Zip around Windows 10 with these handy keyboard shortcuts

I use my keyboard for a living so there are certain keyboard shortcuts I use all day everyday like copy, cut, paste and undo. I’ve never really known or used shortcuts related to the Windows logo key, though. A new cheat sheet released by Microsoft might just change that.

The Shortcut Keys for Windows 10 document from Microsoft lists 42 shortcuts that use the Windows key in combination with other keys for fast, efficient access to most of the core functions of Windows 10. I wrote this blog post about the Windows 10 shortcut keys cheat sheet:

Down at the lower left of most standard Windows PC keyboards there is a key with the Windows logo on it. It sits between the Ctrl an Alt keys to the left of the space bar. Most people know that pushing it brings up the Start menu (or toggles to the Start screen depending on your version of Windows), but the Windows key actually does a lot more than that. Microsoft just released a cheat sheet of keyboard shortcuts to enlighten you about all of the things you can do with the Windows Key in Windows 10.

Keyboard shortcuts aren’t new or unique to Windows 10. Microsoft has built a variety of keyboard shortcuts into the operating system since the dawn of the PC era. Most applications also include some keyboard shortcuts to help you operate more efficiently and some keyboard shortcuts—like Ctrl-C for “copy” and Ctrl-V for “paste”—are fairly universal across all applications. There are a number of keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10, though—42 in all—based just around the Windows key.

Microsoft created a downloadable document in Word format to help users learn the Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts. There are some very useful ones like Windows key + comma to peek at the desktop or Windows key + the left or right arrow keys to snap application windows to one side of the display or the other.

The Windows 10 shortcut keys cheat sheet can be a very valuable tool for someone trying to figure out Windows 10 and how to find and use some of its unique capabilities. Back in early 2014 I wrote about why the Search function in Windows 8 / 8.1 can resolve any confusion by making it simple to find anything in a click or two. That is still true in Windows 10, but the keyboard shortcuts offer a more efficient means of interacting with the operating system.

Learn more about the Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet on Forbes: Windows 10 Shortcuts: That Windows Key Does More Than You Think.