Table of keyboard shortcuts

Information about Table of keyboard shortcuts

Desktop shortcuts

Below is a list of common keyboard shortcuts that are used in modern desktop environments: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, KDE and GNOME. These are shortcuts used to interact with the desktop environment, and shortcuts commonly used in desktop applications. The Cmd key listed below for Mac OS systems is the Command ⌘ (key on the right & left of space) key.

Common

Shortcuts common to most applications.
Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
File menuAlt+FAlt+FAlt+F
Edit menuAlt+EAlt+EAlt+E
View menuAlt+VAlt+VAlt+V
Undo the last operationCtrl+Z⌘ Cmd+ZCtrl+ZCtrl+Z
Redo the last operationCtrl+Y⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+Z⇧ Shift+Ctrl+Z⇧ Shift+Ctrl+Z
Cut the selected area and store it in the clipboardCtrl+X, ⇧ Shift+Del⌘ Cmd+XCtrl+XCtrl+X
Copy the selected area into the clipboardCtrl+C, or Ctrl+Ins⌘ Cmd+CCtrl+CCtrl+C
Paste contents of clipboard at cursor Ctrl+V, or ⇧ Shift+Ins⌘ Cmd+VCtrl+VCtrl+V
Select everything in focused control or windowCtrl+A⌘ Cmd+ACtrl+ACtrl+A
Delete selectionDelBackspace (Delete)DelDel
Display the selected object's properties/information window.Alt+Enter⌘ Cmd+IAlt+Enter
Show helpF1F1, ⌘ Cmd+?F1F1

Documents

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Create a new documentCtrl+N⌘ Cmd+NCtrl+NCtrl+N
Open a documentCtrl+O⌘ Cmd+OCtrl+OCtrl+O
Save the current documentCtrl+S⌘ Cmd+SCtrl+SCtrl+S
Print the current documentCtrl+P⌘ Cmd+PCtrl+PCtrl+P
Close the current documentvaries [1]⌘ Cmd+WCtrl+WCtrl+W
Zoom in on the documentCtrl+Click Wheel (Scroll)⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+Key (⌘ Cmd++),⌘ Cmd+KeyCtrl++Ctrl++
Zoom out of the documentCtrl+Click Wheel (Scroll)⌘ Cmd+-Ctrl+-Ctrl+-
Reload the current document, updating content from source if necessaryF5, Ctrl+R⌘ Cmd+RF5Ctrl+R

Text editing

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
previous wordCtrl+Opt+
next wordCtrl+⌥ Opt+
previous line breakCtrl+⌥ Opt+
next line breakCtrl+⌥ Opt+
selecting next word⇧ Shift + Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + ⌥ Opt +
selecting previous word⇧ Shift + Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + ⌥ Opt +

Search

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Find matches in the current document, highlighting them in-placeCtrl+F⌘ Cmd+FCtrl+FCtrl+F
Incremental find/ (slash) [2]
Search for matches in multiple documents, files or other external sources❖ Win+F (opens windows search), ❖ Win (Vista only, opens Start menu with Start Search box focused)⌘ Cmd+    Space     (Spotlight)Ctrl+F
Find the next matchF3⌘ Cmd+GCtrl+GCtrl+G
Find and replace matchesCtrl+H⌘ Cmd+F [3]Ctrl+RCtrl+H

Web browsers

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Bookmarks menuAlt+BCmd+Opt+BAlt+BAlt+B
Add a bookmark for the current locationCtrl+DCmd+DCtrl+BCtrl+D
Manage bookmarksCtrl+BCmd+Opt+B (Safari)Ctrl+B
Reload page from cacheF5Cmd+RCtrl+R
Reload page bypassing cacheCtrl+F5Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+R

Go menu

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Go to BrowserCmd+L
Go to the previous location in historyAlt+ or BackspaceAlt+ |Alt+ |
!Go to the next location in history |Alt+ |Cmd+] or Cmd+
Alt+Alt+
Go up one level in the navigation hierarchyBackspaceAlt+Alt+Alt+
Go to the starting page defined by the user or applicationCmd+HomeCtrl+HomeAlt+Home

Text formatting

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Make selected text bold/regularCtrl+BCmd+BCtrl+BCtrl+B
Toggle underlining of selected textCtrl+UCmd+UCtrl+UCtrl+U
Make selected text italic/regularCtrl+ICmd+ICtrl+ICtrl+I
Change to upper/lower caseShift+F3

