If you drag a window to the right or left, it will automatically resize and snap to the side. To do this using the keyboard, press the Windows Key + the right or left arrow. Make sure to hold down the Windows key while pressing the left and right arrow keys. It’s actually pretty neat and much faster than dragging the window around the screen. The Minimize Window Keyboard Shortcut: Command+M. By far the fastest way to minimize windows is the Command+M keystroke, which works anywhere with the currently active window. You can modify it by adding an Option+H as well to minimize and hide everything including the currently active window with Command+Option+H+M. As helpful as they are, keyboard shortcuts can also be daunting to memorize and use at first, but once you get the hang of it, they’ll enhance your Windows 10 experience. In this definitive guide, we’re going to show you the commonly used and new Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts for easier navigation and better productivity. Shortcut Key to Minimize/Maximize Windows: With the help of this tutorial you will learn to minimize or maximize windows from your keyboard. You can minimize.

1. Hot Keys To Maximize Window
2. Keyboard Shortcut To Minimize Window
3. How Minimize Window With Keyboard
4. How To Quickly Minimize A Window

• Windows has many keyboard shortcuts available to navigate and work across the operating system faster and more efficiently.
• Most Windows keyboard shortcuts rely on the Windows logo key, Alt, and Ctrl keys.
• These are the 43 most useful keyboard shortcuts for Windows for working with apps, directly in Windows, virtual desktops, and more.

Microsoft Windows – the operating system running on most of the world's computers – is a vast and complex program made up of about 50 million lines of code.

It's packed with features you use every day along with less common tools you rarely need, and you probably keep one hand on the mouse to make use of its countless tools. But if you would prefer to keep your hands on the keyboard to type more efficiently, it pays to learn some keyboard shortcuts.

You certainly don't need to master them all, but learning the shortcuts for features you use most often will dramatically improve your speed and efficiency every time you sit in front of the PC.

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Windows keyboard shortcut summary

Here are the top 43 keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Windows. You can use this list for reference, and if you need a more detailed explanation of a shortcut, scroll down.

Navigating in Windows

• Open the Start menu: Win
• Open the right-click Start button menu: Win + X
• Search: Win + S
• Open Settings: Win + I
• Open the Action Center: Win + A
• Open File Explorer: Win + E
• Open the Game Bar: Win + G
• Open the Run window: Win + R
• Open the Ease of Access Center: Win + U
• Show or hide the desktop: Win + D
• Open Task Manager: Ctrl + Shift + Esc
• Lock Windows: Win + L
• Open Lock Screen: Ctrl + Alt + Del
• Talk to Cortana: Win + C

Working with Windows

• Snap a window: Win + Left Arrow or Win + Right Arrow
• Minimize all open windows: Win + M
• Restore minimized windows: Win + Shift + M
• Minimize everything except the active window: Win + Home
• Maximize the height of a window: Win + Shift + Up Arrow
• Minimize the selected window: Win + Down Arrow
• Close the current window: Alt + F4

Working with apps

• Cycle through apps in the taskbar: Win + T
• Cycle through open apps: Alt + Tab
• Switch to an app on taskbar: Win + [number]
• Right-click an app on the taskbar: Win + Alt + [number]

Working with virtual desktops

• Open the Task View: Win + Tab
• Add a new virtual desktop: Win + Ctrl + D
• Switch to the next virtual desktop: Win + Ctrl + Right Arrow or Win + Ctrl + Left Arrow

Taking screenshots

• Screenshot the entire desktop: PrtScn
• Screenshot the selected window: Alt + PrtScn
• Save a screenshot of the desktop: Win + PrtScn

Essential shortcuts

• Select All: Ctrl + A
• Copy: Ctrl + C
• Cut: Ctrl + X
• Paste: Ctrl + V
• Undo: Ctrl + Z
• Redo: Ctrl + Y
• Close: Ctrl + W
• Delete immediately: Shift + Delete
• Cycle through options: Tab or Shift Tab
• Rename a file or folder: F2
• Windows 10 help online: Win + F1
• Refresh: F5

Windows keyboard shortcuts explained

If you find that the purpose or use of a keyboard shortcut listed above isn't obvious, refer to it below in this expanded list for more information.

Navigating in Windows

Open the Start menu: Press the Windows key. You can also press Ctrl + Esc.

Open the right-click Start button menu: Press Win + X to open the menu you see when you right-click Start. This is also known as the Quick Link menu.

Search: Press Win + S to put focus in the Start Search box at the bottom left of the taskbar.

Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings.

Open the Action Center: Press Win + A to open the Action Center pane on the right side of the screen.

Open File Explorer: Press Win + E to open a File Explorer window. You can open multiple windows this way.

