In a previous post, we introduced the Menu key. Now we’re going to cover the Windows Key. As expected, it interacts with the entire Windows operating system, rather than any particular program. Similar to the Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys, it is pressed along with another key to accomplish various tasks, but pressing it by itself will open the Start menu (or screen). Here are a few useful actions:
Windows Key
- Win-M – Minimize all windows (clear the screen and relax)
- Win-Shift-M – Restore minimized windows (put it all back)
- Win-Space – Hold to preview the desktop, release to return (take a quick look)
- Win-E – Open File Manager, starting at the top: Computer
- Win-L – Lock your computer (in case you need to walk away) or switch users (if you share)
- Win-Up Arrow – Maximize
- Win-Down Arrow – Restore from maximize, Minimize from non-full screen
If you have a single monitor, here’s a good way to tile two windows side by side:
- Win-Left Arrow – Snap window to left half of screen
- Win-Right Arrow – Snap window to right half of screen
If you have multiple monitors, you may have had to un-maximize a window, drag it to the other monitor, then re maximize it, but here’s a quicker way:
- Win-Shift-Left Arrow or Right Arrow – Move a window from one monitor to another
When you’re doing a presentation to a group, here’s a quick way to access the external display:
- Win-P – Choose a presentation display mode
Best Windows Key Shortcut
Using Alt-Tab to cycle through programs, or even Ctrl-Alt-Tab, forces you to go through a bunch of non-related programs until you get to the one you want, BUT here’s a fix for that: use the Windows Key and a number to get directly to the programs you need. For example, in my case, with nothing running, the Task Bar looks like this:
You may have other programs in a different order, but the concept is the same.
Here’s how it works: hit Win-1 and File Manager opens, Win-3 opens OutLook, and Win-8 brings up NotePad. That’s pretty neat, but it gets better. If NotePad is already open, to get a new one, use Shift-Win-8. Same with the others—Shift-Win-1 opens a new File Manager.
All right, so now with multiple instances of a program running, how do you pick the one you want? Easy enough: hold Win and keep typing the appropriate number until the instance is highlighted, then release Win. In other words, if I have a bunch of Word documents open, I can choose the one I want with Win-444… No need to use Alt-Tab and go past all the Excel sheets or File Managers or NotePads I have open. I get to pick from ONLY the Word docs!
But wait, that’s not all! Instead of right-clicking a program on the Task Bar to get the Jump List, just use Alt-Win-number.
That Windows Key can be helpful…you just need pin your Task Bar in an order that makes sense to you.