How do I take a screenshot of part of the screen in Windows?

Press Win Shift S to open the Snipping Tool overlay, then drag to select a region. The capture is copied to the clipboard and a notification lets you annotate and save it. Win PrtScn instead saves a full-screen PNG to your Pictures folder.

How do I snap a window to half the screen?

Press Win Left or Win Right to snap the active window to that half of the screen, then pick another window to fill the other half. Win Up maximises and Win Down minimises or restores.

Win is the Windows logo key, usually between Ctrl and Alt on the bottom row. Many system shortcuts combine it with a letter, for example Win E for File Explorer or Win L to lock the PC.

How do I create and switch virtual desktops?

Press Win Ctrl D to make a new virtual desktop, Win Ctrl Left or Win Ctrl Right to switch between them, and Win Ctrl F4 to close the current one. Win Tab opens Task View to see them all.

Are these shortcuts the same on Windows 10 and 11?

Most are identical. A few are Windows 11 additions, such as Win Z for Snap Layouts and Ctrl T for tabs in File Explorer. They are labelled where relevant, and some depend on features being enabled in Settings.

What is the Windows Keyboard Shortcuts?

Comprehensive Windows keyboard shortcut reference covering the desktop, window snapping, File Explorer, virtual desktops, screenshots and accessibility, using Microsoft's documented defaults. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Name: Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Windows logo key unlocks a large set of productivity shortcuts that many users never discover — snapping windows, switching virtual desktops, and grabbing screenshots without lifting your hands off the keyboard. This reference lists Microsoft’s documented defaults for Windows 10 and 11.

How to use this reference

Each shortcut records the action, a category, and the key combination. Win denotes the Windows logo key; press all listed keys together. The search field matches the action text, the category, and the keys, so you can type snap, screenshot, or Win E and find the right row. The category selector limits the table to a single group such as File Explorer or Virtual desktops.

The most useful shortcuts — by category

Desktop and window management

Shortcut	Action
Win + D	Show/hide desktop (toggle)
Win + Left / Right	Snap active window to half screen
Win + Up	Maximise window
Win + Down	Minimise or restore
Win + Z (Win 11)	Open Snap Layouts overlay
Alt + F4	Close active window
Win + Tab	Open Task View (all windows and virtual desktops)

Screenshots and clipboard

Shortcut	Action
Win + Shift + S	Open Snipping Tool region selector
Win + PrtScn	Save full-screen screenshot to Pictures folder
PrtScn	Copy full screen to clipboard
Alt + PrtScn	Copy active window to clipboard
Win + V	Open clipboard history (shows multiple copied items)

File Explorer and system

Shortcut	Action
Win + E	Open File Explorer
Win + L	Lock the PC
Win + I	Open Settings
Win + R	Open Run dialog
Ctrl + Shift + Esc	Open Task Manager directly
Win + X	Open Quick Link (power user) menu

Virtual desktops

Shortcut	Action
Win + Ctrl + D	Create a new virtual desktop
Win + Ctrl + Left / Right	Switch to previous / next virtual desktop
Win + Ctrl + F4	Close the current virtual desktop

Accessibility

Shortcut	Action
Win + Plus (+)	Open Magnifier and zoom in
Win + Minus (−)	Zoom out with Magnifier
Win + Esc	Exit Magnifier
Win + U	Open Accessibility settings

Tips and notes

Win + Shift + S is the modern screenshot shortcut and routes straight to the Snipping Tool overlay, which copies the selection to the clipboard and pops a notification to annotate and save. The legacy PrtScn key still works but copies the whole screen without the annotation overlay.

Win + V enables clipboard history — a feature many Windows users have never discovered — which stores your last 25+ copied items so you can paste anything from the history, not just the most recent copy.

Ctrl + Shift + Esc reaches Task Manager in one step, without the security screen that Ctrl + Alt + Delete shows first.

Several accessibility and Windows 11 features (Magnifier, Narrator, File Explorer tabs) require the feature to be enabled in Settings before the shortcut has any effect on a default install. OEM laptops sometimes relocate or omit keys like PrtScn; check your keyboard’s function-row labels if a chord does not respond.