Window management

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Switch focused windowAlt+Tab, Shift+Alt+Tab(reverse order)Cmd+Tab,Shift+Cmd+TabAlt+Tab, Shift+Alt+TabAlt+Tab, Shift+Alt+Tab
Switch focus to the next or previous window (without dialog)Alt+Esc, Alt+Shift+EscCtrl+F4Alt+Esc, Alt+Shift+Esc
Switch focus to the next or previous panel on the desktopCtrl+Alt+Tab, Shift+Ctrl+Alt+Tab
Switch focus to the next or previous panel (without dialog)Alt+Esc, Alt+Shift+Esc
Pop up window menuAlt+SpaceAlt+F3Alt+Space
Close the focused windowAlt+F4, Ctrl+F4, Alt+Space+CCmd+WAlt+F4Alt+F4
Restore the focused to its previous sizeAlt+F4
Move the focused windowAlt+Space+M+Arrow KeysAlt+F7
Resize the focused windowAlt+Space+S+Arrow KeysAlt+F8
Minimize the focused windowAlt+Space+NCmd+MWin+-Alt+F9
Maximize the focused windowAlt+Space+XWin++Alt+F10
Maximize horizontallyWin+Key
Maximize verticallyWin+Space
Minimize allWin+MCmd+Alt+MCtrl+Alt+D
Undo minimize allWin+Shift+MCtrl+Alt+D
Switch fullscreen/normal sizeF11F11
Show the window in full screen mode, with no border, menubar, toolbar or statusbarDepends on applicationCtrl+Shift+FCtrl+F11
Rollup/down windowCmd+MWin+_Alt+F12
Move window to left/right/up/down workspaceShift-Alt-Left/Right/Up/Down
Move window to desktop XWin-Alt-FX
Switch to next/previous desktopFn-Right / Fn-Left (Leopard)Win-Tab / Win-Shift-Tab
Switch to next/previous desktop listCtrl-Tab / Ctrl-Shift-Tab
Go to desktop XCtrl-(Shift)FX
Go to left/right/up/down desktopCtrl-Alt-Left/Right/Up/Down
Show / hide desktopWin-DF11Ctrl-Alt-DCtrl-Alt-D
Activate window demanding attentionCtrl-Alt-A
Kill windowAlt-F4 or Ctrl-F4 varies <ref name="xpclose" />Cmd-Alt-EscapeCtrl-Alt-Escape
Close dialogEscEsc

Widget navigation

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Moves keyboard focus to next/previous controlTab, Shift-TabTab, Shift-TabTab, Shift-Tab
Pop up tooltip for currently-focused controlShift-F1Ctrl-F1
Show context-sensitive help for currently-focused window or controlShift-F1Cmd-?Shift-F1Shift-F1
Give focus to next/previous paneCtrl-F6 or Alt-F6Cmd-`F6, Shift-F6
Give focus to splitter bar in paned windowF8
Give focus to window's menu barF10Ctrl-F2AltF10
Pop up contextual menu for currently-selected objectsShift-F10, MenuMenuShift-F10
Toggle selected state of focused checkbox, radio button, or toggle buttonSpaceSpaceSpaceSpace
Activate focused button, menu item etc.EnterEnter/ReturnEnter/ReturnEnter/Return
Select/move to first item in selected widgetHome, EndHome, End
Scroll selected view by one page up/left/down/rightPageUp, Ctrl-PageUp, PageDown, Ctrl-PageDown

Tab management

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Create new tabCtrl-TCmd-TCtrl-Shift-N / Ctrl-TCtrl-T
Go to next/previous tabCtrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-TabCmd-{ or Cmd-Shift-Left, Cmd-} or Cmd-Shift-Right (Safari)Ctrl-,/Ctrl-.Ctrl-PageUp/PageDown

Desktop navigation

Action Windows XP/Windows Vista Mac OS KDE GNOME
Run new applicationWin-RAlt-F2Alt-F2
Open new browser window with same page as currentCtrl-NCmd-N (Non-default user option in Safari)
Start menu / Applications menuWin, Ctrl-EscCmd-Shift-AAlt-F1Alt-F1
Copy a screenshot to clipboardCtrl-Print ScreenCmd-Ctrl-Shift-3 (Cmd-Shift-3 to create as a file on the desktop)Ctrl-PrintPrint
Copy a screenshot of window to clipboardAlt-Print ScreenCmd-Ctrl-Shift-4 then Space (Cmd-Shift-4 to create as a file on the desktop)Alt-PrintAlt-Print
Lock desktopWin-LCtrl-Alt-LCtrl-Alt-L
Show desktopWin-DF11Ctrl-Alt-DCtrl-Alt-D
Switch active userWin-L [4]Ctrl-Alt-L
Task managerCtrl-Shift-Esc, Ctrl-Alt-Del [5]Cmd-Opt-EscCtrl-Esc
Rename fileF2EnterF2F2

Command line shortcuts

Below is a list of common keyboard shortcuts that are used in a command line environment.

