Five Windows Key Shortcuts We Bet You Don’t Know

Five Windows Key Shortcuts We Bet You Don’t Know

There is nothing we like better than a quicker, faster, easier way to do computer things. Today, we’re going to show you five Windows Key Shortcuts we bet you don’t already know.  And if you do, that’s great, this will serve to refresh your memory!  Ready? Set? Go!

1. The Clipboard Time Machine (Win + V)

We all know Ctrl + V pastes the last thing you copied. But what if you copied a link ten minutes ago and then accidentally copied something else?

If you’ve turned Clipboard History on (Settings > System > Clipboard), Win + V opens your Clipboard History. Then you can scroll through a list of the last 25 items you copied (text, links, or images) and pick the one you need. You can even “pin” items you use daily (like a complex email signature) to Clipboard History so they stay there forever.

2. Quick Desktop Peek (Win + ,)

Windows Key + , (Windows key + the comma key) makes all your open windows disappear while you hold the keys. All the windows come back when you release the keys.
As soon as you let go of the keys, your windows snap back to exactly where they were.

3. The Taskbar Speed-Dial (Win + [Number])

Look at the icons pinned to your taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Pressing Windows key + 1 opens the first app on your taskbar, Win + 2 opens the second, and so on.

4. The “Emergency” Black Screen Wake-up (Win + Ctrl + Shift + B)

Every Windows user has experienced that moment where the screen goes black, or the graphics seem to “freeze,” and the mouse won’t move. (Windows key + CTRL+ SHIFT+ B restarts your graphics driver without rebooting your computer. You’ll hear a short beep and the screen will flicker for a second. This often “unfreezes” a PC that seems like it has crashed, saving you from having to hold down the power button to turn off the PC and lose your work.

5. The Snipping Tool (Win + Shift + S)

Windows key + SHIFT + S instantly dims the screen and lets you draw a box around exactly what you want to capture on your screen. The “snip” is immediately saved to your clipboard. You can then just hit Ctrl + V to paste that specific image into an email, a Word doc, a chat, Microsoft Paint, or any image editor). It’s the fastest way to share something on your screen.