Their use is pervasive enough that some users consider them an important element of their routine interactions with a computer. It was originally published on September 30, 2017.Keyboard shortcuts are a common aspect of most modern operating systems and associated software applications. Or you can quickly bring up the PowerShell command prompt window to access advanced Windows commands. From here, you can jump straight to Device Manager to review and configure any hardware, such as printers or keyboards, that are currently attached to the system. Windows has a hidden Start menu, called the Quick Link menu, that allows you to access all the key areas of the system.Or stick with shortcuts: Win+Ctrl+arrow will cycle through your open desktops, and Win+Ctrl+F4 will close whichever one you’re currently viewing and shift your open windows and apps to the next available virtual desktop. Once you have, click the Task View button to the right of the taskbar search box to switch from one desktop to another. Virtual desktops create secondary screens where you can stash some of your open applications and windows, giving you extra workspace.You can do this instead of, or in addition to, saying, “Hey Cortana.” Once you’ve enabled the shortcut, hit Win+C whenever you want to talk to the digital assistant. To do so, open Cortana from the taskbar search box, click the cog icon, and turn on the keyboard shortcut. But if you have a Windows 10 computer, this puts Cortana in listening mode as long as you’ve activated this ability. On Windows 11, Win+C opens Microsoft Teams chat. This shortcut has changed a bit since Microsoft deemphasized its virtual assistant, Cortana.Win+C: Open Microsoft Teams chat (Windows 11) start talking to Cortana (Windows 10) This shortcut will call up the Task Manager, no matter what application you’re using. The Task Manager is your portal to everything running on your Windows system, from open programs to background processes.

Just know that this command will only copy the image to your clipboard, so you won’t get a saved file. If you don’t want to snap the whole screen, the Alt+PrtScn combination will take a screenshot of just the active window. At the same time, Windows will also copy the image to the clipboard. No need to open a dedicated screenshot tool: Win+PrtScn grabs the whole screen and saves it as a PNG file in a Screenshots folder inside your Pictures folder.

Command to close all windows