Windows 8’s useful keyboard shortcuts

Windows 8 has been out for almost two months. Retail sales and reviews both look pretty good. While it will be some time before companies will be using Windows 8 as their main operating system, there will come a time when they do. Early adopters are already upgrading and finding a wealth of new features. One of such feature is Windows 8’s specific keyboard shortcuts.

Below are six of the more common Windows 8 specific keyboard shortcuts. Note: WIN is the Windows key (key with the windows logo).

1. WIN: Pressing the windows key once will switch from the desktop to the last opened application. If you are looking at an application e.g., Office, and press the WIN key, you’ll be taken to the desktop.
2. WIN + C: Will bring up the Charms bar.
3. WIN + I: Will bring up the Settings Charm. This will work from the desktop in some applications. In other applications this keystroke may not work, or may open something else.
4. WIN + F: Pressing these keys will open the file search window. From there you can enter the name of the file/folder you are looking for. Note, this will only work from the desktop, and not in applications.
5. WIN + E: Open your computer’s main drive. This is commonly called My Computer but may be different depending on what your computer’s drive has been labeled.
6. WIN + Print Screen: Pressing these keys simultaneously will take and save a screenshot. You will notice the screen dims for a second, this is to confirm the picture has been taken and saved as an image file. By default the screenshot will be placed into the Pictures folder of the Library.

These are just six of the many keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8 that make the OS easier to use. If you would like to learn more about Windows 8 and how it can fit into your company give us a shout, we can help.