15 practical shortcuts for Windows 11

Knowing keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time while working in Windows 11. Thanks to these shortcuts, you can quickly switch between tasks and applications, for example, without having to search for the mouse cursor (or take your eyes off the screen).

HERE ARE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR WINDOWS 11

Ctrl + Y: Redo an undo action

According to a report by Chip, while Ctrl + Z, used to undo your last action, may be one of the most well-known shortcuts, not everyone knows that you can use Ctrl + Y to go the other way, i.e., redo an undo action or perform multiple redo actions. This shortcut can be quite useful in some situations, such as repeating an accidentally undone action.

F5: Refresh a web page

If there is a webpage you need to check frequently, instead of moving your mouse to click the refresh icon on the toolbar in any browser on Windows 11, you can simply tap F5 to refresh the page you are currently looking at.

Windows + D: Show the Windows desktop

You may have many different reasons to quickly switch to the desktop and minimize all open windows. Perhaps your boss is approaching, or you are researching a secret surprise for your partner. For these and many other different situations, pressing Win + D will do the trick.

Windows + "+": Take a closer look

If you need to see something on the screen at a larger scale, you can hold down the Win key and press the + (plus key) to launch the magnifier utility. You can then tap the same shortcut again to continue zooming in, or use the Win and - (minus key) keys to zoom out.

Windows + Tab: See applications on desktop screens

Windows 11 allows you to create multiple desktop screens as a way to separate programs (for example, your personal apps and your work), and the Win+Tab shortcut acts as a high-level Alt+Tab, switching between applications across all your desktop screens.

Windows + V: Access clipboard history

Everyone probably knows the Ctrl+V paste shortcut by now. However, you can make your copy-paste operations even more effective by using Win+V, which opens the clipboard history panel on Windows 11. In the panel that opens here, you can copy any of the last 25 items copied or cut to be pasted.

Ctrl + Shift + T: Bring back a tab

If you accidentally closed a web browser tab that you really needed, there is no need to panic. You can bring back the tab you closed by using the Ctrl+Shift+T shortcut. If you want to restore more tabs you have closed from your browsing history, you can keep pressing this shortcut.

Ctrl+Alt: Zoom in and out

If you don't like the zoom option above, there is one more shortcut. Hold down the Ctrl+Alt keys and then press the + (plus) key to zoom in or the - (minus) key to zoom out. This shortcut can be useful because it works in almost all web browsers as well as many different applications, including the Windows 11 File Explorer, which makes thumbnail icons smaller or larger.

Shift + Space: Scroll easily

You don't need to struggle with your mouse to quickly reach the text below on a webpage. Pressing the Space key on the keyboard will cause the screen to scroll down one page in almost every web browser. If you want to go the other way, you can use the Shift + Space keys.

F11: Turn your applications to full screen

Windows 11 can run applications in full-screen mode just like macOS, but it might not be clearly stated how to do this. This option does not appear among the icons in the top right corner of every window. The keyboard shortcut you are looking for for this function is the F11 key, and it allows you to focus on a single application at a time.

Windows + X / Ctrl + Esc: Access menus directly

The Start menu is the starting point for everything in Windows 11, and Ctrl + Esc takes you directly to this menu. There is also a “hidden” Start menu that you can reach with Win + X, which contains links to important areas of the operating system.

Windows + PrtSc / Alt + PrtSc: Take a screenshot

If you want to skip the Snipping Tool that opens when you press the PrtSc key, you can use the Win+PrtSc keys. This shortcut sends a PNG of the entire screen to your Pictures folder (inside Screenshots) and copies it to the clipboard. Instead, you can use the Alt+PrtSc keys to take a screenshot of only the currently active window, and then use Ctrl-V to paste it into a document.

Alt + Left / Alt + Right: Navigate in File Explorer

If you use File Explorer to browse files, there are some keyboard shortcuts that can help here as well. You can use the Backspace key or Alt+Left to go to the previously viewed folder, Alt+Right to move in the other direction, and Alt+Up to go to the parent folder.

Shift + Delete: Delete permanently without sending to the Recycle Bin

If you want to make sure that something is truly deleted and does not wait in the Recycle Bin for a few days before being deleted, you can use the Shift+Delete shortcut in File Explorer while the relevant files are selected.

F2: Rename one or more files

F2 is a really useful shortcut for renaming files in File Explorer. If you have multiple files selected (Ctrl + click) or all files in the folder selected (Ctrl + A), you can use the F2 key to give them all the same name with sequential numbers added.

News Source: 12punto