Useful Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Occasionally, you may find that the windows controls are weirdly located off the top of the screen, or for some other reason, launching commands from a menu with the mouse is not going to work.  in those situations, using keyboard shortcuts can help.  These are hold-overs from the old pre mouse DOS and Unix days of computing, when the keyboard was the only input device, but they continue to be part of all operating systems.  Thanks to Tech I Share for this information.

Here are some useful Windows 7 shortcuts for the taskbar :

Windows Key + Number (1 – 9) – Brings up the current window of the corresponding application pinned to the taskbar. If the application is not already in use, this keyboard shortcut will open it. For example, if you have Internet Explorer, Outlook and Word pinned to the taskbar at the right of the Start button, Windows Key + 1 will open IE, Windows Key + 2 will open Outlook and so on.

Shift + Windows Key + Number (1 – 9) – Opens a new instance of the corresponding application pinned to the taskbar.

Windows Key + T – Brings up a view of each taskbar application currently in use, in order from left to right.

Windows Key + Shift + T – Previews the taskbar items from right to left.

Following are several Windows key shortcuts you can use in Windows 7 :

Windows Key – Opens the Start Menu

Windows Key + D – Displays the desktop

Windows Key + M – Minimizes all open windows

Windows Key + Spacebar – All windows become transparent so that the desktop is visible while pressing and holding this keyboard shortcut

Windows Key + Down Arrow – Reduces a maximized window and minimizes a smaller sized window

Windows Key + Up Arrow – Maximizes a smaller window to full screen

Windows Key + Tab – Cycles through open windows

Windows Key + = – Opens the Magnifier

Windows Key + L – Locks your computer

Windows Key + G – Cycles through your gadgets

Windows Key + P – Opens Presentation View, which allows you to switch to another monitor or projector.

A good free utility Windows 7 Shortcuts can also be found on the internet and this utility adds more shortcuts as follows.

General :

Win+Up : Maximize
Win+Down: Restore / Minimize
Win+Left: Snap to left
Win+Right: Snap to right
Win+Shift+Left: Jump to left monitor
Win+Shift+Right: Jump to right monitor
Win+Home: Minimize / Restore all other windows
Win+T: Focus the first taskbar entry Pressing again will cycle through them, you can can
arrow around. Win+Shift+T cycles backwards.
Win+Space: Peek at the desktop
Win+G: Bring gadgets to the top of the Z-order
Win+P: External display options (mirror, extend desktop, etc)
Win+X: Mobility Center (same as Vista, but still handy!)
Win+# (# = a number key) : Launches a new instance of the application in the Nth slot on the Taskbar.
Win + + : Zoom in
Win + – : Zoom Out

Windows Explorer :

Alt+P: Show/hide Preview Pane

Taskbar modifiers :

Shift + Click on icon: Open a new instance
Middle click on icon: Open a new instance
Ctrl + Shift + Click on icon: Open a new instance with Admin privileges
Shift + Right-click on icon: Show window menu (Restore / Minimize / Move / etc)
Note: Normally you can just right-click on the window thumbnail to get this menu
Shift + Right-click on grouped icon: Menu with Restore All / Minimize All / Close All, etc.
Ctrl + Click on grouped icon: Cycle between the windows (or tabs) in the group”

0

About the Author:

I am a cybersecurity and IT instructor, cybersecurity analyst, pen-tester, trainer, and speaker. I am an owner of the WyzCo Group Inc. In addition to consulting on security products and services, I also conduct security audits, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. I also teach Cybersecurity Awareness Training classes. I work as an information technology and cybersecurity instructor for several training and certification organizations. I have worked in corporate, military, government, and workforce development training environments I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences such as the Minnesota Bloggers Conference, Secure360 Security Conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the (ISC)2 World Congress 2016, and the ISSA International Conference 2017, and many local community organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, and several school districts. I have been blogging on cybersecurity since 2006 at http://wyzguyscybersecurity.com

Add a Comment


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.