Windows XP Keyboard Shortcuts

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Windows XP Keyboard Shortcuts

General | Windows Explorer | Natural Keyboard | Dialog Boxes | Accessibility | Text Editing

General Shortcuts

Use these keyboard shortcuts when working with files and folders within Windows
Keyboard Shortcut Action
CTRL+A Select All
CTRL+C Copy
CTRL+X Cut
CTRL+V Paste
CTRL+Z Undo
DELETE Delete selected item (move to Recycle Bin)
SHIFT+DELETE Delete item permanently without moving to Recycle Bin
F2 Rename the selected item
F3 Search for a file or a folder
F4 Display the Address Bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
F5 Refresh the contents of the active window
F6 Cycle through the screen elements in a window or the desktop
F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program
CTRL while dragging an item Copy the selected item
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item Create a shortcut to the selected item
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop
ALT+ENTER View the properties for the selected item
ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT+ENTER Display the properties of the selected object
ALT+SPACEBAR Open the shortcut menu for the active window
CTRL+F4 Close the active window
ALT+TAB Switch between the open items
ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened
SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window
CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name Display the corresponding menu
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu Perform the corresponding command
RIGHT ARROW Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
LEFT ARROW Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC Open Task Manager


Windows Explorer Shortcuts

The following shortcuts can be used within Windows Explorer.
Keyboard Shortcut Action
HOME Display the top of the active window
END Display the bottom of the active window
LEFT ARROW Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder
RIGHT ARROW Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder
NUM LOCK+ * (Asterisk) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
NUM LOCK+ + (Plus key) ) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+ - (Minus key) Collapse the selected folder


Windows Natural Keyboard Shortcuts

Use these shortcuts to navigate Windows with a Windows Natural Keyboard
(The keyboard must have a Windows logo key next to the Alt key).
Keyboard Shortcut Action
Windows Logo Display or hide the Start menu
Windows Logo+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box
Windows Logo+D Display the desktop
Windows Logo+M Minimize all open windows
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M Restore all minimized windows
Windows Logo+F Search for a file or a folder
CTRL+Windows Logo+F Search for computers
Windows Logo+F1 Display Windows Help
Windows Logo+L Lock the keyboard
Windows Logo+R Open the Run dialog box
Windows Logo+U Open Utility Manager


Dialog Box Shortcuts

The following shortcuts can be used when a Windows dialog box is open.
Keyboard Shortcut Action
CTRL+TAB Move forward through the tabs
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the tabs
TAB Move forward through the options
SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the options
ALT+Underlined letter Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option
ENTER Perform the command for the active option or button
SPACEBAR Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
BACKSPACE Open a folder one level up when a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
F1 Display Help
F4 Display the items in the active list


Accessibility Shortcuts

These shortcuts can be used to modify Windows Accessibility settings.
Keyboard Shortcut Action
Right SHIFT for eight seconds Switch FilterKeys on or off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN Switch High Contrast on or off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK Switch the MouseKeys on or off
SHIFT five times Switch the StickyKeys on or off
NUM LOCK for five seconds Switch the ToggleKeys on or off


Text Editing

The following shortcuts can be used in text-editing programs, such as Notepad and WordPad.
Keyboard Shortcut Action
CTRL+A Select All
CTRL+C Copy
CTRL+X Cut
CTRL+V Paste
CTRL+Z Undo
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word
CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word
CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph
CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Highlight a block of text
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select a block of text one character at a time


Keyboard shortcuts and the Windows logo courtesy of Microsoft.