The Master List of New Windows 7 Shortcuts

Windows 7 adds loads of great
shortcuts for switching
between apps, moving windows
around your screen, moving
them to another monitor
altogether, and much more.
Here's a quick-reference
master list of the best new
Windows 7 shortcuts.
We're nuts for keyboard
shortcuts here at Lifehacker,
and Windows 7 brings a
handful of great new ones to
add to your muscle memory.
It's also got a few handy
mouse-based shortcuts you'd do
well to add to your repertoire.
So let's get shortcuttin'.
Window Management
Shortcuts
One of the best changes in
Windows 7 is the ability to
"snap" windows to the side of
the screen, maximize them by
dragging to the top of the
screen, or even move them to
another monitor with a
shortcut key. Check out the
video for a demonstration of
how some of the keys work.
The full list of keyboard
shortcuts includes:
You can also interact with
windows by dragging them
with the mouse:
Taskbar Shortcuts
In Windows 7, using the
Windows key along with the
numbers 1-9 will let you
interact with the applications
pinned to the taskbar in those
positions – for example, the
Windows key + 4 combination
would launch Outlook in this
example, or Win+Alt+4 can be
used to get quick access to the
Outlook Jump List from the
keyboard .
You can use any of these
shortcut combinations to launch
the applications in their
respective position on the
taskbar, or more:
In addition, you can interact with
the taskbar using your mouse and a
modifier key:
More Useful
Hotkeys You Should
Know
The new hotkey goodness
didn't stop with the taskbar
and moving windows around—
one of the best new hotkeys in
Windows 7 is the fact that you
can create a new folder with a
hotkey . Just open up any
Windows Explorer window, hit
the Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut key
sequence, and you'll be
rewarded with a shiny "New
Folder" ready for you to
rename.
Here's a few more interesting
hotkeys for you:
Windows 7 definitely makes it a lot
easier to interact with your PC from
your keyboard—so what are your
favorite shortcuts, and how do they
save you time? Share your
experience in the comments.
The How-To Geek is quickly
wearing out the keyboard on his
new Windows 7 laptop. His
geeky articles can be found daily
here on Lifehacker, How-To
Geek , and Twitter.
The Master
List of New
Windows 7
Shortcuts
THE HOW-TO GEEK
10/26/09 9:05am g 944,591 L 123
Win+Home: Clear all but
the active window.
Win+Space: All windows
become transparent so
you can see through to
the desktop.
Win+Up arrow:
Maximize the active
window.
Shift+Win+Up arrow:
Maximize the active
window vertically.
Win+Down arrow:
Minimize the window/
Restore the window if
it's maximized.
Win+Left/Right arrows:
Dock the window to each
side of the monitor.
Shift+Win+Left/Right
arrows: Move the
window to the monitor
on the left or right.
Drag window to the
top: Maximize
Drag window left/right:
Dock the window to fill
half of the screen.
Shake window back/
forth: Minimize
everything but the
current window.
Double-Click Top
Window Border (edge):
Maximize window
vertically.
Win+number (1-9):
Starts the application
pinned to the taskbar in
that position, or switches
to that program.
Shift+Win+number
(1-9): Starts a new
instance of the
application pinned to the
taskbar in that position.
Ctrl+Win+number (1-9):
Cycles through open
windows for the
application pinned to the
taskbar in that position.
Alt+Win+number (1-9):
Opens the Jump List for
the application pinned to
the taskbar.
Win+T: Focus and scroll
through items on the
taskbar.
Win+B: Focuses the
System Tray icons
Shift+Click on a
taskbar button: Open a
program or quickly open
another instance of a
program.
Ctrl+Shift+Click on a
taskbar button: Open a
program as an
administrator.
Shift+Right-click on a
taskbar button: Show
the window menu for the
program (like XP does).
Shift+Right-click on a
grouped taskbar button:
Show the window menu
for the group.
Ctrl+Click on a grouped
taskbar button: Cycle
through the windows of
the group.
Ctrl+Shift+N: Creates a
new folder in Windows
Explorer.
Alt+Up: Goes up a folder
level in Windows
Explorer.
Alt+P: Toggles the
preview pane in
Windows Explorer.
Shift+Right-Click on a
file: Adds Copy as Path,
which copies the path of
a file to the clipboard.
Shift+Right-Click on a
file: Adds extra hidden
items to the Send To
menu.
Shift+Right-Click on a
folder: Adds Command
Prompt Here, which lets
you easily open a
command prompt in that
folder.
Win+P: Adjust
presentation settings for
your display.
Win+(+/-): Zoom in/out.
Win+G: Cycle between
the Window