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Open the Game Bar: Press Win + G to open the Game Bar and gaming controls.

Open the Run window: Press Win + R to open the Run window for quickly starting programs, opening locations on your computer, and more.

Open the Ease of Access Center: Press Win + U to open the Ease of Access section of the Settings app.

Show or hide the desktop: Press Win + D to minimize all windows and show the full desktop. Press it again to restore the windows – but you can only restore windows automatically if you do it right away.

Open Task Manager: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

Lock Windows: Press Win + L to instantly lock Windows.

Open Lock Screen: Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to open the lock screen, which provides multiple options for locking Windows or switching user accounts.

Talk to Cortana: Press Win + C to put Cortana in 'listening' mode (if Cortana is enabled).

Working with Windows

Hot Keys To Maximize Window

Snap a window: Press Win + Left Arrow to snap the active window to the left half of the screen. Press Win + Right Arrow to snap it to the right half of the screen. You can also press either shortcut repeatedly to cycle through all the window position options.

Minimize all open windows: Press Win + M to minimize all windows and reveal the desktop.

Restore minimized windows: Press Win + Shift + M to restore all windows, if you do it right after pressing Win + M.

Minimize everything except the active window: Press Win + Home to minimize all windows except the active one. Press it again to restore all windows.

Maximize the height of a window: Press Win + Shift + Up Arrow to make the active window as tall as the desktop without changing its width.

Minimize the selected window: Press Win + Down Arrow to minimize the selected window. It's like the opposite of Win + Home.

Close the current window: Press Alt + F4 to close the current window or program. You might be asked if you want to save your work before the window closes.

Working with apps

Cycle through open apps: Press Alt + Tab to see all the open apps. Press Alt + Tab repeatedly to cycle through the options.

Cycle through apps in the taskbar: Press Win + T repeatedly to cycle through the apps in the taskbar. When you reach the app, you want to run or expand, release the keys and press Enter. To cancel, press Esc.

Switch to an app on the taskbar: To open or expand a particular app in the taskbar without cycling through them, press Win and the number that represents where the app is in the taskbar. For example, if you want to open a web browser, which is the first entry on the left side of the taskbar, press Win + 1.

Right-click an app on the taskbar: To open the right-click context menu for a particular app in the taskbar, press Win + Alt and the number representing where the app is in the taskbar.

Working with virtual desktops

Open the Task View: Press Win + Tab to open the Task View that shows your available virtual desktops and your app timeline.

Add a new virtual desktop: Press Win + Ctrl + D to create a new virtual desktop.

Switch to the next virtual desktop: Press Win + Ctrl + Right Arrow to cycle through all virtual desktops in the order they appear at the top of the Task View. You can also press Win + Ctrl + Left Arrow to cycle through them in the opposite order.

Taking screenshots

Screenshot the entire desktop: Press PrtScn, which you can usually find in the top row of your keyboard, to capture a screenshot of the whole desktop. It is copied to the clipboard.

Screenshot the selected window: Press Alt + PrtScn (look for this key in the top row of your keyboard) to capture a screenshot of the active window. It is copied to the clipboard.

Save a screenshot of the desktop: Press Win + PrtScn (look for this key in the top row of your keyboard) to capture a screenshot of the entire desktop. It is automatically saved to the Screenshots folder in Pictures.

Essential shortcuts

Select All: Press Ctrl + A to select all the items in the current folder or location.

Copy: Press Ctrl + C to copy the selected items or content to the clipboard.

Cut: Press Ctrl + X to cut the selected items or content and place them in the clipboard.

Paste: Press Ctrl + V to paste the clipboard contents to the current location.

Undo: Undo the last action you took by pressing Ctrl + Z.

Redo: Press Ctrl + Y to perform the last thing you did again if it's possible. If Windows can't redo the previous action, nothing will happen.

Close: Press Ctrl + W to close the current window (it's the same as Alt + F4). You might be asked if you want to save your work before the window closes.

Delete immediately: Press Shift + Delete to delete the current item right away, without going to the Recycle Bin first. If you delete a file or folder this way, it cannot be undone or recovered.

Cycle through options: Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through a list of options. You can press Shift Tab to cycle through in the opposite direction.

Rename a file or folder: Press F2 to edit the name of a selected file or folder.

Windows 10 help online: Press Win + F1 to open a web browser to the Windows 10 help and support page.

Refresh: Press F5 to reload or refresh a web page.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

Navigating Microsoft Windows using the keyboard for many commonly performed tasks can dramatically increase your productivity. Also, a situation may arise when the mouse stops functioning or you need to work on a computer without one. The following sections contain many key combinations used to navigate Windows using your keyboard. You can navigate this page by clicking on a link below, or scroll through the entire document and learn all of the methods individually.

