Most people know Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. Maybe Ctrl+Z on a good day.
But Windows has dozens of keyboard shortcuts that most people never discover — and some of them genuinely change how you work. Not in a "shave off half a second" way. More like "why did I ever do this with my mouse" way.
Here are 10 that are worth memorizing. Some are classics you might have forgotten. Others are hidden features most people don't even know exist.
1. Win+V — Clipboard History
This one is criminally underused.
You know how the clipboard only holds one thing at a time? Copy something new, and the old thing is gone? Win+V fixes that. It opens a panel showing everything you've copied recently — text, images, links — and lets you pick which one to paste.
First time you use it, Windows will ask you to turn on clipboard history. Do it. From that moment on, you'll never lose a copied snippet again.
Especially useful when you're pulling information from multiple sources into one document.
2. Win+Shift+S — Screenshot Any Part of Your Screen
Forget the old Print Screen key. Win+Shift+S lets you draw a rectangle around exactly the part of your screen you want to capture. The screenshot goes straight to your clipboard, ready to paste into an email, chat, or document.
You can also capture a single window or your full screen. The snipping toolbar appears at the top, and you choose your mode. Fast, precise, no extra apps needed.
3. Ctrl+Shift+T — Reopen Closed Browser Tabs
Accidentally closed a tab? Ctrl+Shift+T brings it back. Works in Chrome, Firefox, Edge — basically every modern browser.
And it's not just the last tab. Press it again and again to reopen tabs in the order you closed them. This has saved me more times than I can count, especially after accidentally closing a tab I'd spent 15 minutes finding.
4. Win+L — Lock Your Computer Instantly
You're heading to the kitchen for coffee. Your screen is showing Slack messages, financial spreadsheets, or that embarrassing Google search.
Win+L. One keystroke. Screen locked. Nobody sees anything until you type your password.
Make this a reflex. It takes a fraction of a second and it protects everything on your screen.
5. Win+D — Show the Desktop
You have 14 windows open. You need to get to a file on your desktop. Instead of minimizing each window one by one, hit Win+D. Everything minimizes instantly.
Press it again, and all your windows come back exactly where they were.
Simple, obvious once you know it, and surprisingly few people use it.
6. Win+Arrow Keys — Snap Windows Side by Side
This one is a proper workflow upgrade.
Win+Left snaps the current window to the left half of your screen. Win+Right snaps it to the right half. Now you've got two apps side by side without dragging and resizing anything.
Win+Up maximizes. Win+Down restores or minimizes. And on Windows 11, if you hit Win+Z, you get snap layouts — predefined arrangements for two, three, or four windows at once. Perfect for comparing documents or referencing something while you write.
7. Alt+Tab — Switch Between Open Windows
You probably know this one. But are you using it well?
Hold Alt, then tap Tab repeatedly to cycle through your open windows. A preview of each window shows up so you can land on the right one.
Here's the trick most people miss: Alt+Shift+Tab goes backwards through the list. Overshot the window you wanted? No need to cycle all the way around.
And if you want to switch between virtual desktops instead of individual windows, Win+Ctrl+Left/Right arrows will move you between them.
8. Win+. (Period) — Emoji and Special Characters
Need an em dash? A degree symbol? An emoji in a Teams message?
Win+Period opens the emoji picker — but it's more than just emojis. Click the tabs at the top and you'll find kaomoji, special characters, and symbols. It's basically a character map that's actually fast to use.
No more googling "how to type em dash on Windows."
9. Ctrl+Shift+Esc — Open Task Manager Directly
Most people do Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then click "Task Manager" from the menu. That's two steps when there should be one.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager directly. No intermediate screen, no delay. When an app is frozen and you need to kill it fast, those extra seconds matter.
10. Win+Ctrl+D — Create a New Virtual Desktop
Virtual desktops are one of the most underused features in Windows. They let you create separate workspaces — one for email and chat, one for your main project, one for research.
Win+Ctrl+D creates a new desktop. Win+Ctrl+Left/Right switches between them. Win+Ctrl+F4 closes the current one.
It's like having multiple monitors, but without the extra hardware. Once you start using virtual desktops, switching back to a single cluttered desktop feels impossible.
Bonus: A Shortcut for Fixing Your Text
All these shortcuts make you faster at navigating, organizing, and multitasking. But there's one thing they don't help with: the quality of the text you're actually writing.
That's where Schriftly comes in. It's a desktop app that works in any application — your email client, Slack, Word, your browser, anything. You select text, press Ctrl+Shift+G, and AI fixes your grammar, spelling, and tone instantly. Right there, in the app you're already using. No copy-pasting to a separate tool.
You can bring your own OpenAI or OpenRouter API key for a one-time $39 purchase, or use the hosted plan for $9/month. Either way, it's one more keyboard shortcut that actually makes a difference — except this one improves what you write, not just how you navigate.
Worth a look if you spend any amount of your day writing.