Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts Ultimate Guide

If you’ve installed Windows 8 in a VM, I’m finding Keyboard-Shortcuts are going to be your friend. Below is a list of Shortcuts I’ve found so far for Metro. I’m sure I’ve missed about… a million so if you see any I’ve not listed, please add your findings to the comments so we can build a nice comprehensive list.

I expect most of the standard desktop keyboard shortcuts from Windows 7 will still work outside the Metro UI so I’m only going to focus on Windows 8 Metro Keyboard Shortcut keys here. If you see something missing form the list below, please drop it in the comments and I’ll add it to the chart.

Definition:

Charms : Icons on the right which offer Search, Share, Start Menu, Devices and Settings.

Windows Key : Windows Logo Key on a standard keyboard built for the Microsoft Windows OS.

App Key   : Application Key picturing a Mouse Cursor on a Menu.  Normally found to the Right of the Spacebar on a standard keyboard.

ESC : Escape Key on a standard keyboard.

Shift :  Shift Key on a standard keyboard.

ALT :  ALT Key on a standard keyboard.

PgUp / PgDown : The Page Up and Page Down Key on a standard keyboard.

Metro UI : Touch sensitive Windows 8 UI based off the Windows 7 Phone Metro UI Interface.  The Metro “desktop” hosts all Metro based Apps and Non-Metro based Icons.

 Windows 8 Metro Keyboard Shortcut Keys

Windows Key	Jump between Start Metro Desktop and Previous App
ESC	Return to Previous App
Windows Key + spacebar	Switch input language and keyboard layout
Windows Key + Y	Peek at the Desktop
Windows Key + X	Open Windows 8 Advanced Tools Context Menu
Windows Key + O	Lock device orientation
Windows Key + V	Cycle through toasts
Windows Key + Shift + V	Cycle through toasts in reverse order
Windows Key + Enter	Launch Narrator
Windows Key + PgUp	Move Tiles to the Left
Windows Key + PgDown	Move Tiles to the Right
Windows Key + Shift + .	Move Metro App Split Screen Left
Windows Key + .	Move Metro App Split Screen Right
Winodws Key + S	Open App Search
Windows Key + F	Open File Search
Windows Key + C	Open Charms Bar
Windows Key + I	Open Charms Settings
Windows Key + K	Opens Connect Charm
Windows Key + H	Open Share Charm
Windows Key + Q	Open Search Pane
Windows Key + W	Open Search Settings
Windows Key + Z	Open App Bar
Arrow Keys	Select Metro Apps Left, Right, Up, Down
CTRL + Arrow Right	Move 1 Page Right on Metro UI Menu
CTRL + Arrow Left	Move 1 Page Left on Metro UI Menu
Arrow Key, ALT + Arrow Right	Move Metro App Right
Arrow Key, ALT + Arrow Left	Move Metro App Left
Arrow Key, ALT + Arrow Up	Move Metro App Up
Arrow Key, ALT + Arrow Down	Move Metro App Down
Windows Key + L	Lock Screen
Windows Key + E	Launch Windows Explorer on Classic Desktop
Windows Key + R	Launch Run Box on Classic Desktop
Windows Key + P	Projector Mode – Select Projector Output
Windows Key + U	Launch Ease of Access Center
Windows Key + T	Launch Classic Desktop with Arrow Key Icon Selection
Windows Key + X	Launch Windows Mobility Center on Classic Desktop
Windows Key + B	Launch Classic Desktop with Arrow Key Taskbar Icon Selection
Windows Key + M	Launch Classic Desktop with Arrow Key Desktop Icon Selection
Windows Key + D	Jump to Desktop Mode from anywhere
Arrow Key, App Key	Display Unpin Option and Advanced Metro Icon Icons
ALT + F4 Key	Closes the active app.
ALT + F4 Key (From the Desktop)	Shutdown, Sleep, Switch User, Restart Computer

 General Keyboard Shortcuts

• F1  ::  Display Help
• F2  ::  Rename the selected item
• F3  ::  Search for a file or folder
• F4  ::  Display the Address bar list in Windows Explorer
• F5 – Refresh the active window
• F6  ::  Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
• F7  ::  Check Spelling in open document
• F10  ::  Activate the menu bar in the active program
• CTRL+A  ::  Select all items in a document or window
• CTRL+C  ::  Copy the selected item
• CTRL+X  ::  Cut the selected item
• CTRL+V  ::  Paste the selected item
• CTRL+Z  ::  Undo an action
• CTRL+Y  ::  Redo an action
• SHIFT+DELETE  ::  Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first  (Outlook Tip also)
• SHIFT+F10  ::  Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
• SHIFT when you insert a CD  ::  Prevent the CD from automatically playing
• CTRL+ESC  ::  Open the Start menu
• CTRL+SHIFT with an arrow key  ::  Select a block of text
• CTRL+SHIFT+ESC  ::  Open Task Manager
• CTRL+F4  ::  Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
• CTRL+ALT+TAB  ::  Use the arrow keys to switch between open items
• CTRL+Mouse scroll wheel  ::  Change the size of icons on the desktop
• ALT+ESC  ::  Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened
• ALT+ENTER  ::  Display properties for the selected item
• ALT+F4  ::  Close the active item, or exit the active program
• ALT+SPACEBAR  ::  Open the shortcut menu for the active window
• ALT+UP ARROW  ::  View the folder one level up in Windows Explorer
• ALT+TAB  ::  Switch between open items
• ALT+SHIFT+TAB  ::  Switch between open items in reverse order
• Windows logo key + TAB  ::  Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D
• CTRL+Windows logo key + TAB  ::  Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D
• ESC  ::  Cancel the current task

Did I miss one?  Drop it in the comments.