Some of these key combinations have different effects or not work the same way for Windows 8 and 8.1

Opening a program from the Start menu

To start off, you can access the Microsoft Windows Start menu by pressing the Windows key on the keyboard or by pressing the Ctrl and Esc keys at the same time.

Because Windows 8 does not have a Start menu, pressing the Windows key or Ctrl+Esc keys shows the Windows Start screen or go to the Windows desktop.

In the Start menu, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move up, down, left, or right in the Start menu. Once you've located the program you want to run, press the Enter key.

You may quickly open a program by pressing the Windows key, typing the program's name, and then pressing Enter.

Opening a program on the desktop

To run a program with an icon (shortcut) on the desktop, you can move to the desktop by pressing the Tab key on your keyboard. Pressing Tab while on the desktop switches between the desktop, Start, and each of the items on the taskbar. You can determine what area you're currently at by looking for an item that is selected. An item that is selected is highlighted or has a border of dots.

In some cases, you may have to press Tab several times before getting to the desktop icons. Once one of the desktop icons is selected, you can move to other icons by using your arrow keys.

Once the icon on the desktop you want to run is selected, press the Enter key to open that program.

Closing, minimizing, maximizing, or moving a window

Closing a window

Press the Ctrl and F4 keys on the keyboard at the same time to close the current open program or window.

Users may also press the Alt and spacebar keys at the same time, then arrow down to the Close or Exit option in the menu and press Enter.

Minimizing or shrink a window

To minimize a window, press the Windows key and down arrow at the same time (sometimes twice).

Maximizing a window

To maximize a window, press the Windows key and up arrow at the same time.

Moving a window

Before you can move any window, it must not be maximized. To make the window appear in windowed mode, press the Alt and spacebar keys at the same time, move to the restore option, and press Enter. In windowed mode, you can move a window if you press Alt+spacebar, choose Move from the menu, then use the arrow keys to move it.

Closing or changing tabs

Closing a tab

In most programs, pressing the Ctrl and F4 keys at the same time closes a tab.

Keyboard Shortcut To Minimize Window

Switching tabs

To move left to right between tabs in the currently selected window, press the Ctrl and Tab keys at the same time.

To move right to left between tabs in the currently selected window, press the Ctrl, Shift, and Tab keys at the same time.

Moving between open windows and applications

To move between any open programs on your computer, press and hold the Alt key, then press the Tab key. If this is done successfully, a window appears that displays each of the open programs on your computer. Repeatedly pressing Tab while continuing to hold Alt moves between each of the open programs. When the program you want to switch to is selected, let go of both keys to make it your current window.

Navigating between fields and buttons on a window

To move your cursor between objects of fields in a window (such as a dialog box), you'll often use the Tab, spacebar, arrow, and the Enter keys. Tab is usually the default, but if it does not work, try using the arrow keys. If you need to press a button, such as OK or Cancel, press the spacebar or Enter key.

Manipulating and moving through text

Below are the different methods of how you can move through text in a document without the aid of a mouse. Not only does this help users without a mouse, it can also save you a great deal of time when working with text documents.

Arrow keys - Using the arrow keys on the keyboard move the cursor up, down, left, or right in the document.

Ctrl and Arrow keys - Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow keys move the cursor one word at a time. Using this shortcut is much faster than only using the arrow keys. Holding Ctrl while pressing up or down moves through each of the paragraphs in the document.

End and Home keys - Pressing the End key takes you to the end of a line or document, while pressing the Home key moves you to the beginning.

Shift key - The Shift key allows you to highlight text. For example, holding down the Shift key while using the right or left arrow keys highlights the text to the left or right. If you hold down shift while pressing the down arrow keys, you highlight one line at a time in that direction.

Finally, you can use the Shift key in combination with the other above recommendations. For example, pressing and holding Shift and Ctrl and using the arrows highlights a word at a time. Holding down Shift and pressing the End key highlights from the current cursor position to the end of the line or document.

Scrolling in a window

Scrolling up or down in a window is often accomplished by using the up and down arrow keys, Page up and Page down keys, or the spacebar.

Right-clicking an icon or other element of Windows

In some situations, you may need to right-click an icon, text, or other Windows element. To do this without a mouse, select the icon or move the cursor to the text you need to right-click. Then, press and hold the Shift and F10 keys at the same time.

Checking and unchecking a checkbox

Some Windows settings pages require you to check or uncheck a checkbox to change settings. Press the Tab key to cycle through each entry in a settings page. Then, press the spacebar to check or uncheck a checkbox for the highlighted entry.

How Minimize Window With Keyboard

Additional information

How To Quickly Minimize A Window

• See the keyboard definition for further information and related links.