PrtSc has long been the default option for screen capture in Windows, but in Windows 8 there’s a neat new twist: if you use Windows-PrtSc, a PNG file of the capture is saved in a Screenshots folder in your picture library. (If you don’t want the clutter of lots of picture files, PrtSc on its own still copies the screen to the clipboard, and Alt-PrtSc captures just the active window in non-Metro apps.)

Add Me To Your Google+ Circles