Action Windows (Cmd.exe) Unix/Linux/Mac OS X (bash)
Scroll through History of typed commands//
Signal end-of-fileCtrl+ZCtrl+D
Signal breakCtrl+CCtrl+C
Erase word to the leftCtrl+W
Erase line to the leftEscCtrl+U
Erase line to the rightEscCtrl+K
Move to beginning of lineHomeCtrl+A
Move to end of lineEndCtrl+E
Reverse search of historyF7Ctrl+R
Send current job to the backgroundCtrl+Z
Autocomplete command/file nameTab ⇆ (if enabled eg. via TweakUI)Tab ⇆ (usually twice)
ShutdownShutdown -Sshutdown
RestartShutdown -Rshutdown -r
Shutdown remote computerShutdown -S -M \\computername

Notes

1. ^ There is no single consistent shortcut for closing a document or quitting an application in Windows XP. In many multiple document interface applications, Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4 closes a document and Alt+F4 quits. In other applications where each document is in its own window, such as later versions of Microsoft Word, Ctrl+W, Ctrl+F4, and Alt+F4 close a document, and there is no consistent shotcut for quitting an application.
2. ^ To find text inside a web page in Konqueror, enter slash (/) followed by text. To find links, enter single quote (') followed by text. Find next with F3.
3. ^ OS X applications often use a single dialog for both find and replace.
4. ^ Takes you to the Switch User-screen when Fast User Switching has been enabled (enabled by default in XP).
5. ^ Shows task manager in Windows XP if the welcome screen is enabled. Otherwise displays an NT-style menu, with the option of launching the task manager. Same with Vista, but with a prettier menu.

See also

In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE, sometimes desktop manager) offers a graphical user interface (GUI) to the computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces, as opposed to the earlier, textual command line
..... Click the link for more information.
In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE, sometimes desktop manager) offers a graphical user interface (GUI) to the computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces, as opposed to the earlier, textual command line
..... Click the link for more information.
Microsoft Windows

Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate, the latest version of Microsoft Windows.
Company/developer: Microsoft Corporation
OS family: MS-DOS/9x-based, Windows CE, Windows NT
Source model: Closed source

..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Maintainer: The KDE Team

OS: Cross-platform
Available language(s): Multilingual (80 different languages.)
Use: Desktop environment
License: GNU General Public License and others
Website: [1] KDE (
..... Click the link for more information.
gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle.

The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus.
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows XP
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows XP Service Pack 2
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows XP: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows Vista
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Vista: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Maintainer: The KDE Team

OS: Cross-platform
Available language(s): Multilingual (80 different languages.)
Use: Desktop environment
License: GNU General Public License and others
Website: [1] KDE (
..... Click the link for more information.
gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle.

The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus.
..... Click the link for more information.
For Wikipedia's "undo" function, see .


Undo is a command in most creative programs. It erases the last change done to the document reverting it back to an older state.
..... Click the link for more information.
For Wikipedia's "undo" function, see .


Undo is a command in most creative programs. It erases the last change done to the document reverting it back to an older state.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Insert key (often abbreviated INS) is a key commonly found on computer keyboards.

It is primarily used to switch between the two text-entering modes on a personal computer or word processor.
..... Click the link for more information.
cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input.

In most command line interfaces, the cursor is an underscore, a solid rectangle, or a vertical line, which may be flashing or steady, indicating where
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Online Help is topic, procedural or reference information delivered through computer software. It is a form of User Assistance. Most Help is designed to give assistance in the use of a software application or operating system, but can also be used to present information on a broad
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows XP
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows XP Service Pack 2
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows XP: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows Vista
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Vista: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Maintainer: The KDE Team

OS: Cross-platform
Available language(s): Multilingual (80 different languages.)
Use: Desktop environment
License: GNU General Public License and others
Website: [1] KDE (
..... Click the link for more information.
gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle.

The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus.
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows XP
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows XP Service Pack 2
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows XP: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows Vista
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Vista: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Maintainer: The KDE Team

OS: Cross-platform
Available language(s): Multilingual (80 different languages.)
Use: Desktop environment
License: GNU General Public License and others
Website: [1] KDE (
..... Click the link for more information.
gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle.

The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Option key, known to PC users as AltGr or Alt key, is a modifier key present on Apple Keyboards. It is located between the Control key and Command key on a standard Macintosh keyboard.
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows XP
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows XP Service Pack 2
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows XP: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.
Windows Vista
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot

Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Vista: Homepage
Release information
Release date:
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.

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