Windows 10 is a new operating system that was released in October of 2015. It has a lot of new features and improvements over the previous versions. One of the most important changes is the addition of a control key, called the Ctrl key, which allows users to quickly access different functions and tools in Windows 10. Here are some essential shortcuts for Windows 10 that you should know about:

  1. To open the Start Menu, press the Ctrl key and type “start” into the search bar.
  2. To change your wallpaper, press the Ctrl key and type “wallpaper” into the search bar.
  3. To open File Explorer, press the Ctrl key and type “file” into the search bar.
  4. To close File Explorer, press the Esc key or click on its icon in the taskbar (if it’s not already closed).
  5. To open System Preferences, press the Ctrl key and type “system preferences” into the search bar.
  6. To change your keyboard layout, press Alt+F5 (or click on this link to learn more about it).

You’ve probably seen or used a few Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+C, but have you ever thought about what each letter in the alphabet does? For reference, we’ll run through the entire list of 26 letters with both the Windows key and the Control key.

The Windows Key Shortcut Alphabet

In Windows 11, Microsoft uses shortcuts performed with the Windows key as universal shortcuts that work across all apps and control basic Windows functions. Some of these go as far back as Windows 95, but newer editions of Windows have changed a few over time. At least seven of these shortcuts are new to Windows 11.

Windows+A: Open Quick Settings Windows+B: Focus on the first icon in the Taskbar system tray Windows+C: Open Teams Chat Windows+D: Display (and hide) the desktop Windows+E: Open File Explorer Windows+F: Open Feedback Hub Windows+G: Open Xbox Game Bar Windows+H: Open voice typing (speech dictation) Windows+i: Open Windows Settings Windows+J: Set focus to a Windows tip (if on screen) Windows+K: Open Cast in Quick Settings (for Miracast) Windows+L: Lock your PC Windows+M: Minimize all open windows Windows+N: Open notification center and calendar Windows+O: Lock screen rotation (orientation) Windows+P: Open Project menu (for switching display modes) Windows+Q: Open Search menu Windows+R: Open the Run dialog (for running commands) Windows+S: Open Search menu (yep, there’s currently two of them) Windows+T: Cycle through and focus on taskbar application icons Windows+U: Open accessibility settings in the Settings app Windows+V: Open clipboard history (if enabled) Windows+W: Open (or close) the Widgets menu Windows+X: Open the power user menu (like right-clicking Start button) Windows+Y: Switch input between Windows Mixed Reality and desktop Windows+Z: Open Snap layouts (if a window is open)

RELATED: Why Do Keyboards Have a Windows Key? Here’s Where It Started

The Control Key Shortcut Alphabet

Some of these Control key-based shortcuts vary by application, but there are some standard conventions that apply in many apps, such as Ctrl+B for making text bold and Ctrl+F for searching within an app. Of course, there’s also the famous Ctrl+Z/X/C/V shortcuts for undo, cut, copy, and paste commands that are universal across almost every app. In the cases where there isn’t a common use for the shortcut, we’ve listed its use in Microsoft Word (which many other text editing apps use as well) and in most web browsers.

Ctrl+A: Select all Ctrl+B: Make bold (Word), Open bookmarks (browsers) Ctrl+C: Copy Ctrl+D: Change font (Word), Create bookmark (browsers) Ctrl+E: Center (Word), Focus on address bar (browsers) Ctrl+F: Find Ctrl+G: Find next Ctrl+H: Find and replace (Word), Open history (browsers) Ctrl+I: Make text italic Ctrl+J: Justify text (Word), Open downloads (browsers) Ctrl+K: Insert hyperlink Ctrl+L: Align text left Ctrl+M: Indent more (move right) Ctrl+N: New Ctrl+O: Open Ctrl+P: Print Ctrl+R: Align text right (Word), Reload page (browsers) Ctrl+S: Save Ctrl+T: Hanging indent (Word), New tab (browsers) Ctrl+U: Underline text (Word), View source (browsers) Ctrl+V: Paste Ctrl+W: Close Ctrl+X: Cut (and copy to clipboard) Ctrl+Y: Redo Ctrl+Z: Undo

That’s not all the shortcuts in Windows—far from it. If you add in all the special characters and meta keys, you’ll find there are hundreds of Windows key shortcuts to master. But for now, you can impress all your friends by knowing what each letter key does as a major Windows shortcut. Have fun!

RELATED: The Origins of Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+Z Explained